Battenberg cake has long been a fixture of British and Irish tea tables, prized as much for its neat pink and yellow squares as its taste. Now Bord Bia's Quality Kitchen has put a fresh, fruit forward spin on the classic with a strawberry version worth adding to the baking rotation this season.
Created by chef Shane Smith for the Dunnes Stores Quality Kitchen Stage, this strawberry Battenberg loaf swaps the usual food colouring for a genuine strawberry purée, made by simmering fresh Irish strawberries with sugar, lemon juice and a touch of cornflour until thick and glossy. That purée gets folded through half of a rich, almond studded sponge batter, giving one half of the loaf its natural pink hue and a real fruity depth, while the other half stays golden and buttery.
Once baked and cooled, the two sponges are trimmed, sliced into strips and glued together with strawberry jam to recreate that instantly recognisable chequerboard pattern, before the whole thing is wrapped in a smooth layer of white fondant icing. The result is a showstopping loaf that takes the fiddly reputation out of a Battenberg while keeping all of its charm, and it's a lovely way to make the most of Irish strawberries while they're in season.
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Strawberry Battenberg loaf recipe
Serves: 6-8 people
Time: 35 min
Ingredients:
Strawberry purée:
- 125g Irish strawberries
- 25g caster sugar
- ¼ lemon, juiced
- ¼ tablesp. cornflour
Sponges:
- 290g Irish creamy butter, soft
- 290g caster sugar
- 5 Irish free-range large eggs
- 165g plain flour
- 125g ground almonds
- 1 teasp. baking powder
- 25ml milk
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Method:
For the strawberry purée, place the chopped strawberries, sugar, juice and cornflour into a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently for approx. 5 minutes until thick. Chill until needed
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and line two 2lb loaf tins with parchment.
Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.
Add flour, ground almonds, and baking powder, then mix. Stir in milk to reach a dropping consistency.
Divide the batter into two bowls. Add the cold strawberry purée to one and mix. Pour into tins, smooth the tops and bake for 45–50 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
Cool completely on a wire rack, then chill for 30 minutes to make trimming easier.
Trim off crusts and cut each sponge into four even strips lengthwise.
Glue strips together with the jam, alternating colours to form the classic chequered pattern.
Chill briefly while preparing the icing.
Roll the icing into a rectangle large enough to wrap the cake. Brush lightly with more jam.
Wrap the sponge in icing, smoothing and sealing the edges.
Trim the ends to reveal the pattern and store in a cool, dry place until serving.
* This recipe was originally publish on Bord Bia.
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