Battenburg Cake

Originally from Carol via cakerecipe.com

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 2 cakes

Ingredients

• 1  cup butter, softened
• 1  cup sugar
• 3  eggs
• 1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla
• 2  cups flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
•  milk
•  red food coloring
• 1  cup  apricot jam
• 2  cups  almonds, finely ground
• 3  cups confectioners' sugar
• 1  egg, room temperature
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  almond extract
•  lemon juice or  water
•  confectioners' sugar
•  sugar

Directions

1. Cream butter and 1 cup sugar together.
2. Beat in 3 eggs, one at a time. Mix in vanilla.
3. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt gently.
4. Add milk if needed.
5. Divide batter into 2 equal parts.
6. Add food coloring to 1 part to make a deep pink color.
7. Grease two 7-inch square pans.
8. Spread batters into pans.
9. Bake at 350°F until an inserted wooden pick comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes.
10. Let stand in pans 5 minutes.
11. Turn out on racks to cool.
12. Trim edges from both cakes.
13. Cut each cake lengthwise into 4 strips as wide as the cake is thick.
14. Trim to make strips match.
15. Heat jam slightly.
16. Spread on sides to glue 2 pink and 2 white strips together checkerboard fashion.
17. Spread all 4 sides of completed cake with jam.
18. Repeat with remaining pink and white stripes.
19. Makes 2 cakes.
20. To make almond paste: Mix almonds, confectioners' sugar, egg, lemon juice and almond extract together.
21. Knead until smooth, adding a bit of lemon juice or water if too dry to roll.
22. Add only 1/2 teaspoon at a time. It will be stiff.
23. Divide into 2 equal parts.
24. Roll 1/2 of paste 1/8 inch thick on a surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar.
25. Cut to fit length of cake and long enough to cover 4 sides leaving ends uncovered.
26. Lay cake on one end of paste. Wrap completely to enclose all 4 sides of cake pinching paste to seal.
27. Roll in granulated sugar.
28. Place with seal underneath on serving plate, or store in plastic bag.
29. repeat for second cake. Chill.
30. Slice thinly to serve.