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Dundee cake
Light fruit cake crowned with whole almonds
Dundee cake is the light, buttery fruit cake from the city of marmalade and jute, said to have been created by the Keiller family to use up their orange peel. Instead of marzipan and icing it is topped with concentric circles of whole blanched almonds, and it is eaten at Christmas and with afternoon tea. Chef's tip: lay the almonds on gently without pressing; if they sink they burn and the pattern is lost.
- Total time
- 145 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 14
Ingredients
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 300°F (275°F fan). Grease and double-line a 20 cm deep round tin with baking paper.
5 minStep 2: Beat the 6 oz butter, 6 oz light brown sugar and 1 orange zest until pale, then beat in the 2 tbsp orange marmalade and the 4 eggs one at a time, adding a spoon of the flour with each.
6 minStep 3: Fold in the rest of the 8 oz plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1 ¾ oz ground almonds, then the 6 oz sultanas, 6 oz currants, 1 ¾ oz mixed peel, 1 ¾ oz glacé cherries and 2 tbsp milk.
4 minStep 4: Spoon into the tin and level the top. Arrange the 2 ⅛ oz whole blanched almonds on top in circles, resting them lightly on the surface.
5 minStep 5: Bake for 1¾–2 hours, covering loosely with foil after an hour if the almonds are browning too fast. It is done when a skewer comes out clean. A common mistake is opening the oven early, which makes the middle sink.
115 minStep 6: Cool in the tin for 30 minutes, then on a rack. Wrapped, it keeps two weeks and improves after a few days.
30 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 350 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dundee cake take?
- About 145 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 14 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of light brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tsp honey or golden syrup per 100g.
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