Orange and Pistachio Battenberg Cake
- 175g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 175g caster sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 175g self-raising flour
- 50g ground almonds
- A pinch of Maldon Salt
- 50g ground pistachios, ground in a blender
- Orange food colouring
- Green food colouring
- 1 orange, zested
- 4 tbsp whole milk
- 400g marzipan
- 125g apricot jam
- Icing sugar, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease a 20cm square tin.
Cut a sheet of baking paper into a 40cm x 20cm rectangle, then fold this rectangle in half (short side to short side). Hold the fold in the middle of the tin and then press down each side so you create a divide across the middle of the tin. To make sure the divide is sturdy, you can use some foil along the fold also. Your tin now has two equal halves.
Using an electric whisk, beat together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until it is pale and fluffy. Add the eggs and whisk in. Add the self-raising flour and a pinch of Maldon Salt and gently fold in.
Split this mixture into two equal parts and spoon the other half into a separate bowl. To this bowl add the ground pistachios, green food colouring and two tablespoons of milk. Mix together until it is smooth and has a good dropping consistency (add a splash more milk if needed).
To the original bowl add the ground almonds, orange food colouring, orange zest and two tablespoons of milk. Mix and check the consistency to match that of the other bowl.
Spoon each flavour mixture into each half of the cake tin and smooth over the top. Place into the preheated oven for 30 minutes until baked and a skewer comes out clean. Set the cake on a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cool, remove from the tin and use a serrated knife to trim off the tops and edges. Then slice both flavours in half lengthways so you have two long pieces of cake of each flavour. Check to make sure the pieces are the same size and trim any if necessary.
Dust your work surface with icing sugar and then roll out the marzipan until it is a large rectangle roughly 20 x 35cm in size.
Use the apricot jam to brush the edges of cake slices and then place them in the middle of the marzipan with a green piece next to an orange piece and then alternating on top. Brush the excess marzipan around the cake with apricot jam and then lift it up around the cake to tightly enclose it. Trim off any excess marzipan and then seal it together. Flip the cake so the seal is at the bottom. Trim off both ends of the cake neatly with the serrated knife and then serve in slices to your guests.
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