A Battenburg Cake is a recipe from years passed when highly decorated cakes were the norm. It is however a delightful cake to enjoy on Mother’s Day. This version with raspberries and orange flavours is delicious.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup frozen raspberries
• 150 grams butter
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 70 gram packet ground almonds
• a few drops red food colouring
• grated rind one orange
• 2 tblsp fresh orange juice
• ¼ cup raspberry jam, sieved
• 500 grams white fondant icing

Method

1. Rub the just thawed raspberries through a sieve and measure out ¼ cup. Set aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs a little at a time.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder and fold into the creamed mixture with the ground almonds.
4. Divide the mixture evenly between 2 bowls. Fold the raspberry puree into one of the bowls with a few drops of red food colouring. Fold the orange zest and juice into the second bowl.
5. Spoon each mixture into a well-greased and base-lined 20 x 10cm loaf tins. Alternatively, divide a 20cm square tin with a double piece of foil across the middle.
6. Cook at 180°C for 18-20 minutes for the loaf tins or 30-35 minutes for the 20cm square tin. Cool on a wire rack.
7. Trim and cut each cake lengthwise into 2 even-sized strips. Spread the cake strips with jam and the sandwich raspberry and orange side by side, then orange and raspberry on top.
8. Spread the sides with a little more jam. Roll out the white fondant icing on a board dusted with a mixture of half icing sugar and half cornflour to a rectangle at least 20cm wide by 42cm long. Wrap the fondant carefully around the cake and trim.
9. Place in an airtight container in a cool place for a few hours for the icing to firm. Cut with a sharp knife into slices to serve.