Daring Baker Challenge and a Surprise!

I'm back!  I haven't baking too much, but I'm not dead...more on that topic after the challenge.


Mandy of What The Fruitcake?! came to our rescue last minute to present us with the Battenberg Cake challenge! She highlighted Mary Berry’s techniques and recipes to allow us to create this unique little cake with ease.


Before this challenge, I'd never heard of or seen a Battenburg cake.  This cake was first created for the wedding of Princess Victoria to Prince Louis of Battenburg.  Between that description, and the use of marzipan, I feel this cake is probably much more common in Europe than in the US.


This cute little cake typically features a 2x2 assembly of different colored/flavored cake, usually pink and yellow.  I decided to expand on that idea and go big with a checkerboard pattern.


I took several liberties with this month's challenge.  First, I used my favorite basic cake recipe (1-2-3-4 cake found here), I changed the design, covered it in buttercream rather than marzipan or fondant and, I changed the color scheme.

I'm thinking the color scheme might tell you where I've been the past few months!  Definitely not dead, that's for sure.  But, definitely not in the kitchen, either.  The Artist and I are having a baby!  I chose pink and blue for this cake because we don't yet know what we're having.  He thinks boy, I'm undecided, but have been thinking girl the past few days.  Hmmm....we'll see.  And, hopefully, I'll see you next month!