Recipe: Dundee Cake
17 Jul, 2009 by James L. Clark in Cooking
Dundee is one of my favorite cities in Scotland (yes, it is actually classified as a city vs. a town, village, etc). Famous for Jute, Jam, and Journalism, Dundee was a historical Roman outpost and one of the first cities a fledgling America chose to have a Mission or consulate. This recipe is named after this wonderful city.
You’ll need the following ingredients:
- 8oz Flour
- 6 oz Butter
- 5oz Caster/granulated sugar
- 4 Eggs
- 1oz Blanched almonds
- 1.5oz mixed peel
- 6oz each of currants, raisins, sultanas (seedless white raisins)
- Grated rind and juice of lemon
- 1 level teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons whiskey
- 2 tablespoons boiled milk and 1 tablespoon sugar
How to make it:
Mix the flour and baking powder together. Then cream the butter and sugar in a separate bowl. When it is white, smooth, and creamy slowly mix in the eggs and whiskey. I like to beat them together first and add them in that way with the creamed mixture. Now, beat in the flower mixture nice and slowly. Add the nuts and fruits. Mix it well, but if it becomes to thick just add a little milk or cream if you prefer to smooth it out and give it a nice rich consistency.
Place the mixture in an 8-inch greased and cake tin. Wet your hands and smooth out the top of the mixture or use a spatula that’s been sprayed with olive oil. Cover the tin with foil or baking paper.
Preheat the oven at 325F (170C).
Stick the tin in and set your timer for two hours.
One hour into the baking, take the foil off and arrange the split almonds in any design you like on top. Traditionally, it is concentric circles on the top of the cake, but I think that’s a little pedantic to be honest.
Check the cake with a tooth-pick near the end of the cooking time. If it is still wet, leave it in for another 5-15 minutes, checking it every 5 minutes at a time.
I like to brush on a butter and honey mixture before the end of cooking just to put a nice finish on the top. Take it out so it can cool and serve to your friends. Be sure to store it in an air tight container. I just vacuum seal slices for later myself.
Enjoy!
