Dundee Cake
When it comes to cake, I still feel like I’m on a journey of discovery. Cakes were always what Granny made when I was growing up, and as such, I never really took to them. Too much of a good thing! But since growing up and moving away from home, I have rediscovered cake in all its glory. The latest cake to join my newly discovered all-time favourites is Dundee Cake.
Originating from where its name would suggest, Dundee Cake is a sweet fruit cake which is easily recognisable from its circles of blanched almonds that crown its top. Inside is a delicious melody of dried fruits, completed by the addition of mixed peel, giving it that distinct citrus flavour.
As far as cakes go, like most fruit cakes, Dundee Cake is a heavy cake. It is best enjoyed on a cold day with a cup of tea. It’s said to have come about in the nineteenth century and was the creation of the Kelliers (the family behind Kellier’s Marmalade) as a way to use up the leftover orange peels from their production of marmalade.
Cherries in a Dundee Cake?
In comparison to some other Dundee Cake recipes, you might notice a lack of glacé cherries. This was something that Granny and I discussed at great length, and it was decided that real Dundee Cake does not have cherries. Probably because cherries were not as easily accessible at the time of creation, but eventually came as an addition to some recipes over time.
It is also said that Mary Queen of Scots was not a fan of cherries, and Dundee Cake was, in fact, a fruit cake made with her tastes in mind. Whatever the reason, leave the cherries out on this one – trust us, you really don’t need them.
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Dundee Cake
PRINT RECIPEINGREDIENTS
- 250 g Butter (at room temperature)
- 250 g Soft Dark Brown Sugar
- 5 Free-range Eggs
- 1 tsp Mixed Spice
- 1 tsp Salt
- 250 g Plain Flour
- 225 g Currants
- 200 g Raisins
- 200 g Sultanas
- 100 g Mixed Peel
- 50 g Blanched Almonds
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pre-heat your oven to 150°c (130°c for fan assisted ovens or Gas Mark 2). Grease and line a 9 inch cake tin with grease-proof paper, with the paper being a couple of inches taller than the tin.
- Add your blanched almonds to a bowl of boiling water and set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, ensuring they are well mixed before adding the next.
- Sift in the flour, spices and salt. Add the dried fruits and mixed peel. Mix all until combined.
- Transfer the mixture to your prepared tin. Drain the blanched almonds from the water and arrange in circles on top of your cake.
- Bake in your pre-heated oven for 2 hours, keeping a close eye – if you think your cake is looking golden before the 2 hours is up, pop a sheet of tin foil over the top to prevent it over baking and cracking.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won’t always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
I see that on your home page you state that the recipes are metric friendly. You seem to have turned your back on the units that Granny would have used and the ones I use. This is a shame because I would otherwise share tips on how to improve the Dundee cake recipe.
Hi Theo. Thanks for your feedback.
The idea with Baking with Granny is to translate and share traditional recipes that we all know and love, to units which people will understand in the UK. The metric system has been in place here since 1965 and so you’ll find all our recipes (as well as most recipes now developed in the UK) will follow this.
As it turns out, a lot of Granny’s recipes are in the metric system, as well as many in imperial: as she was baking during the transition period of imperial to metric we have a bit of mixture.
Have you tried our Dundee Cake recipe? I’d love to hear your feedback on that if you have :)
I see what you did there “journey of discovery” when talking about Dundee cake… Dundee being the city of discovery.
I’ve not made it yet, but it looks delicious. We always make your pancakes and lemon drizzle.
Could you please tell me what mixed spices you use.
The type that’s been used for many years and bought from baking section of any reputable supermarket
If you are not in the U.K., try looking for pumpkin pie spice of apple pie spice blend instead. It’s basically a mix of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, clove, and ginger, or similar.
Recipe looks nice but I don’t fancy spices and peel in my DC.
I have always used 5 tbs of marmalade and no peel and yes absolutely no cherries.