Battenburg Cupcakes
These Battenburg-style cupcakes are assembled with alternating pieces of pink and plain cake.
Ingredients
self-raising flour
220 g / 8 oz / 2 cups
caster sugar
220 g / 8 oz / 1 cup
margarine (softened)
220 g / 8 oz / 1 cup
baking powder
2 tsp
free-range eggs
4 large
pure vanilla extract
2 tsp
pink food colouring (preferably gel)
apricot jam (for spreading)
lemon glacé icing (p. 16)
1 quantity
dolly mixture or other sprinkles (to decorate)
Instructions
1
Step 1
Preheat oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas mark 3. Grease two 20cm/8 in square cake tins (pans), and line with baking parchment.
2
Step 2
Sift the flour and sugar into a mixing bowl, food processor or food mixer. Add the margarine, baking powder, eggs and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Divide the mixture (batter) into two equal portions in separate bowls, and add a little bit of pink food colouring to one half. Pour each cake mixture into a separate tin, and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until firm to the touch and golden. Don't worry that the pink cake doesn't look very pink. Remove from the oven and turn both cakes onto wire racks to cool.
3
Step 3
Using a sharp knife, level the tops of the cakes so that the top and the bottom are completely flat. Spread a thin layer of apricot jam over the upper side of the pink layer. Place the plain cake on top so that the bottom side of the sponge faces upwards. Cut into 2 cm/3/4 in strips.
4
Step 4
Now, pay attention. Lay one strip on its side so that you have a line of pink and a line of yellow. Spread a thin layer of jam over the top. Take another strip of cake and lay it on its side on top of the jammy strip, but reversed so that pale lies directly on top of pink and vice versa. Cut these strips into squares, and drizzle with the glacé icing. Let some of the icing dribble down the sides. Plop a dolly mixture (or alternative adornment) on top, and place in cupcake cases.
