what are alternatives or tips if i don't have a checkerboard baking pan?

Answer 1

I have used this method to make a checkerboard cake without the special pan and it comes out just fine. It makes a square cake rather than round. You can use your own cake recipe or try this one.

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups cake flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 egg whites
2 heaping tablespoons cocoa mixed with a little hot water

Sift together, flour, baking powder and salt. Cream butter, add sugar gradually, add milk and dry ingredients alternately. Divide batter into 2 equal parts. To one part, add the cocoa. To each part, fold in the stiffly beaten whites of 2 eggs.

Have ready two (8-inch) square cake pans. In one pan, put a strip of dark batter about 1 inch wide, then follow with a strip of white batter, then dark until there are 6 strips. I use decorating bags with a large tip, you can also use a resealable plastic bags with a 1 inch slit cut in one corner.

In second pan, alternate the strips of white batter and dark batter starting this time with the white.

Bake in a moderate 350 degree oven until toothpick comes out clean.

If you want to try a round cake, the technique is similar only make 3 circles with the batter. Use the dark for the outer and inner circles in one pan and the white for the outer and inner in the second.

Answer 2

Bake 3 layers, two chocoalte and one white, put the white in the middle. Not checkerboard, but, alternating layers. Better than nothing.
Try a marble cake. They are pretty, and no expensive pans.

Answer 3

make a marbled cake. just drizzle the other batter directly into your layer pan and drag a fork through it to make that pretty marbled look!