PB&J Battenburg

By Jack and Hayley Rowbottom

If for any reason you’ve been living under a rock and are unaware, PB & J is the abbreviation for possibly the world’s most amazing flavour combination… Yes, foodie pals, I’m talking about peanut butter and jam –or ‘jelly’ to our American cousins.

As if this combo isn’t frightfully fabulous enough, when the Missus proclaimed she was going to use these flavours in a BATTENBURG CAKE, I was elated. You may have had Battenburg before – beautiful little fancies dressed in pink and vanilla, encased with apricot jam. Imagine that with peanut butter and strawberry flavours and tell me you’re not excited!

The Battenburg cake was reportedly named in honour of the marriage of Princess Victoria (a granddaughter of Queen Victoria) to Prince Louis of Battenburg in 1884. Extremely British and extremely yummy, it does require a bit of faff but is definitely worth the effort.

INGREDIENTS 200g unsalted butter, softened 200g caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 eggs 200g self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 2 tbsp peanut butter 1 tbsp cocoa powder 1/2 jar strawberry jam 1 pack ready-rolled marzipan

METHOD 1. Preheat the oven to 180/160C fan. 2. Grease a square baking tin (we like to use silicone) and create a makeshift divider using foil and baking paper to separate the tin into two equal halves.

3. Use an electric whisk to beat the sugar and butter together with the vanilla extract until pale and fluffy. 4. Fold in the flour and baking powder and mix until combined. 5. Separate the mixture into two bowls and add the peanut butter and cocoa to one bowl. Now you should have one vanilla mixture and one with peanut butter/chocolate. 6. Put each mixture into a different half of the lined baking tin. 7. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool completely. 8. Trim the sides and top of each cake and cut in half lengthways. Use the

jam to stick the long edge of one vanilla slice and one PB slice together. 9. Spread the top with jam and repeat with the other cake pieces to create the classic Battenberg checkerboard. Spread the top with jam. 10. Lay out the marzipan on baking powder and dust with icing sugar to prevent it from sticking. Place the cake (carefully!) jam-side down and brush the remaining edges with jam. Using the baking paper for assistance, roll the cake in the marzipan so it wraps around the entire cake. Trim the ends to neaten. 11. Serve and enjoy with a lovely cup of British tea.