Vanilla, Chocolate and Almond Checkerboard Cake

I know that summer is unfortunately drawing to an end but there still may be the occasional garden gathering that you need to bake for and I think this recipe is perfect to impress your friends and family... it may look impressive and difficult but in reality you're only cooking 3 cakes and then putting them together! This cake also tastes incredible and if you're not the biggest fan of almonds (which are in the icing) you can leave out that flavouring. 

On to the recipe: 
Ingredients: 

• 340g Butter
• 340g Self Rasing Flour
• 340g Caster Sugar
• 6 eggs
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• Grease-proof paper
• 3 Victoria Sponge tins (or 2 and you could use the tin again after it is finished baking)  
• Pink food colouring
• Almond Extract (Icing)
• 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder (1/2 Icing) 
• 280g Icing sugar (Icing)
• 120g Butter (Icing) 
• Chocolate Flakes

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C/ 350F / Gas Mark 4.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until they are smooth.

3. Break the eggs in a separate bowl and lightly whisk

4. Now gradually whisk in the eggs to the butter mixture slowly so they do not curdle. 

5. Add the vanilla extract and stir.

6.Sift the flour in the mixture gradually and fold to aerate the mixture but be careful not to lob all of it in, in one go as it will not rise as well.

7. Grease and line the victoria sponge tins 

8. Add a bit of milk to loosen the mixture if is the wrong consistency. 

9. Separate the mixture evenly into 3 bowls, adding 2 tablespoons of coca powder to one, 2 teaspoons of pink food colouring to one and leaving one as it is. 

10. Place the mixture into the three tins

11. Bake for 20 minutes and allow to cool

12. Whilst cooling, whisk the icing sugar and butter together until it turns pale

13. Add a few drops of the almond extract and 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder. 

14. Once the cakes are cool, get a 3 inch and a 5 & 1/2 inch round cutter and cut the cakes into 3 circles with the sized cutters. 

15. Now place the different sized and coloured cakes inside each other with a layer of icing to stick, alternating the colours so there aren't two the same next to each other.

16. Do this for three layers until you have used up all the cake pieces. 

17. Place some icing on top of the cake and sprinkle with some chocolate flakes 

There you have it, a vanilla and chocolate checkered cake with almond icing! I hope you all have a lovely remainder of the summer, Enjoy xx