Tuesday 10 December 2013

Scottish recipes - Dundee Cake

Victor December 10, 2013

Dundee Cake

Dundee cake is a rich fruit cake with almonds on top, it is usually served at Christmas or New Years Eve (Hogmanay) in Scotland, it is heavier and more fruit filled than regular fruit cake,

Fruit cake is not loved as much here in the USA, so this little Lassie from Scotland is on a mission to change that. So if you are still buying those weird looking fruit cakes that turn up in supermarkets get yourself a great recipe or use this Dundee cake one below and make one. I think you might change your mind about the humble little fruit cake

I was chatting on FaceTime with my mum at the weekend telling her I was going to be making a Dundee cake and I was saying that I can't believe how long it will be in the oven. I mean 3 and a half hours is a long time, and she just casually said, "You know about the brown paper right"? I said no, what about the brown paper.....

She told me a great tip for making cakes that are in the oven a longtime is to wrap it in a double layer of brown paper twice the height of the tin to prevent the top of the cake from burning. I did this and my Dundee cake turned out beautiful, thanks Mum I love your tips

This recipe is based on a recipe from my Scottish cookbook. Dundee cake is traditionally made with dried mixed peel/fruit. I don't love mixed fruit with the peel so much, so I substituted with raisins (regular and golden)

You will need

One 8 inch round cake tin

225g/8oz butter or margarine
225g/8oz fine sugar
5 eggs, lightly beaten
350g/12oz self raising flour
675g/1.5lbs Mixed fruit (I used half and half of regular and golden raisins)
100g/4oz glazed cherries (washed and quartered)
1 tsp mixed spice
50g/2oz whole balanced almonds

Dundee Cake Ingredients

Grease an 8 inch round cake tin, then line with paper

Line your tin

Set oven to 300F/150C

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy

Butter and sugar

Gradually beat in the eggs, add a little flour to prevent curdling

add eggs

butter, eggs, sugar

Mix the mixed fruit (or raisins) and cherries with a couple of spoonfuls of flour (this prevents the fruit from dropping to the bottom when baking)

mixed dried fruit

Sift then fold in the remaining flour and the mixed spice to the creamed mixture

sift the flour

Stir in the dried fruit and cherries, mix well

fruit cake mixture

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, level the top with the back of a metal spoon after running it under hot water

fruit cake mixture

If the almonds have skin on, put them in a small bowl and add boiled water, leave them sitting for 1 minute then take them out and easily peel the skin off