Recipes
Dundee Cake
Whoever has the fruitcake today keeps it until next year - so make sure you pass that sucker along. I'm thinking you can ring and run as you drop the fruitcake at some unsuspecting friend's house! A
All joking aside, when I was longer my mom actually made a delicious fruitcake, known as a Dundee Cake.
It's Scottish in origin, and rumor has it that the Queen herself loves a slice with her afternoon tea... So don't hate on the fruitcake until you've tried this one - soaking it in whiskey to make it last longer is optional, but my mom swore it 'enhanced the flavor'.
Umm, ok.
Ingredients
- 50 grams dark brown sugar (soft)
- 1 large orange (zested) - try a Seville Orange for the true Duncee flavor
- 8 ounces/225 grams all-purpose flour (or plain flour)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pies spice mix
- 3 large free-range eggs
- 1 pound/450 grams dried fruit (like sultanas, currants, and raisins)
- 2 ounces/55 grams candied peel (chopped) (This is usually a mix of lemon and orange) BTW - this will still be great without this ingredient...
- 1 tablespoon malt whiskey (or brandy, if you prefer)
- Optional: 2 ounces/55 grams glace cherries (halved)
- 4 ounces/115 grams whole almonds (blanched) - for decoration
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Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300 F.
Line an 8 inch cake tin with greaseproof paper or baking parchment and grease lightly with a little butter.
Place both the butter, sugar, and zest into a large roomy baking bowl. Cream the butter into the sugar until light, smooth and creamy using either a fork or electric hand whisk.
In another bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder and mixed spice.
Alternate beating in and egg and the flour, until all the eggs and flour are used up.
Add the dried fruits, citrus candied peel, and cherries (if using) to the mixture and stir gently until all the fruits are incorporated into the mixture.
Finally, stir in the whiskey using a spoon or spatula.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and gently level the surface.
Cook in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours, then arrange the blanched almonds into circles on the top and return the cake to the oven. (I'll be honest, I leave the almonds out..)
Cook for another hour or until the cake is a deep, golden brown.
Remove the cake from the oven and place onto a cooling rack and leave the cake to cool in the tin.
Store in an airtight container. My mother swore by dousing it in whiskey to preserve it...
Enjoy with tea or coffee for an afternoon snack - so civilized...
