Earthy and herbaceous, with a mildly sweet finish, matcha is a powdered ceremonial green tea made only in Japan. In our Battenberg Cake, it pulls double duty as a grassy complement to the almond and apricot notes and as a brilliant, natural dye for the sponge cake. This dessert is perfect for anyone who can’t decide on their favorite flavor. The Battenberg is constructed of two different cakes and arranged in an iconic check pattern. For our tea take, matcha and almond sponge cakes form the signature checkered pattern, with a layer of apricot jam sandwiched between the cakes and a cover of homemade marzipan to seal it all together. Find more tea recipes here!
Matcha Battenberg Cake
Makes 1 (8-inch) cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs (150 grams)
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) almond extract
- ½ teaspoon (2 grams) vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups (219 grams) plain/all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) whole milk
- 1½ teaspoons (3 grams) matcha powder
- Marzipan (recipe below)
- ¼ cup (80 grams) apricot jam, warmed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter and flour an 8-inch square baking pan; line pan with parchment paper. Fold a sheet of foil over 3 to 4 times to create a sturdy 8-inch-long,1-inch-tall strip. Place in center of prepared pan to form a divider.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined after each addition. Beat in extracts.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating just until combined. Pour half of batter into a medium bowl.
- In a small bowl, stir together milk and matcha powder. Add matcha mixture to remaining batter, and fold to combine. Pour each batter into one side of prepared pan.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center of each cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack. Using a serrated knife, trim off dark outer edges of cake. Cut each cake into 2 (8x1½x1-inch) rectangles.
- On a work surface lightly dusted with confectioners’ sugar, roll Marzipan to ⅛-inch thickness. Brush a 1½-inch side of one piece of matcha cake with warm apricot jam, and place on Marzipan, jam side down. Brush a 1-inch side of matcha cake and a 1½-inch side of one piece of almond cake with jam. Place almond cake next to matcha cake, 1½-inch side down, using jam as a glue. Brush top of matcha cake and a 1-inch side of second piece of almond cake with jam. Place almond cake directly on top of matcha piece.
- Brush a 1½-inch side of second piece of matcha cake with jam, and place it directly on top of first almond piece. Gently press all cake pieces together. Brush outside of all cake pieces with jam. Carefully wrap Marzipan around cake, gently pressing to smooth out air pockets and seal. Cut off any excess Marzipan. Cut a ½-inch piece off each end of cake. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Marzipan
Makes about 4 cups
Ingredients
- 3½ cups (420 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 1½ cups (144 grams) almond flour
- 1 large egg white (30 grams)
- 2 teaspoons (8 grams) vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons (8 grams) almond extract
Instructions
- In the work bowl of a food processor, place confectioners’ sugar and flour; pulse until combined. Add egg white, vanilla extract, and almond extract, and process until mixture holds together and is the consistency of softened butter. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 1 month.
[…] Moving right along, my birthday is in March and I have recently taken to baking my own birthday cake. This year it took me a while to figure out what I wanted to bake. I was scrolling through the Bake from Scratch website and came across some St Patrick’s Day inspired desserts. Where low and behold, I found a matcha battenberg cake recipe. It was perfect for a couple of reasons, 1) my birthday is March 18th, bring on green everything, and 2) it included matcha, with our trip to the matcha motherland upcoming, I thought it would be the perfect excuse to bake using matcha. Here is the link to the cake: https://www.bakefromscratch.com/matcha-battenberg-cake/ […]
Is there an alternative to using marzipan? I’m not as fond of the taste but I love this overall recipe and would like to try it. Thanks!
Hi Simone!
Thanks for reaching out! We love making our own homemade marzipan versus buying commercial types that may include processed ingredients. If you have tried our homemade version and still find that you do not prefer the taste, we have two recommendations. First, you can leave out the almond extract and add 1-2 teaspoons of water in its place. This will make the flavor more mild. The second option is to use fondant. Fondants aren’t especially known for flavor, as they are a more decorative option, but there are some “marshmallow” fondants that have a better taste. Hope this helps!