FOR YEARS I have been keen to try make Battenberg cake.

It's one of those cakes that is pretty simple flavour-wise, but looks fantastic once made and just really works.

A few years ago, for a cake club meeting, I made a chequered cake and although pretty faffy to make, the results were amazing so

I thought I would give it another go, but this time attempt to cover the cake in marzipan.

Battenburg always reminds me of being at my grandparents on a Friday evening as a child. We would visit their home, watch Coronation Street and then tuck into some tasty supper, finished off by a huge slab of Battenberg.

Battenberg cake is a light sponge cake with the pieces covered in jam or custard.

The cake is covered in marzipan and, when cut in cross section, displays a distinctive two-by-two check pattern alternately coloured pink and yellow (which also gave its name to Battenberg markings).

The cake is made by baking a yellow and a pink sponge cake separately, and then cutting and combining the pieces in a chequered pattern. The cake is held together by apricot jam and covered with marzipan and it's absolutely delicious!

The cake is a traditional cake that has appeared in British cookery books for over two centuries. The finished article resembles a church stained glass window. This is a real treat for almond lovers.

It's also a firm favourite on the traditional English tea table, and is a very pretty two-coloured sponge cake!

Each layer of the cake is sandwiched with butter cream and seedless raspberry jam to help hold them together, then the whole thing is brushed with a little more jam on the outsides then rolled up in a thin layer of marzipan.

When cut into slices it is beautiful and I think quite amazing-looking. Very impressive and not all that difficult!

It does require a little patience, but it's well worth any effort taken. It may take a bit of practice to get the marzipan as tight as you would like it, but do persevere as it is most beautiful when done.

History-wise, the cake is named for the (originally German) family who made up part of the British royal family. The name refers to the town of Battenberg, Hesse in central Germany and is the seat of the aristocratic family who eventually renamed themselves Mountbatten in World War One to distance themselves from Germany.

The origin of the name is not clear, but one theory claims that the cake was created in honour of the marriage in 1884 of Queen Victoria's granddaughter to Prince Louis of Battenberg, with each of the four squares representing each of the four Battenberg princes: Louis, Alexander, Henry and Francis Joseph.

If you fancy a challenge in the kitchen one afternoon then I very much recommend attempting the Battenberg cake: it's fun, tasty and also pretty satisfying once you master the art of wrapping the marzipan. Happy baking!