Ingredients

1/2 lb butter

1/2 lb castor sugar

vanilla essence

4 eggs

1/2 lb flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

pinch salt

1 oz. chocolate

jam

almond paste

3/4 lb pale pink warm icing

Method

Beat butter and sugar to a cream, add vanilla, add well beaten eggs. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and stir in lightly. Halve mixture, adding grated chocolate to one half, place both halves on greased chessboard tins and bake in a moderate oven about 20 minutes, when cool, cut in half, then cut each half in three, join together with jam or lemon cheese in alternative layers in alternate colours, to form a chessboard, make almond paste and roll out thinly, brush cake over with white of egg and cover with almond icing, rolling to make it smooth and even, pour pale pink warm icing over and allow to set, then decorate with royal icing, using a bag with a pipe to decorate.