Chronologically ordered Cool Battenberg Events of my life.........
Jo's 20th Birthday - May 1996
Fourth year of Uni - what else did we want to do with our time? I decided to bake a rather large Battenberg for Jo's (then fiancé) birthday. The lads helped out (left; Rhod and Steve leaning over the almost finished article) - and we constructed a Battenberg Cake to be proud of.
This Battenberg beast was made using a dozen eggs, loads of flour, two whole jars of jam (to hold it together) and a large 'brick' of marzipan. The first stage was to make one large amount of cake mixture - separating it into two equal amounts - adding the colours and baking in a large roasting tin (this was the only remotely suitable baking tray we had access too!).
Once the two sponges were cooked, they were allowed to cool and then cut into long strips. These strips were laid out, whilst we used ample jam to 'glue' it together. This process continued until the cake was four blocks wide by three blocks tall.
We were initially aiming for a four-by-four cake, but miscalculated dimensions a bit, so the four-by-three was created. It became apparent that the top level was beginning to horizontally spread apart - requiring more jam reinforcement to hold the structure together. This was then aided by the wrapping round of the rolled-out marzipan. The end then needed 'tidying up' (above) - which gave us the finished article (right). Jo seemed to like her birthday cake - although I think she always thought the cake was made for me rather than her!
Wedding Sermon - Aug 1997
Mine and Jo's wedding day was superb - and an added bonus of the day was the gift of a Battenberg Cake given to me from Gary, the vicar - during his sermon. Knowing full well my obsession with Battenbergs, he used the Battenberg as an analogy of a strong marriage. The pink and yellow represents Jo and myself, whilst the jam is our love for each other holding us together. The surrounding marzipan was God holding us together. The photo on the left was taken just after I received the Battenberg from Gary - a marvelous wedding present!
Our honeymoon was followed by a weeks family holiday in the Lake District. The photo of the semi-eaten Battenberg (below) was taken during a romantic picnic with my wife on the shore of Ullswater. A superb 'non supermarket' produced cake from a local bakers called Birketts, in Keswick. This very same cake was then taken along to a rock climbing expedition, where you can see I needed a quick energy intake (inset right).
Nottingham - Summer of '97
Malcolm (left) is shown here demonstrating his very own personal interpretation of Beavis Cornholio Battenberg!! Complete with cool Julian Cope T-shirt.
Rhodri (right) is showing his passion for the great cake.
Glastonbury '99
One of the greatest Battenberg moments - the sharing of the cake. You've heard of 'pass the spliff' - well 'pass the Battenberg' is based on this practice, and has become a festival tradition. Photo (left) shows the remains from the communion the night before - soon to be consumed as breakfast!