Matcha Strawberry Battenberg Cake

To Make the Strawberry Puree:

1. To a small saucepan, set over low heat, add the strawberries, sugar, water and salt. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, until softened and the juices release. Transfer to a blender and pulse until smooth. Push the puree through a sieve and you should end up with about 2 to 3 tablespoons of puree. Set it aside.

To Make the Cake Batters:

1. Grease and line the bottom of a 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Make a strip of foil by folding over a piece of foil two or three times (so it’s sturdy) and make a divide in the center of the pan (see the photo for more of a visual representation). This will make it so we can bake up two different colors of batter without them bleeding into one another.
2. In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, add the butter and salt. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add each egg, one at a time and mix until completely combined. Next add the vanilla, baking powder and salt and mix. Add the flour all at once and mix until just combined, being sure to not over mix because we’re going to mix some more in a lil’ bit.
3. Add half of the batter to another bowl (if you want to weigh it out to be exact, it’ll weigh about 375 grams). Sift the matcha powder over the batter and pour in the milk; fold until combined.
4. To the second bowl of batter, mix in 2 tablespoons of strawberry puree and a drop of food coloring. Add the first batter to one half of the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top until it reaches the edges. Repeat with the second batter.
5. Transfer to the oven to bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes and then invert onto a cooling rack and cool.
6. This step is entirely optional but I find it easier to cut and trim cakes when they’re cold from the fridge. Wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and place them in the fridge to chill, about 3 hours. OR, you can even make them the night before and assemble it the day you’re serving it.

To Assemble the Battenberg Cake:

1. When you’re ready to get the decorating done, remove the cakes from the fridge. Trim the sides and tops so they’re even with one another. Slice each cake in half so you end up with 4 square pieces of cake. Mine each measured about 1 1/2 inches x 1 1/2 inches.
2. Roll out the marzipan, using the powdered sugar, to about a 1/4-inch thickness to a large enough size that you can wrap the entire cake in it. Brush the marzipan with the warm dulce de leche.
3. Add the first green cake to the center of the marzipan and brush the sides of the cake. Add the first pink cake and place it right next to the green; press it until the edges meet. Brush the tops of two cakes with dulce de leche and then place the second pink cake on top of the green cake; then place the second green cake on top of the pink cake. Fold the marzipan over and trim it until there is a seam. Pinch the seams together. Flip over the cake and then trim the edges, cutting through the cake on both sides. Top with the crushed freeze-dried strawberries. Serve with tea.