Chocolate and Orange Battenberg Cake

1

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a 20cm (8-inch) square baking tin. To create the divider, fold a piece of foil to fit snugly down the center of the tin, creating two separate rectangular sections, and grease well.

2

In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and caster sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3

Fold in the self-raising flour and baking powder until just combined. Divide the mixture equally into two separate bowls.

4

To the first bowl, fold in the cocoa powder and milk. To the second bowl, fold in the orange zest and orange food coloring (if using) to heighten the color.

5

Spoon the chocolate batter into one side of the prepared tin and the orange batter into the other. Smooth the tops so they are level.

6

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the sponges have risen and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

7

Once cool, trim the tops of the cakes to make them flat. Place one sponge on top of the other and trim the edges so they are identical in size.

8

Cut each sponge rectangle lengthways in half to create four long strips of cake (two chocolate, two orange).

9

Heat the marmalade in a microwave or small pan until runny, then sieve to remove any thick chunks.

10

Brush the long sides of the strips with warm marmalade. Assemble the checkerboard pattern: place one chocolate strip next to an orange strip, then stack an orange strip on the chocolate one and a chocolate strip on the orange one.

11

Dust a work surface with icing sugar and roll out the marzipan into a rectangle wide enough to wrap around the entire length of the cake (approx 20x30cm).

12

Brush the top of the marzipan with the remaining marmalade. Place the cake at one edge and carefully roll it up tightly in the marzipan, smoothing the sides as you go.

13

Trim the ends of the cake to reveal the neat checkerboard pattern before serving.