Making A Dundee Cake

At the weekend I suddenly decided I was in the mood to make a cake. I wanted to do something a bit different from the normal sponge or fairy cakes that I usually make  so I decided I was going to make a Dundee Cake. A Dundee Cake is a fruit cake and given the snowy weather outside I thought this would be ideal with a cup of tea.

Fruit Cakes are easy to make but they do take a bit more time than sponge cakes. They need to be cooked for a couple of hours and the tin needs to be wrapped in newspaper to stop it burning, so be prepared for mouthwatering smells wafting though your kitchen. They are definitely worth the effort as they are very tasty.

This is the recipe I followed.

Ingredients

• 175g/ 6oz plain flour
• 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
• 100g/ 4oz butter, softened
• 100g/4oz castor sugar
• finely grated rind of half an orange
• 3 eggs
• 100g/40z currants
• 100g /4oz sultanas
• 100g/40z seedless raisins
• 50g/2oz chopped candied peel
• 25g/1oz glace cherries
• 50g/2oz whole almonds

Method

1. Grease a 15cm/6 inch round cake tin and line with baking parchment. Tie some folded newspaper round the tin using string and stand on a wad of paper on a baking sheet. I actually tied the paper round the tin last so I had more freedom to spoon the mixture into the tin, but either way works.
2. Put the butter and sugar into a bowl and beat until light and fluffy then add the orange rind. Beat in the eggs a little at a time.
3. Sift together the flour and spices then fold it into the butter and sugar mix. Add the dried fruit, peel and cherries. Chop half the almonds and fold in until it is all mixed.
4. Spoon into the cake tin, smooth the top till flat and then add the remaining almonds in a circular pattern on the top.
5. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 140 C, 275 F, Gas 1 for two and three quarter to three and quarter hours until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
6. Leave to cool on a wire rack and then eat.

This is how mine turned out and I have to say it was delicious.

Other posts you may be interested in:

Lemon and sultana biscuit recipe

Food for the Gods