SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Battenberg cake

play

noun Bat·ten·berg cake \ ˈba-tᵊn-ˌbərg- \

variants: or Battenburg cake play \ˈba-tᵊn-ˌbərg-\

Definition of Battenberg cake

chiefly British

:a rectangular cake that is usually covered with marzipan and that is assembled from two differently colored sponge cakes so that a slice of the cake has a checkered pattern

… checkerboard Battenburg cakes coated with marzipan …
—Toronto Star, 18 May 2005

… the retro pink and yellow checker board Battenberg cake is delightfully finger sized.
—Marketwire, 29 June 2010

There's more!

Love words? You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
Advanced search features
Ad free!

Origin and Etymology of battenberg cake

probably after the Battenberg family, a morganatic branch of the ducal house of Hesse-Darmstadt, members of whom established careers in Britain or married into the British royal family (after Battenberg, a town in Hesse, Germany)

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1903

See Words from the same year

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up Battenberg cake? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

anathematize

play

to curse or denounce

BROWSE DICTIONARY

battement

batten

Battenberg cake

Battenberg lace

batten door

Test Your Vocabulary

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Which of the following is a new sense of the word bunny?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

alt-59c52d6ee2f72

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

The word's origins are quite literal

alt-59c4207ecf106

Let's Talk 'Tea'

Spill it, sip it: just make it hot.

8 Words and Phrases from Boxing and Wrestling

Common terms that come from boxing and wrestling

alt-59c2960017c94

The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

When you push a meeting, where does it go?

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

young-plant-shoots

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

Take the quiz

stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz

Citation

Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?

Play the game