Classic Dundee cake
Wonderfully rich and bursting with spices and dried fruit, a Dundee cake is a traditional Scottish fruitcake 'crowned' with a beautiful arrangement of blanched almonds. It is a perfect cake to have with tea or, perhaps, an after-dinner sip of whisky.
The cake was a well-known favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and some believe its origins can be traced back to Mary, Queen of Scots. Either way, it is a delicacy that certainly deserves the royal seal of approval.
Ingredients
- 175 g softened butter
- 175 g maple sugar
- 3 eggs
- 225 g self-raising (self-rising) flour
- 25 g ground almonds
- 1 tsp ground mixed spice
- 400 g mixed dried fruits
- 75 g halved glace cherries
- 2 tbsp milk
- 3 tbsp maple syrup (preferably dark syrup for its robust taste)
- 40 blanched whole almonds
Details
- Cuisine: Scottish
- Recipe Type: Baking
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 120 mins
- Serves: 8
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/300°F/gas mark 2.
- Grease and line a 20cm (8in) cake tin.
- Beat the butter and the sugar for 3 to 4 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons of maple syrup.
- Beat the eggs and gradually add into the mixture.
- Add the flour, ground almonds and the mixed spice.
- Stir in the mixed dried fruits and cherries.
- Add the milk and stir until combined.
- Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and neatly arrange the blanched almonds on the top.
- Bake for 1.5 to 2 hours.
- Test that it’s cooked through by inserting a skewer into the centre, if it comes out clean then it’s done.
- Leave the cake to cool and then remove it from the tin and peel off the grease-proof paper.
- Drizzle with the remaining maple syrup.
- Store in a cake tin and eat within 5 days.
This recipe is courtesy of Maple from Canada UK.
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