Dundee cake

Dundee cake

A famous traditional Scottish fruitcake with cherries, sultanas and almonds, and a sweet glaze

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Recipe by Good Food

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 16

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 35 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 45 mins

Method

  1. Put the almonds into a small bowl and pour over boiling water to just cover. Leave for 5 mins then drain in a sieve and leave to dry.
  2. Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 5. Line a deep loose-based 20cm cake tin with baking parchment.
  3. Put the butter in a large bowl and beat well until soft. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Stir in the orange zest and apricot jam.
  4. Sieve together the flour and baking powder. Add the eggs to the creamed butter and sugar, a little at a time, beating well between each addition. If the mixture starts to curdle, stir in a little flour.
  5. Add the remaining flour and ground almonds and mix well. Mix in the milk and then add the dried fruit and cherries and mix gently together.
  6. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and spread level using the back of a spoon. Arrange the whole almonds close together in neat circles on the top of the cake. Bake in the oven for 45 mins.
  7. Lower the oven temperature to 160C/130 C fan/gas 2 and cook for a further 60-80 minutes. Check the cake after 50 minutes by inserting a wooden or metal skewer into the cake. When it's done it should have just a few crumbs attached. Check every 10 minutes - it's important not to overcook this cake so the centre will be a little soft.
  8. When cooked, remove the cake briefly from the oven, put the milk and sugar into a small pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Brush over the top of the cake and return the cake to the oven for 2-3 mins. Remove and allow the cake to cool in the tin. When quite cold remove from the tin and wrap in foil and keep for at least 2 days before cutting.

PER SERVING

373 kcalories, protein 6.3g, carbohydrate 48.4g, fat 17.2 g, saturated fat 6.7g, fibre 2.2g, sugar 38.6g, salt 0.2 g

Recipe from bbcgoodfood.com, April 2012.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • Binder photo Rachel

    01 May 2012

    Rachel rated and commented on this recipe

    2 stars

    Moist, but the jam makes it way too sweet. I would leave that out if I made it again.

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  • Binder photo Nuala

    04 May 2012

    Nuala rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I've been wanting to make a fruitcake for ages, but been too scared to try! I gave this a go and it turned out pretty well (I used St Dalfour Apricot jam, and only used 2 tbsp because of the comment above - I didn't think it was too sweet). The fruit didn't sink to the bottom as I've heard can happen, and it tastes pretty good. The only problem I had was that I overcooked the outside. I think I've seen other recipes where you wrap paper around the outside of the tin or something - does anyone know if that would work?

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  • Binder photo xcjx

    06 May 2012

    xcjx rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this with homemade marmalade which didn't make it too sweet at all. It's the best fruit cake I've made will definitely make this again.

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  • Binder photo Jojo

    17 June 2012

    Jojo rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this cake for fathers day. It's turned out very well.

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  • Binder photo cupcakewales

    11 November 2012

    cupcakewales commented on this recipe

    I shall be making this as it is tradition to have this cake for christmas,my nan and my mum made this every year....

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  • Binder photo Suzi K

    12 December 2012

    Suzi K commented on this recipe

    Ive been making Dundee Cake for years. Ive never added jam to the recipe but I always squeeze the juice from the orange instead. I also add some chopped nuts to add to the flavour. The chopped nuts are usually found next to the ground almonds in most supermarkets. Cooking tip: My cookery teacher at school always made us sprinkle a teaspoon of sieved flour as soon as we added the eggs to prevent them from curdling. I always pour the eggs in gradually a few drops at a time along with a teaspoon of the sieved flour, mix gently and continue this until you've used up all the eggs, this will ensure you never curdle the mixture.

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 16

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 35 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 45 mins

Ingredients

  • 100g blanched almonds
  • 180g unsalted butter , at room temperature
  • 180g light muscovado sugar
  • zest 1 large orange
  • 3 tbsp apricot jam or marmalade
  • 225g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 3 large eggs , beaten
  • 100g ground almonds
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 500g mixed dried fruits
  • 100g whole glacé cherries

GLAZE

  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 2 tsp caster sugar
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PER SERVING

373 kcalories, protein 6.3g, carbohydrate 48.4g, fat 17.2 g, saturated fat 6.7g, fibre 2.2g, sugar 38.6g, salt 0.2 g

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