Snack

Dundee Cake

Name: Dundee Cake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 145 min
Total time: 170 min
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 100g almonds, blanched and dried; 180g butter, softened; 180g muscovado sugar; orange, zested, Zest of 1; 3 tbs apricot jam; 225g plain flour, sieved; 1 tsp baking powder, sieved; 3 Large large eggs; 100g ground almonds; 2 tbs milk; 500g dried fruit; 100g glacé cherries; 1 tbs milk; 2 tsp caster sugar

A rich British fruit cake studded with almonds, dried fruit, glacé cherries, and orange.

2 hr 50 min
470 kcal
Vegetarian
British
Dessert
Cake

Mellowpan tip: Makes 12 servings, plenty to share.

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Ingredients

For 12 servings

Steps

Step 1:
Put the almonds into a small bowl and pour over enough boiling water to just cover them.
Step 2:
Leave for 5 minutes, then drain in a sieve and leave to dry.
5 min
Step 3:
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas Mark 4.
Step 4:
Line a deep loose-based 20cm cake tin with baking parchment.
Step 5:
Put the butter in a large bowl and beat well until soft.
Step 6:
Add the muscovado sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Step 7:
Stir in the orange zest and apricot jam.
Step 8:
Sieve together the flour and baking powder.
Step 9:
Add the eggs to the creamed butter and sugar a little at a time, beating well between each addition.
Step 10:
If the mixture starts to curdle, stir in a little flour.
Step 11:
Add the remaining flour and ground almonds, and mix well.
Step 12:
Mix in 2 tablespoons of milk, then add the dried fruit and glacé cherries and mix gently together.
Step 13:
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and spread level using the back of a spoon.
Step 14:
Arrange the whole almonds close together in neat circles on top of the cake.
Step 15:
Bake for 45 minutes.
45 min
Step 16:
Lower the oven temperature to 160C/140C fan/Gas Mark 3 and bake for a further 60–80 minutes.
60–80 min
Step 17:
After 50 minutes, check the cake by inserting a wooden or metal skewer. It is done when just a few crumbs are attached; check every 10 minutes to avoid overcooking, so the centre remains a little soft.
50 min
Step 18:
Remove the cake briefly from the oven. Put 1 tablespoon of milk and the caster sugar into a small pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.
Step 19:
Brush the milk glaze over the top of the cake and return it to the oven for 2–3 minutes.
2–3 min
Step 20:
Remove the cake and allow it to cool in the tin. When quite cold, remove from the tin, wrap in foil, and keep for at least 2 days before cutting.