Cherry Chocolate Battenberg Cake (gluten free) – A Black Forest Twist
My gluten free Cherry Chocolate Battenberg Cake brings a Black Forest twist to an old favourite… Chocolate and Cherry sponges, joined together with cherry jam and covered in easy homemade Cherry-Almond Marzipan.
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DON’T LOSE THIS RECIPE… PIN IT FOR LATER…
Introducing my gluten free Cherry Chocolate Battenberg Cake
The humble Battenberg has been taken to new heights with this gluten free Cherry Chocolate Battenberg Cake. And I’m very proud of it. It’s delicious. The age-old classic updated with a modern favourite ‘Black Forest’ twist… Beautiful in colour and rich with natural flavour. Without doubt, fit for the smartest of afternoon teas and celebrations. Fortnum and Mason take note!
Actually, this particular cake has been on the blog since 2017. But in line with my attempts to make the site as accessible as possible, it’s been given the printable recipe card and updated post treatment. And I promise that no-one will EVER know it’s gluten or wheat free!
Tempted?
The Black Forest Battenberg Twist
We all love a Battenberg cake… right? Moist chequerboard sponge surrounded by rich, soft, nutty marzipan. Just gorgeous. Indeed, a few years back, I perfected an incredible gluten free version of the original. Without doubt, it was the Best Battenberg Cake I had ever tasted… Even when compared to ‘normal’ wheat versions I’d had in the past.
But this gluten free Battenberg is a little bit different… It’s a Black Forest Battenberg… Smart and sophisticated.
Like my original, it’s still rich and moist with ground almonds. But the flavours are iconic ‘Black Forest’… A central chequerboard of contrasting cherry and chocolate sponge cakes, sandwiched together with fruity cherry jam… All enrobed with easy-to-make, deliciously sweet, homemade no-cook marzipan… Which has been pinked-up and given a flavour-makeover with some tart, summery, freeze-dried cherry powder.
Natural Cherry and Chocolate Battenberg sponges
Although there are now a few Black Forest Battenberg Cakes out there, this one is quite unique. Apart from being gluten free (and therefore safe for people with Coeliac Disease (Celiac), the sponge is also naturally flavoured. While there is an option to use a hint of natural cherry flavouring drops in the cherry sponge, the bulk of flavour comes from natural Freeze-Dried Cherry Powder.
I LOVE using freeze-dried fruit powders… They are intense, pure and versatile. If you haven’t explored them before, head over to the Healthy Supplies (aka Sussex Wholefoods) website.
The chocolate sponge is (of course) made to match for texture and is based on my absolute go to Chocolate Cake recipe. Tried, tested and delicious. Cherry Chocolate Battenberg Sponges… Paired and perfect!
The Gluten Free Flour Blend used in my Battenberg cakes…
The Cherry and Chocolate Sponges for my Black Forest Battenberg use my Gluten Free Alchemist White ‘Cake Flour’ Blend A. This can be found at the bottom of my Gluten Free Flours and Flour Blending Page.
However, the sponges should be fine made with an alternative gluten free white cake flour blend such as Doves Freee.
Homemade Cherry-Almond Marzipan – The icing on the (Cherry Chocolate Battenberg) cake!
If you ever thought making marzipan would be tricky, think again… The homemade Cherry Almond Marzipan used to cover my Cherry Chocolate Battenberg is a no-cook, super-quick, one bowl recipe. We’re talking max 5 to 10 minutes!
All you need are ground almonds (aka almond meal), icing sugar, almond extract, egg white and some freeze-dried cherry powder… Throw it all in a bowl and mix.
It’s a variation on my Easy 4 Ingredient Marzipan (but with 5 ingredients obviously… including the cherry powder). Which is not only WAY nicer than shop-bought marzipan, it’s also super-versatile. I use it in so many recipes…
- Gluten Free Simnel Cake and Simnel Traybake
- Marzipan Hot Cross Buns
- Christmas Cake
- Best Gluten Free Battenberg Cake
- Homemade Marzipan Chocolates
- Christmas Scones
- Pistachio, Orange and Raspberry Fondant Fancies
- Spiced Pumpkin and Walnut Cakes
What Equipment do I need to bake a Battenberg Cake?
As with baking any cake, there’s a few basic bits of kit that are required…
- A good set of Kitchen Measuring Scales
- Measuring Spoons
- An electric whisk (I absolutely adore my KitchenAid electric hand whisk)
- Measuring Jugs
- Mixing Bowls
- Good quality baking paper to line the tins
- Flexible Spoon/Spatula
- Oven
- Wire Racks
- Fridge
- Pastry Brush
The Battenberg baking tin…
But importantly, you’ll also need a suitable tin to bake the two different sponges… Here you have a handful of options to work with:
- Use a Multi-Sized Adjustable Square Cake Tin with built-in dividers.
- A purpose-designed Battenberg Baking Tin.
- Or free-wheel using a 9 inch Square Baking Non-Stick Tin, by making your own dividers out of thick card covered in both foil and then baking paper.
Tips to getting a perfect Cherry Chocolate Battenberg
Although Battenberg may seem complicated (and it does take a little more time and planning than many cakes), it’s really not that hard… And definitely worth the extra effort. Here’s a few key tips to think about along the way:
- Use the right baking tin – See options outlined above.
- Make sure to base-line the tins with good quality baking paper. The last thing you need is cake which sticks and breaks around the edges.
- CHILL the cakes once they have cooled and before cutting/trimming. This is super-important. It helps to firm up the sponges, so they are easier to handle, shape and marzipan. Don’t worry about the texture. My gluten free cakes are not hard and dry like many… And when they warm back to room temperature, they will soften and be good as fresh.
- For neatness, carefully trim the sponge lengths (measuring if necessary),to ensure they are even and form a nice square end when put together. Do this BEFORE sticking in place.
- Check the marzipan is rolled out to a size large enough to cover the whole cake before applying any jam.
- Jam and stick the marzipan to the cake, folding up one side at a time. And fold across each side as tightly as possible. Otherwise, you’ll end up with ‘baggy sides’.
- Once the cake has had a final chill… Trim the ends to tidy.
Ready to make a Gluten Free Cherry Chocolate Battenberg Cake?
Hopefully the above goes some way to helping you make my Cherry Chocolate Battenberg Cake. If you have any questions or need more guidance, just shout. You can leave a comment, or contact me direct by email, if you prefer. It may take a few days for me to get back to you, but I will respond!
If you do make it, and share on social media, don’t forget to tag me in… You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter #glutenfreealchemist
Shared with my love for lots of happy baking.
Cherry Chocolate Battenberg Cake (Black Forest)
Key equipment
- Oven
- fridge
- sharp knife
- sieve
- microwave or hob and saucepan
Ingredients
Gluten Free Chocolate Sponge
- 80 g plain gluten free flour blend eg. Gluten Free Alchemist Mix A – See NOTES
- 20 g cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking powder gluten free
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda baking soda
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
- pinch fine sea salt
- 50 g ground almonds (almond meal)
- 110 ml/g milk
- ½ tbsp white wine vinegar
- 50 g unsalted butter softened
- 150 g caster sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature – lightly beaten – UK large (Canadian ‘Extra Large’; Australian ‘Jumbo’; and US ‘Extra or Very Large’
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Gluten Free Cherry Sponge
- 100 g plain gluten free flour blend eg. Gluten Free Alchemist Mix A – See NOTES
- ½ tsp baking powder gluten free
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda baking soda
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
- pinch fine sea salt
- 50 g ground almonds (almond meal)
- 1½ tbsp freeze dried cherry powder (eg from Healthy Supplies)
- 110 ml/g milk
- ½ tbsp white wine vinegar
- 50 g unsalted butter softened
- 150 g caster sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature – lightly beaten – UK large (Canadian ‘Extra Large’; Australian ‘Jumbo’; and US ‘Extra or Very Large’
- 1 tsp natural cherry flavouring optional
- a little red food colouring
Filling
- 200 g smooth cherry jam approx weight
Cherry-Almond Marzipan and decoration
- 225 g ground almonds almond meal
- 225 g icing sugar confectioners sugar
- 2 tbsp freeze dried cherry powder
- ¾ tsp almond extract
- 60 g egg whites preferably pasteurised or to desired texture
- gluten free sprinkles to decorate optional
Instructions
Prepare the cake tin
- Either use a multi-size cake tin (divide into 4 equal width strips with its supplied dividers), a purpose-designed Battenberg tin or free-wheel by preparing a 9 inch/23 cm square loose-bottomed cake tin…
- If making your own dividers, cut a thick piece of card to snuggly fit across the centre of the tin and cover the card with foil, followed by a layer of baking paper. Divide the tin in half with the covered card, so that it is split into 2 oblongs.
- Base-line your tin/divided areas with baking paper.
Gluten Free Chocolate and Cherry Sponge (make in separate bowls)
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 C/350 F/Gas 4.
- Unless planning to bake each cake separately, you will need to make the two cake batters in tandem. Therefore, weigh each set of ingredients separately into two separate sets of bowls as you go. (And keep a careful track).
- Weigh and mix together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, xanthan gum, salt, almonds and either cocoa or cherry powder for each mix, making sure any lumps are broken down. Set aside.
- In each of two jugs, measure the milk and mix with the vinegar. Stir and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cream the butter with the sugar in two large bowls (for each cake batter) until pale and fluffy.
- Add the egg for each mix one at a time, beating with the whisk until well blended.
- Add the vanilla extract to one bowl for the chocolate mix and beat to combine with the butter-paste.
- After this, add the natural cherry flavouring (if using) and a little red food colour to the other bowl and beat to combine with the butter-paste.
- Starting with the chocolate mix, fold in the dry ingredients with cocoa, alternately with one of the portions of milk-vinegar mixture, about a third at a time, until all are added and JUST combined.
- Scrape off the mixing spoon and then repeat the process for the cherry batter mix (dry ingredients with cherry and milk).
- Spoon the mixtures into your portioned tin – splitting between sections evenly – either 2 x cherry/2 x chocolate (Battenberg or divider tin) or 1 x cherry 1 x chocolate for home-made 2-part divided tin (to be cut in half after baking).
- Smooth the tops of the cake mixtures and bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean and the top springs back to the touch.
- When cooked, leave in the tin to cool for 10 minutes and then carefully turn the sponges out onto a wire rack to cool completely. If necessary, ease a flat knife round the edges before turning out.
- Once cold, wrap the sponges in baking paper and cling film and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight, to firm up slightly. This will make them easier to cut and shape. (They will soften again when brought to room temperature)
Cherry-Almond Marzipan (make while the cakes are baking)
- Weigh the ground almonds into a bowl.
- Weigh the icing sugar and sieve into the bowl with the almonds.
- Mix the ground almonds with the icing sugar using a firm wooden/silicone spoon.
- Add the cherry powder, almond extract and egg and stir with a flat knife/firm mixing spoon to bring together until the mixture forms a soft, even dough.
- Knead the marzipan with hands for a couple of minutes, before wrapping in clingfilm, ready to use.
- Refrigerate until ready to use, but bring to room temperature before rolling or moulding.
Putting the cake together
- Carefully trim the edges of each sponge. (If you only have 2 cakes – 1 cherry and 1 chocolate, cut each oblong in half lengthways, as evenly as possible). Measure each piece alongside the others and trim slightly to even up as necessary, so that each strip is uniform. There should now be four even strips of cake – two cherry and two chocolate.
- Heat the cherry jam in a small saucepan over a low heat, or microwave on medium until warm and liquid.
- Use a pastry brush to coat the inside sides of the sponge lengthways (piece by piece), sticking together in a chequer-board pattern : cherry and chocolate next to each other on the bottom layer, followed by chocolate and cherry (opposite sides) on a second layer.
- Roll out the marzipan onto some baking paper (to prevent it sticking, dust with a little icing sugar), so that it becomes a rectangle, large enough to wrap around the full sides of the cake.
- Brush some jam onto a middle strip of the marzipan and carefully place the joined sponges on top of the jam (using a spatula or palette knife to help support the sponge when moving).
- Brush the remaining long sides of the sponge with jam and carefully fold the marzipan up over the sponge, keeping it as tight as possible to the cake sides and sticking to the jam.
- Trim the marzipan along the cake length, to make a neat join and gently smooth together with your finger.
- Trim any excess marzipan at each end of the cake.
- Turn the cake over so that the join is hidden on the underside.
- Use any off-cuts of marzipan to make decorative marzipan shapes (eg hearts using a cutter) or decorate the cake as you wish. Dampen the underside of the shape, or use some edible glue to stick the marzipan hearts or other decorations to the cake.
- Chill the cake for about an hour, before cutting a very thin slice off each end with a sharp knife to tidy up.
Notes
Nutrition
© 2019-2026 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist
Such a pretty cake! All my favourite flavours.
Thank you Janice x
Definitely a showstopper, this looks incredible! Lovely flavours too.
Thank you so much Carrie x
This looks amazing! I love battenburg and adding chocolate can only make it even better – LOL!
I totally agree Helen. It’s such a perfect combo x
That looks amazing!!!
Thank you Valerie x
Stunning! So pretty and so neat, I love the purple colours too.
Thanks Kat x
This is so pretty Kate and it looks perfect too. I've only made a battenberg once – a matcha and chocolate one which was delicious but I'm not very good at anything fiddly and whilst it looked OK, it didn't have the best finish ever. But I do agree homemade marzipan is essential for this cake – it's so much nicer than the shop bought stuff and not nearly as sweet. Love the flavours you've used here too. Thanks for sharing with #WeShouldCocoa.
Thanks Choclette. You're welcome.
Love the sound of a matcha battenberg…. I bet that was lovely! x
Wow, that is such a pretty cake! It is like a work of art 😀
Thank you Rebecca. What a lovely comment xx
oh my goodness me , this cake is just glorious. look at the colours – my youngest would adore it win its colour alone! I would adore the flavour (cherry and almond = mmmm!) as I love a battenburg cake. I have always wanted to make one but always thought it might be too tricky and a faff. BUT seeing this does make me want to giver it a go. thanks for linking up to #Bakeoftheweek x
Well thank you Jenny! You must try making one. They are not that tricky! x
Wow! It's absolutely perfectly neat and so incredibly inviting. I love that you've changed up the flavour combo, but i can imagine that it works just as well (if not better) than the classic. Battenberg is a bit of a weakness of mine (ie I just love the stuff!), but I have to admit that I'm yet to attempt a homemade one. When I do I'll be more than happy if it comes out anywhere as good as this! Fab bake.
Angela xx
Thanks Angela. It was definitely neater than the last one I made!
Battenberg is a bit of a weakness for me too…. Something about the combination of textures and richness of the marzipan I think. You should have a go at making one though….. way better than shop-bought and not that difficult! x
WOW it looks so striking and professional. Adore the sound of the flavour combo and it looks so moist and tender. Amazing. I want a slice now. Just wow!
Thanks so much Katie. The flavour combo is definitely a winner! Hope you are well x
Stunning cake Kate! I love the vibrant colours of the cherry cake, this looks like a perfect battenburg cake! Thank you for sharing with CookBlogShare x
Thanks Kirsty. You're welcome x
Kate, This is a true stunner. I am just admiring its colour and I have no doubt the cherry flavouring makes it delicious too.
Thanks Shaheen. The colour was rather lovely…. more so for being natural x
This is absolutely stunning! I love the chocolate/cherry combo. I've never had or made a Battenberg cake, but I've long admired them!
Thanks you for your lovely comment. They really aren't that difficult to make…. you just need time! x
Absolutely beautiful. I'm so glad you brought this along to Fiesta Friday
Thank you Lindy. It would have been mean to keep it all to myself! Thanks for popping over and for your lovely comment x
This looks fantastic! What a great centrepiece! Now to see if I can switch out the milk and butter, make a few adjustments with soy, and produce a dairy free version that's just as beautiful…
Thank you Andy! I reckon it would be pretty easy to switch out the dairy! If you do try it, let me know how you get on. x
This is SO SO beautiful, clever lady! I need to make a me safe version! x
Thanks Midge. If anyone can veganise it, you can! xx
What an amazing labor of love! I would be so excited to taste this cake!
Thank you for your kind comment! ! It was time-consuming to make for sure, although really not that tricky. But worth every bite! x
Gorgeous – just gorgeous…and I bet it tastes wonderful too!! My daughter, especially would just love the colours in this cake (she is 8 and very pink and purple…preferably with glitter and unicorns!!) Eb x
Thanks Eb. There is something rather endearing about link cake! And yes…. It was a lovely spin on an old classic x
Yum yum and once again yum! Looks superb and I like the zing of freeze dried cherries.
Can't wait to try it:)
Mainy
#brillogposts
Thank you for popping over and leaving such a lovely comment. If you do make it, let me know how you get on. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did x
You had me at marzipan! How wonderful it has the combinations of chocolate and cherry as well. This is just perfect!
Ha! Thanks Ness. Chocolate & Cherry is a bit of a classic isn't it?! x
I didn't know this cake, it looks just gorgeous and, despite the heat outside, I would gladly swap a slice of this cake for a glass of cooling lemonade that's in front of me right now. Thank you for bringing it to #CookBlogShare:)
Goodness…. I sometimes forget I live in my own little bubble….. Battenberg was so popular when I was a child, that I sort of expected everyone to have heard of it! How very thoughtless of me!
Either way, thank you….. I think it would go rather well with a glass of lemonade…. Why not have both?!
You should open up a patisserie! This is simply gorgeous and gluten free too.. wow!
Thank you Alida. xx
Omg! You are a genius. This looks and sounds incredible!
I've shared but couldn't tag you!
Thanks Vicki…. for your kind comment and for the share. Really appreciate it x
So pretty x
Thank you Vicki xx
Wow that is so beautiful – I really love the colour of the marzipan – I have made it at home a few times but never even thought I could colour it. Now of course I really want to. I have made vegan marzipan before with rice malt syrup and it was easy but I did it in chunks rather than rolling it out. Must try it – which is less intimidating than making battenburg cake – I am in admiration!
Thanks Johanna. The cake really wasn't that hard…. just a little time-consuming! I was really thrilled with the colour though…. especially since it was completely natural. The possibilities are now endless, having discovered the versatility of the fruit powder.