Preparation of Battenberg cake

• Put the flours, baking powder, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Mix quickly to even out the mixture.
  In another bowl, beat the butter with the sugar with an electric mixer until you get a soft and lighter-colored mixture. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after adding each egg and together with the last, incorporate the vanilla and almond extract.

• At low speed, add half of the flour mixture and mix it, then
  add the milk and the rest of the flour, mixing well.
  Divide the mixture into two equal parts, about 14 oz, and into one of the halves pour a few drops of red coloring. Mix carefully.

• Pour the two mixtures into two buttered and floured pans measuring 4 x 8 inches and level carefully.
  Bake the cakes in a preheated oven at 340°F for about 30-35 minutes. As soon as they are ready, remove them from the molds and let them cool completely on a rack.

• To assemble the cake, proceed as follows.
  Pour the apricot jam into a small saucepan and heat it gently until it becomes liquid. Strain it through a fine-mesh sieve and set aside.
  Place the cakes on the work surface and with a serrated knife remove the dome, obtaining two parallelepipeds. Even out the four sides and measure with a ruler the height, which should be about 1.2 inches. Cut lengthwise into two strips as big as the height. You should have four equal strips, two white and two pink.
  Dust the work surface with powdered sugar and roll out, with the help of a
  rolling pin, the marzipan into a rectangle of 7.9 x 11.4 inches. Trim the edges carefully to obtain a rectangle of 7.1 x 10.4 inches.
  Place the marzipan so that the long side is in front of you. Spread a thin layer of apricot jam in the center of the marzipan in a strip about 5.1 inches wide.

• Place one pink cake strip on the left side above the jam, pressing
  lightly. Spread a thin layer of jam on the inner edge of the cake strip and place a non-colored strip next to it, gently pressing the two strips together. Spread a thin layer of jam over the two strips and repeat the operation with the remaining two strips, ensuring to alternate them to form the checkerboard.
  Cover the assembled cake with a thin layer of jam. Lift one side of the marzipan and make it adhere to the cake, pressing gently. Repeat the operation with the other side of the marzipan, slightly dampening the joining edge with a bit of water.
  Turn the cake so that the join is on the bottom and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving cut into slices.

  The Battenberg cake can be stored in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap for up to three days.