Coffee Vanilla Chocolate Chip Battenberg … Daring Bakers go ROYALE!
“A great empire, like a great cake, is most easily diminished at the edges.”
Benjamin Franklin
“My tongue is smiling”, ‘Only good can come out of this”…. some of my favourite food quotes tumbled through my head as I mixed the batter. I was up early looking at the pile of sweet home made butter. The time had come for the Daring Bakers Batternberg, the Queen of Englands favourite cake. My take for her birthday celebrations – Coffee Vanilla Chocolate Chip Batterberg! It was delicious; pretty too, but an uphill task given the terrible weather!!
This cake has grand beginnings. It was actually created as a wedding cake for royalty. The first Battenberg cake was made to celebrate the marriage of Queen Victoria’s granddaughter, Princess Victoria, to husband Prince Louis of Battenberg. It’s traditionally flavoured with almond and has the signature Battenberg markings, that is, the yellow and pink squares, said to represent the four princes of Battenberg. The strips of sponge are glued together using jam (normally apricot) and the whole cake is covered in marzipan. Sometimes the edges are crimped and the top is patterned with a knife. This traditional Battenberg recipe comes from Mary Berry’s “Baking Bible”.
Flavours danced in my head, the possibilities seemed endless but the incessantly high temperatures and rampant power cuts held me back … until 4 days ago. The time had come as it was a now or never. Vanilla and peach, coffee walnut, cherry vanilla, dark cherry chocolate, chocolate orange, vanilla pistachio … the colours now dancing too.
Mandy of What The Fruitcake?! came to our rescue last minute to present us with the Battenberg Cake challenge! She highlighted Mary Berry’s techniques and recipes to allow us to create this unique little cake with ease.
So many choices, so much more confusion! We have a mini Queen of England at home, the dieting diva who has a strong dislike for walnuts and pistachios much to my dismay. The newly turned 13 teen is simpler to handle in food matters as he is more adventurous with his palette. MasterChef helps! Thankfully coffee is something we all agree on, so coffee was in!
Pairings? The teens love for dark chocolate {last wished for in this Dark Chocolate Cherry Mousse Cake} had my flavours were sorted out. Next? Covering the Battenberg! India is not a marzipan country, and with the heat these days {45C feeling like 47C}, it’s a bother to make from scratch. In fact, you could easily bake the Battenberg on the sidewalk! I chose the plastique as I have wanted to try it ever since I spied it on sweet Allesios blog Recipe Taster ages ago.
The time had come for plastique adventure; thats when the cookie crumbled! It was the hottest day of the season, a hot wind blasting its way through the city … and then a massive 7 hour power cut! Oh, the HORRID HEAT! “If it hadn’t been your birthday, your Majesty, wild horses couldn’t have dragged me to make a Battenberg, buttercream, chocolate plastique and all, given the conditions.”
How my buttercream curdled and wept! The plastique behaved beautifully for a while. I LOVED IT; then I hated it. The camera was now thrown away! Rolled the plastique out to line the cake. That was the easy bit. A blast of hot summer wind and contact with buttercream kind of paved it’s plastic-y fate. Everything flowed and disintegrated in different directions. I patched up what I could and shoved it into a fridge already under stress.
I tried to pretty it up and camouflage the tattered edges with cocoa, and dunked a plastique rose on top {beautiful tutorial here for chocolate roses}. The stalk wilted in the heat, but at least I managed something. It tasted darned good though, so here you are – Coffee Vanilla Chocolate Chip Batterberg thanks to Mandy …. and her Majesty of course!
About the cake Mandy said, “It’s an all in one cake method, so very simple, quick and very few dirty dishes! Although there are specialised Battenberg cake tins available, you don’t need one. This can be baked in a square baking tin and a divide made with foil to separate the two batters. This recipe really is all about simplicity.” TRUE!
Thank you Mandy, and thank you as always Lisa of La Mia Cucina and Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice for hosting this fab kitchen!! Do stop by here to see the delightful Battenbergs our other daring bakers have squared up!!
Recipe: Coffee Vanilla Chocolate Chip Batterberg
Summary: A simple, stunning and delicious traditional British cake. Adapted from Coffee and Walnut Battenberg from Mary Berry on the BBC Food website
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves: 8+
Ingredients:
- Cake
- ¾ cup / 175gm unsalted butter, softened & cut in cubes
- ¾ cup / 175gm caster sugar
- 1¼ cups / 175gm self-raising flour {see notes on how to make your own}
- 3 large eggs, room temp
- ½ cup / 65gm ground almonds {or ground rice}
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3 tsp / 15 ml milk
- ½ tsp / 2½ ml vanilla extract
- 1½ tsp / 7 gm instant coffee powder
- 3 Tbsp / 25gm mini dark chocolate chips
- Coffee Buttercream
- ½ cup / 115gm unsalted butter
- 2 cups / 225gm powdered sugar
- 1 tsp / 2 gm instant coffee
- 1½ tsp milk or cream
- Dark Chocolate Plastique To Finish
- 200gm Good Quality Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa content)
- ¼ cup / 60ml Light Corn Syrup / Glucose Syrup
Method:
- Cake
- Preheat oven to moderate 180°C
- Grease an 8”/20cm square baking tin with butter
- Line the tin with parchment paper, creating a divide in the middle with the parchment (or foil) – Tip: See photos or watch video above for detailed instructions
- Whisk together dry ingredients (except chocolate chips and coffee) and combine with the wet ingredients in a large bowl (except vanilla and milk) and beat together just until the ingredients are combined and the batter is smooth
- Spoon half the mixture into a separate bowl and stir in the vanilla, 1½ teaspoons milk and chocolate chips.
- Spoon the chocolate mixture into the one side of the prepared baking tin
- Dissolve the coffee in the remaining 1½ teaspoon milk and add to the remaining batter, stir until just combined
- Spoon the coffee batter into the other half of the prepared baking tin
- Smooth the surface of the batter with a spatula, making sure batter is in each corner
- Bake for 25-30mins until the cake is well risen, springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick comes out clean (it should shrink away from the sides of the pan)
- Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out to cool thoroughly on a wire rack
- Because it’s such a thick batter I find that if you spread the batter so that it’s higher at the edges, when it bakes it helps rise without as much of a curved surface
- Once completely cool, trim the edges of the cake with a long serrated knife
- Cut each sponge in half length ways so that you are left with four long strips of sponge
- Neaten the strips and trim as necessary so that your checkered pattern is as neat and even as possible.
- Coffee Buttercream
- Combine the buttercream ingredients together and mix until combined.
- Dark Chocolate Plastique
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water, stir occasionally. {I used the microwave}
- Once completely melted, remove from heat and allow to cool a bit
- Stir in corn syrup / glucose syrup, it will seize up almost immediately, just keep stirring until mixed and it comes away from the side of the bowl
- Transfer chocolate into a seal-able bag, spread the chocolate out then seal the bag. Leave overnight or refrigerate for about 2 hours until completely firm
- Turn out from the bag and knead on a surface dusted with powdered sugar, at first it will just break , but as you knead, it will warm up and start to become pliable
- Knead until it’s pliable enough to roll out or mould, 5 – 10mins
- To Finish
- Spread a thin layer of buttercream onto the strips of cake to stick the cake together in a checkered pattern
- Dust a large flat surface with icing sugar then roll the plastique in an oblong shape that is wide enough to cover the length of the cake and long enough to completely wrap the cake
- Spread the top of the cake with a thin layer of buttercream
- Place the cake on the plastique, buttercream side down
- Spread buttercream onto the remaining three sides
- Press the plastique around the cake, making sure the join is either neatly in the one corner, or will be underneath the cake once turned over
- Carefully flip the cake over so that the seam is under the cake and score the top of the cake with a knife, you can also crimp the top corners with your fingers to decorate
- Neaten the ends of the cake and remove excess plastique by trimming off a small bit of cake on both ends to reveal the pattern.
- Note: How to make your own self raising flour: 1 cup Self Raising Flour = 1 cup / 115g All Purpose Flour + 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder + ¼ tsp Salt (omit salt if there is salt in the recipe) sifted together
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Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India
Deeba @ PAB
About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.
36 Comments
Vimitha
That truly is royalty on a plate… Loved the flavor pairings Deeba
Sarvani @ baker in disguise
I know the horrors of baking at 40 degrees plus so RESPECT for making a cake at 45 deg C!! and for all the horrors you went through.. one would never imagine looking at the cake!! the flavour combinations.. with the dark chocolate plastique..amazing!! truly!! I like the idea of using foil to divide the layers!!
Rekha Kakkar
As always …you are too good in making any complex recipe to sound so easy to bake. You have so much patience for elaborate food. Love any thing with chocolate as it …
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes
Love how you camouflaged the edges. Wish I’d thought of that. I had struggles with mine as well. I especially love the beautiful rose.
indugetscooking
Thats one hell of a cake!
Rosa
Great job! That cake looks amazing and I love the flavors you’ve chosen.
cheers,
Rosa
thyme (Sarah)
Such a handsome cake. Yes, I agree, Texas is similar to India. Yesterday I was really sure that if I cracked an egg on the sidewalk, voila…breakfast!!!
Richa
Thats an awesome cake….I’m craving for it as soon as i saw it…..
Can’t wait to give it a try !!!
You are an amazing Baker , Photographer and a mom 🙂
Great work!!!
I’m your biggest fan and follow your work..
All the best and keep up the good work…
Kristin
Beautiful cake. Great idea to use chocolate. I couldn’t resist using marzipan for mine as I just love marzipan but chocolate looks great too. Love your cacao edges and flower.
Priya
Omg, wat a fabulous and elegant batterberg cake.
shooting star
seeing the pics…one cannot say its a mess…but i can understand ur feelings when the recipe is under stress and all our photographic needs are thrown away!!!!
Meeta
Incredible – you never seize to amaze me with your incredible creations. What an exceptional looking cake. I have to admit although I complain at the low temperatures here in Germany – often I am quite happy – the 40 degrees in India would kill me!
Divya
A true beauty Deeba,fitting for a queen;))
Srimathi
How do you come up with such amazing photo angle and mouth watering cakes. Looks divine.
Gauri
Simply love it … u make it look so easy!
Marjorie (Sugar for the Brain)
My gosh!!!! It looks amazing! I want to eat some right now!!! I love your photos too!
Gula
It looks wonderful! you have beautiful plates 🙂
Makey-Cakey
Despite your battle with the weather, your finished cake looks fantastic – elegant and delicious!
Korena
Absolutely beautiful photographs! I had similar trouble deciding what flavours to make, but I think you hit on a winner with coffee, vanilla and chocolate chip! Your cake is gorgeous – so elegant. Great job!
chinmayie @ love food eat
That is quite an amazing work of art! I could never do it! Beautiful Deeba 🙂
Nisha
ah. agree with the commenter above. this really is one hell of a cake! 😀
what a beauty. love the touch you added with that rose.
and that design on chocolate plastique – subtle but so pretty! 🙂
Joy
Your version looks great.
Suma
This cake has always fascinated me, vanilla, coffee and ground almonds is a flavor combination too good to resist! You can bake the cake on the sidewalk? lol! Delhi must be seriously hot!!!!
Loved your rose and the way you have made the cake look charming in spite of all the odds, you are a Daring Baker indeed!
natasha
Wow Deeba, what a feat and that too in this weather! The cake’s looking beautiful and scrumptious.
Love Natasha
Abhishek Erach
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Rituparna
Oh Deeba how I relate to ur plight. I kept drooling all month looking at the recipe & thinking of the different possibilities but did not have your courage. I let a delicious recipe pass. But I will make this soon.
Love those phototgraphs !
Carol Anne @ Rock Salt
You did a brilliant job, especially in such adverse conditions! I love the decoration and the chocolate chip squares are very cute 🙂
Born27
That Coffee Vanilla Chocolate Chip Batterberg looks lovely. Perfect combination! That is why i can’t wait to make this. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
MandyM
I’m absolutely floored that you even managed to get the plastique rolled out in such heat! I don’t even know how you managed to be baking at all. We’re having a mild hot spell here (when I say hot I mean 20degC :P) and I can’t even stand to look at the oven, haha!
Well done, seriously daring baking there. Despite the weather it looks delicious. Maybe you can try again in the cooler months 🙂
Thanks for taking part in the challenge!
Deeba @ PAB
I’m definitely going to try this in cooler months. the recipe is a keeper, and the visual appeal enchanting! Thank you Mandy!
Shelley C
Well it certainly doesn’t LOOK like you had any difficulties with that gorgeous Battenberg, and the flavor combination sounds heavenly!! Wonderful job!!
turmericnspice
i can imagine how difficult it wld have been to work on a humid hot day. But seriously had u not blogged about it I wld have never know!! it looks perfect to me !!
Smita
Truly a treat for both eyes & palate alike !!! Love it !!!
Fruit Cakes
thanks for sharing nice information about cakes..
I also made these cakes like fruit cakes, vaneela cake, whiskey cake etc, i like these cakes too much. yummy flavor..
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen
Oh my goodness that is jaw-droppingly gorgeous!!
Jamie
You know I am nuts about coffee and chocolate! You know it, Sistah! And this is gorgeous!! Wow! I am so impressed by the chocolate rose and really by the beauty of all of your desserts. A stunner. I have to make one of these. And a “mini Queen of England”? LOL does she read your blog and know how you talk about her??