Battenburg cake

Method

1. Set the oven to Gas Mark 4 or 180°C.
2. In a bowl, beat butter. Add sugar, flour, eggs and milk to the bowl and beat until smooth.
3. Fill 2 sections of the tin with half of the mixture. Mix a little pink colouring into remaining mixture. Spoon this into the other 2 sections of the tin, levelling the surfaces in each section. Bake in centre of oven for 20-30 mins, or until cake is risen and feels firm.
4. Remove cake from oven and leave to cool in tin for about 5 minutes. Using a serrated, long bladed knife, slice off top of cake to level it with top of tin. Turn cake out on to a wire rack to cool.
5. To assemble the cake: Spread jam over one side of a white cube of cake and put a pink cube against it. Spread a thin layer of jam over top of this. Then sandwich other 2 cubes together with a little jam, and place them on top of the first 2, so colours alternate. Spread a thin layer of jam all over outside of the cake.
6. Knead marzipan to soften it, then roll it out on a surface dusted with icing sugar to a rectangle at least 22 x 35cm (8½ x 13½in). Trim one of the shorter edges to give a straight line. Place cake towards the straight side, then roll cake over to totally wrap marzipan around it, trimming away excess at the overlap. Cut a thin slice of cake off each end of cake to neaten.
7. Mark a criss-cross pattern on top of cake with the back of a knife.
8. To make ropes for decoration: Use marzipan trimmings. Roll out 2 long, narrow strips and twist them together. Press lightly on to the top edge of the cake; repeat to decorate other top edge of cake.

Nutritional information is for the maximum number of servings and does not include the 'To serve' suggestion

By Sue McMahon, assisted by Iris Harvey. Photos: Simon Pask