Ingredients:

175g butter, softened

175g caster sugar

3 large free range eggs, beaten

175g self raising flour

A little red food colouring

For the topping:

275g of natural almond marzipan

A little warmed raspberry jam

Vanilla buttercream icing

Granulated sugar to dust

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F/gas mark 3. Take one seven-inch-square cake tin, buttered and lined with parchment paper.

2. Cream the butter together with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the lightly beaten eggs and the flour, a little at a time, beating until smooth.

2. Divide the cake batter in half. Tint one half with a bit of red food colouring to give you a pink batter.

3. Spoon the pink batter into the left hand side of the tin, and the normal colour into the other side. Smooth the tops gently.

4. Bake in the oven for about 30 to 35 minutes or until firm when lightly pressed in the centre.

5. Carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before proceeding.

6. When the cake is completely cool, trim the edges of the cake then divide it equally into four long sections, two pink and two white.

7. Using a little of the butter cream and some of the warmed raspberry jam, place one of each colour on the bottom and the remaining two on top, alternating the colours to give you a chequerboard pattern and having some butter cream and jam between each.

8. Dust the counter top with some granulated sugar then roll out the marzipan on top, thinly into an oblong the length of the cake and large enough to cover the cake all around.

9. Spread with a thin layer of jam and then place the sponge chequerboard on top.

10. Roll the marzipan around the cake and seal with a bit more jam. Trim the edges neatly at each end.

11. Place onto a plate with the "seam" underneath and lightly mark the top in the traditional criss cross pattern. Dust with the sugar to finish.

12. Assemble second Battenberg and keep in an airtight box or well-wrapped in cling film for up to three days. Can be frozen for up to a month.