Giant battenburg cake?

[AndNoneForGretchenWieners]

DS is 18 next week. As it is likely to be his last birthday with his dad around (DH is terminally ill) we are making a big deal of his coming of age, and I am trying to arrange as many nice surprises as possible. He doesn't really like birthday cake but his favourite cake is battenburg, so I really want to get him a giant battenburg to bring out on the night. Has anyone seen such a thing? I've ordered a personalised cake topper off the internet and asked the local bakery but they only do vanilla sponge, fruit cake or chocolate cakes in celebration size. I don't have time to do it myself as I am away with work until the weekend and then will be taking over caring for DH from DS, who has stepped in this week.

Is there such a thing anywhere? You can get giant jaffa cakes and jammy Dodgers, surely you can get a battenburg the size of a celebration cake?

Have you googled? If you can't find one perhaps you could buy lots normal sized ones, stack them on top of eachother with some butter cream and cover then with icing or marzipan?

The normal sized battenburg is just two cakes that are cut to form a chequer board effect. It wouldn't be difficult to just make either bigger versions of the two cakes, or multiple small ones.

Can you bake? It's not a difficult thing to make?

Having reread your post, I can see you are too busy to bake. Maybe contact a company that specialises in celebration cakes rather than a bakery?

www.crumbs.me.uk/images/giant-battenburg-cake/

Post on your local Facebook or notice board. There must be a kind person around who enjoys baking and will do this for you if you pay for ingredients, it’s not difficult and a lovely idea.

My favourite too! I'm sure you'll find a different baker who will make one, are you near a bigger town or city perhaps?

I'm sorry to hear about your DH, I hope the coming months are as peaceful as possible and that your DS has lovely memories to keep him steady into adulthood

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2852685/peekaboo-battenberg-cake

I knew I'd seen one sonewhere online! Plus it would be a surprise until it was cut open x

Thanks for your replies! cycling that's exactly what I'm looking for! I like the idea of sandwiching several together too. I don't know why I didn't think of that.

My dad has said if I can't get one made he will have a go - he has never baked before (other than making Welsh cakes) so it's a lovely offer but a last resort

I can bake, and really wish I had the time to do it this year. In past years I've made a lemon drizzle dolphin, a cherry Jolly Roger, and even a camper van one year. It's ironic that the easiest of them all is the one I won't have time to do!

It should be fairly simple for someone with a few baking skills. You could get loaf tins and make 2 yellow sponge cakes, 2 pink. Lots of jam and buttercream to hold them together. I guess the challenge would be trying to get big sheets of marzipan on neatly. I wonder if they sell them pre-rolled?

I did this for my DH's 30th! Well, stacked a few bought ones together and covered it in marzipan (yes, you can get pre-rolled sheets). I'm not the most creative person in the world and not much of a baker so it was a bit rough around the edges, but it went down well with both him and our friends. I'm sure being a baker you would make a much better job of it than me! And I'm sorry to hear about your DH

The bought ones could be stacked to make a big one. I have never tried this but I can imagine 12 bought cakes would stack to make a large cake three cakes long and two cakes high.
Or, if the birthday person has a convenient initial that could be built from cakes (like F or T ) that might work too.

So sorry to hear about your DH 💐
I have just made a Battenberg cake for my DS. I didn’t have time to bake either so bought 8 M&S Battenberg cakes and white ready made fondant icing. Four on the bottom, four on the top rectangular cake was plenty big enough for a family cake. I lined up all the cakes so the squares still alternated properly, and sliced off the marzipan on the adjoining sides before adding the icing. Jazzed it up with some sparkly spray and decorations. It turned out quite well I think ☺️ DS was really pleased.

Where are you OP? I would love to do one for you.

Whereabouts are you op? I'm setting myself up a baking business and would happily make one for you!

I'm in the West Midlands.

I have a plan B now, which is the construction of a few shop bought cakes into one big log I didn't know you could buy pre rolled marzipan - what a time to be alive.