Battenberg cake

Read the full method, check the stated equipment and prepare every listed ingredient. Keep dough, filling, wash, topping and handling groups separate. Weigh edible parts as described in the ingredient list.

Heat the oven to 160°C fan.

Allow about 15 minutes of heating in total and check that the oven has reached 160°C fan.

Grease and line the square tin with a folded parchment wall down its centre so the colours bake separately.

Beat cake butter and cake sugar for 3–4 minutes until pale. Add eggs gradually, then fold in flour, almonds, milk and almond extract. Divide evenly and tint a portion pink.

Spread batter evenly in the stated prepared tin or tins. Keep within the source tin capacity and bake any surplus separately.

Check the oven has reached the stated setting and carefully put in the prepared tray or tin.

Bake at 180°C conventional / 160°C fan for 25–30 minutes, until springy and a skewer comes out without wet batter. Do not open the oven early.

Take the bake out of the oven and set it on a heatproof surface.

Leave in the tin for 10 minutes.

Loosen gently and move to a rack.

Cool completely on the rack before filling, icing or slicing; allow about 50 minutes.

Level and trim both colours. Cut matching bars with identical square cross-sections, about 4 × 4 cm. The exact length follows the baked cake.

Warm and sieve apricot jam.

Brush joining faces with jam and assemble a square checkerboard, keeping like colours diagonally opposite. Brush the outside lightly with jam.

Roll marzipan on dusting icing sugar to about 4 mm thick and large enough to wrap the cake with overlap. Wrap closely, trim, set seam down and tidy the ends.