These Battenberg Cupcakes are just utterly scrumptious. They have a pink and yellow marbled cupcake, a hidden marzipan centre and pink and yellow almond buttercream, topped with a mini-Battenberg.
I am in love with these Battenberg cupcakes. I have such a long list of recipe requests I never quite know where to start, but I really was craving a big slice of Battenberg so thought I would make them into cupcakes.
Where is Battenberg Cake from?
Battenberg Cake was originally made in England but was named after Prince Louis of Battenberg. It was made as a wedding gift for Princess Victoria and Prince Louis of Battenberg in 1884.
The cake is a mixture of traditional English flavours, such as Apricot jam which was very popular at the time with traditional German architecture.
It is still unclear where the checkerboard style came from. Some believe that the four blocks are to represent the four Princes of Battenberg. Others believe that the checkerboard style cake was becoming more popular at the time.
Battenberg Cupcakes
Okay, so history lesson over back to these epic Battenberg Cupcakes. I wanted to keep these as close as possible to the original Battenberg cake. This seems a bit silly because they are cupcakes and completely different but stick with me.
In this recipe, you can use either unsalted butter or stork. Personally, I normally use Stork because it’s what I have in the fridge, but unsalted butter works just as well.
I also added almond extract to the mix to replicate the almond flavour of a traditional Battenberg cake.
To give the cupcakes are more Battenbergy feel I split the cupcake mixture into two separate bowls and added pink food colouring to one and yellow food colouring to the other.
I know a traditional Battenberg has quite a pastel colour but I decided to go bright and bold.
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When you add the food colouring start off with a little and gradually add more. If you add too much, to begin with then you are stuck with that colour. If you add it gradually then you can slowly build the colour up.
I used these Baking Cups. I love that they have flat bottoms so they can be baked straight onto an oven tray you don’t need to use a muffin tray. They hold their colour and shape too.
I found the easiest way to add the cake mixture to the cupcake cases is by adding a tablespoon of each colour to the cases. So, for example, add a tablespoon of pink to all the cupcake cases and then the yellow and just alternate them until you have used up all the batter.
You can leave them like this to get the blocks of colour in the cupcakes. Or if you prefer to marble them, use a skewer and gently mix them. Not completely mixed so that they become a horrid brown colour, just enough that the two colours are starting to merge.
How Do I Know the Cupcakes Are Baked?
There are a few different ways to tell when cupcakes are baked. One of the ways is to gently press down on the top of the cupcake if it springs back to its original position when you remove your finger then the cupcakes are ready. If there is a dent in the top of your cupcake where your finger was then the cupcakes aren’t quite ready. Put them back into the oven for 3-4 minutes and repeat.
Another way to tell is by listening to your cupcakes. I know, I know this sounds weird, but go along with me. If you can hear the cupcakes bubbling and popping when you take them out of the oven, then they aren’t ready. Put them back into the oven for 3-4 minutes and repeat. The cupcakes are ready when they are completely quiet.
I wouldn’t recommend using a cake tester on these cupcakes because if you hit a pocket of jam then the skewer will come out with jam on. It might look like they aren’t ready when in fact they are.
How To Cool the Cupcakes?
Leave the cupcakes in the muffin tray for 15-20 minutes after removing them from the oven. Then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Battenberg Buttercream
When you are making the buttercream, you really need to use Unsalted Butter. Please, please, please don’t use Stork. It is just too soft, and the buttercream won’t hold its shape.
With the buttercream, again I went for the pink and yellow colouring. There are a few different ways to get the multiple swirls on top of the cupcakes.
Again, just like with the Battenberg cupcake batter, I split the buttercream into two bowls and gradually added the food colouring.
I used this pink food colouring and this yellow food colouring. Colour Splash is one of my favourite brands to use as I love how bright and vibrant the colours are. You only need a teeny tiny amount to get such fab colours.
To get the two colours to merge I used the clingfilm method. Where you get a piece of clingfilm and spread the two colours of buttercream side by side. Wrap them up together into a giant sausage and twist both ends so none of the buttercream can escape.
Once your piping bag is ready snip the top of the clingfilm sausage and pop it into the piping bag.
Marzipan Centre
Once the cupcakes are completely cool you can add a marzipan centre. This is completely optional.
I removed the centre of the cupcakes using a cupcake corer and filled it with the round balls of marzipan.
You can then either pop the cupcake back into the centre on top of the marzipan or if you are like me, you can leave them off and snack on them.
I used a 1M Piping Tip it is my absolute favourite and I love the swirl it creates on the cupcakes. I then cut up some Mini Battenbergs and added these to the top of the cupcakes.
Just look at how perfectly they turned out! I am absolutely obsessed with them.
Alternatives
As I said above you can leave out the marzipan in the centre if you prefer.
You could add ½ a teaspoon of apricot jam to the centre of the cupcakes and then add a small piece of marzipan. Or add the jam and leave the marzipan out completely.
Equipment
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Battenberg Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 145 g Caster Sugar
- 145 g Unsalted Butter or Stork
- 135 g Self-Raising Flour
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1 tsp Almond Extract
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- Pink Food Colouring
- Yellow Food Colouring
For the Buttercream
- 400 g Icing Sugar
- 200 g Unsalted Butter
- 1 tsp Almond Extract
- Pink Food Colouring
- Yellow Food Colouring
For the Decoration
- 150 g Ready to Roll Marzipan
- Mini Battenbergs
Instructions
To Make the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160 Fan. Line a muffin tray wit cupcake liners and leave to one side.
- In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
- Add in the flour, eggs, almond extract, and baking powder and whisk until all combined.
- Split the mixture equally into two bowls. In one bowl add the yellow food colouring and to the other add the pink. Add the food colouring a little at a time, mixing between each addition until you reach the desired colour.
- Spoon the mixture into the cupcake liners.
- I did one tablespoon of pink and then yellow alternating between colours.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
- You will know the cupcakes are ready when they are golden brown and springy to touch.
- Leave to cool completely.
To Make the Buttercream
- In a large bowl add the butter, icing sugar and almond extract and mix until it is all combined.
- Split the mixture evenly between two bowls.
- In one bowl add the pink food colouring a little at a time, mixing in between each addition until you reach the desired consistency. Leave to one side.
- With your second bowl of buttercream add the yellow food colouring a little at a time, mixing in between each addition until you reach the desired consistency.
- Cut a strip of clingfilm and lay It down on your work surface, gently spread the pink buttercream along the clingfilm. Spread the yellow buttercream beside it.
- Roll the cling film up and tie off both ends.
- Cut one of the ends and put the clingfilm into your piping bag. Leave to one side.
Putting it All Together
- Using a cupcake corer remove the centre of the cupcake.
- Pull a little ball of marzipan off and roll it into a ball.
- Push it into the centre of your cupcake until the hole is completely filled.
- Pipe the buttercream onto the top of the cupcakes.
- Cut your Battenberg's into three and place each on top of one of the cupcakes.
The colours really grab you. They look so sweet and tempting.
Thank you very much!
Absolutely love the cupcakes they also give me hundred percent craving to eat a cupcake right now 06.18am.
Cupcakes for breakfast is the perfect way to start the day!
These sound amazing — I’ve not eaten any Battenberg cake for the longest time (since childhood) so this would be fun to try out!
Yesss! I hope you enjoy them if you do make them!
I need at least 3 of these in my life, they look so good! All of your desserts look tasty though. I bet the buttercream would be my favorite. I’m a sucker for it.
Buttercream is my favourite too! I have such a sweet tooth.
I love battenburg – I reckon these would be my dream cake.
Yesss!
I have to try these! They look so delicious. I like to bake, trying new recipes and this is my first time hearing about these yummy looking cupcakes. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I hope you enjoy them if you do make them