Battenberg cake
to crisp and brown, then roughhouse again, pressing the meat against the pan and leaving it for another full minute. Do this once more, then it’s time to start adding layers of flavour.
Add the onion, garlic, green peppers and chillies and stir into the meat. Keep the heat high, as you want the onions and veg to catch and char. Stir occasionally.
When brown flecks start appearing on your veg, add the oregano and all the fresh herbs, stirring to combine. Next add the chopped tomatoes, including all the juice they’ve left behind on the board, then stir in the vinegar and bring to the boil.
Now you can reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer and cook the chilli for 30 minutes. The chilli will be quite dry, but you want that, so don’t be alarmed. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning, adding a little extra salt or vinegar to your preference. Allow to cool slightly and hot dog your way into the sunset.
Gosh how good is Battenberg cake? It is fiddly to make though, as you can see from the lovely wonk in the one Ben made in the photo. If you’re even a little baking-phobic, or easily annoyed, just buy one. If you do, however, have the time, inclination and patience, you will be amply rewarded.
Ingredients METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4 and grease and line a small baking tray, roughly 24cm x 18cm x 5cm. Using foil, create a firm barrier down the middle of the tray, to make sure the batters don’t run into each other.
As with so many good classic cakes, you need to start by creaming together the butter and sugar until they are pale and fluffy, almost white. This is easiest done in a stand mixer or with a hand whisk and may take as long as five minutes. Next, mix in the eggs, one at a time, ensuring that the first one is fully incorporated before adding the next. Finally, ditch the whisk and, using a large metal spoon, gently fold in the flour.
Add half the cake mixture into one half of the baking tray. Now add the red food colouring to the other half of the mixture in the bowl and combine thoroughly, then carefully spoon this pink cake mixture into the other half of the baking tray.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for a couple of minutes before turning out onto a wire rack and leaving to cool fully.
Meanwhile, roll out your marzipan into a perfect square, roughly 30cm x 30cm and about 3mm thick, then keep it covered with a clean tea towel.
Now all that’s left to do is the assembly. Cut the two coloured sections of cake in half lengthways and trim the edges to give you four neat, similar-sized strips. Spread each strip of cake with raspberry jam on all sides and sandwich them together in alternating pairs. Lay the sandwiched cakes in the centre of your marzipan rectangle and roll the whole thing tightly. Finally, sit the cake on a board so the seam is underneath and trim off any excess. Voila!
Make some tea, slice a good chunk of Battenberg and sit back, smug as you like.
■ Max’s Picnic Book by Max Halley & Ben Benton (Hardie Grant, £16.99) is out now. Photography by Louise Hagger.
Can you remember the first dish you ever cooked – and was it a success? The first thing I can recall was really basic. I’d have probably been about 11 when we made pizza in food technology at school. Just a simple pizza. I took it home to my parents and they said they liked it. They’re pretty honest and I think I would have heard if they didn’t.
Who is your inspiration in the kitchen and why? I remember watching Kitchen Confidential, which was based on the book by Anthony Bourdain, and thinking how it showed how classically-trained chefs take big risks that, when they work out, result in really great and unexpected food. It inspired me to take risks with recipes and ingredients and remember that you’re always learning when you’re in the kitchen.
What was the first recipe book you ever owned? I’ve never really had traditional recipe books but I had a very small notebook that I used to copy recipes from my mum and dad or from their recipe books. I still have it at home and dip into it now and again. It was a great help at college and got filled while I was studying there.
If you organised a dinner party, which three people would you invite and why? My mother, because she would be the best critic and tell me what was good or bad about the food. Ian Sneddon, who was head of the catering department at Hull College when I was there, just because he has been a massive influence on me. I shadowed him for a while and I’d like to show him what I’ve achieved since. And, finally, Anthony Bourdain for his views on my food and the stories he would tell.
What is your favourite ingredient and why? It sounds boring, but it’s a potato. They have unlimited potential. There are hundreds of ways to use a potato and every one of them is delicious.
What have you done in lockdown? The first few weeks I tried to set up a plant-based ingredient company, just to try and move something forward while the restaurant was in limbo. When it became apparent that nothing could be effectively achieved during lockdown, though, I decided to relax and enjoy the break.