Ingredients:

Unsalted butter - 3/4 cup (175 gm, softened & cut in cubes)
Marzipan – 225 gm (natural or yellow)
Self-raising flour - 1 1/4 cup (175 gm)
Grounded Almonds – 1/2 cup (65 gm)
Large eggs - 3
Caster Sugar - 3/4 cup (175 gm)
Baking powder - 3/4 tsp
Almond Extract - 1/3 tsp
Apricot Jam - 1/3 cup (100 gm)
Vanilla Extract - 1/2 tsp
Food coloring - Red (paste, liquid or gel)

Steps:

1- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

2- Take a baking tray (20cm or 8inch) and grease it with butter and line it with parchment paper in a way that there is a division in middle.

3- Mix all dry ingredients together and then add all liquid ingredients in a large bowl and mix them until they are combined and the batter becomes smooth. (see the pictures for detailed instructions).

4- Now in one side of baking tray spoon half of the mixture.

5- Then add few drops of food color into the remaining batter and stir it to mix it well.

6- Now add the remaining pink batter into other half of the baking tray and smooth the surface of the batter with the help of spatula so that batter is in each corner of tray.

7- Put the tray in oven for 25-30 mins until cake is well risen and it springs back when lightly touched. You can check it with a toothpick if it comes out clean and leave it to cool for few minutes.

8- Take it out and put it on wire rack to cool down completely. Then trim the edges with a knife.

9- Cut the colored sponge in to for long strips in half lengthways.

10- You can neat the strips by trimming so that it becomes neat and even as much as possible.

11- Gently heat the apricot jam in microwave and brush it on strips of cake in checkered pattern. (see the pictures for detailed instructions)

12- Now dust the large flat surface with icing sugar and roll the marzipan in oblong shape. It should be wide enough to cover to completely wrap the cake and length of the cake.

13- Brush cake top with the apricot jam and place the cake on the marzipan jam side down and brush the remaining three sides of it with apricot jam.

14- Press the marzipan around the cake so that it joins the base neatly.

15- Now carefully flip the cake over. The seam should be under the cake. Score the top of cake with a knife.

16- You can trim excess marzipan and neaten the ends of cake to reveal he pattern.