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Dundee cake

Dundee cake
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  • Serves: 12-14 slices

Dundee Cake is a sweet fruit cake which is distinguished by the circles of blanched almonds that rest on top. Inside is a tasty mix of dried fruits – giving it a distinct citrus flavour. The original recipe used only sultanas and orange peel but I soak the fruits in Glayva liqueur the night before baking it!

  • Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 230g flour
  • 170g caster sugar
  • 170g butter or margarine
  • 4 eggs
  • 115g currants
  • 115g raisins
  • 115g sultanas
  • 75ml of Glayva liqueur
  • 60g candied peel
  • 30g ground almonds
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 30g blanched almonds

Equipment

  • 20cm round cake tin

Method

Stage 1

The night before you want to make this Dundee cake recipe, measure out all the dried fruit into a bowl and pour in 75ml of Glayva liqueur. If you don’t have any Glayva, some whisky will suffice. Give the fruit a good stir and leave the bowl covered with a tea towel overnight.

The next day, start by setting the oven to 325°F/170°C/150°C (Fan). Grease a 20cm round cake tin and line with greaseproof paper.

Mix the butter and sugar in a bowl. Sift the flour, salt and mixed spice together.

Add the eggs and the flour mixture alternately to the creamed butter & sugar, beating them in well. Add the baking powder to the last of the flour.

Stir in the ground almonds.

Add the soaked fruit and peel. Gently mix.

Stage 2

Put this mixture into the cake tin.

Arrange the blanched almonds in circles on top of your Dundee cake.

The cake mixture put into the tin with the almonds arranged on top
The cake before going in the oven

Bake in your pre-heated oven for 2 hours, keeping a close eye on it from around the hour mark. If you think your cake is looking golden before the 2 hours are up, put a piece of tin foil over the top to prevent it over baking and cracking. To test if the cake is done, insert a skewer in the centre and see if it comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool slightly in the tin before turning out on to a wire rack.

The Dundee cake recipe, fresh out of the oven
The Dundee cake, fresh out of the oven

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Notes

If you’ve followed this Dundee cake recipe, it should keep for several weeks if wrapped in kitchen foil.