Peek-a-Boo Cake

It’s a circular Battenburg, which makes it trickier. To make things more difficult, as always, I’m making the marzipan, and just for added complexity I’m using a different recipe for it. The marzipan is a Delia recipe, you whisk a 50/50 icing/caster sugar and egg mix over barely simmering water for 10 mins, or until thick and fluffy, I went for about 15 mins before deciding I’d had enough. The you whisk until cool with the bowl standing in some cold water. Then the magic almond meal goes in. I think the result is OK, but the softball sugar marzipan recipe I normally use is better, but is so very hard to get right. This one has a little grittiness from the sugar still. Of course home made marzipan is a bugger to work with, so using it to cover a two colour sponge is asking for trouble. The covering is on, or it was when I last looked, but the next time I do peek-a-boo cake I’ll buy the marzipan...maybe ;-) I’m taking the result, and a Battenberg with softball sugar marzipan, into work tomorrow so I’ll get some tasters’ feedback!?!
  Whisk...
…whisk and...
...whisk some more...

...then which with the bowl in some cold water...

...and in goes the almond meal...
...one lump of marzipan.

Now for cake cutting part...four 18cm sponges, two almond sponges and two pink sponges...they still have some almond...The cutting seemed to work OK, at least you can't see the cracks from these photos!


The top went on OK, but the side that was not so easy...


Here is the finished item in all it's... glory...


If you want to see a really neat one look at www.bbcgoodfood.com and search for peek-a-boo...