This classic cake has a deliciously buttery flavour and slightly crumblier texture than a rich fruit cake. Traditionally there are no glace cherries included (the cake dates back to the time of Mary Queen of Scots, who allegedly wasn’t a fan of them), but if you fancy being a little rebellious, add 25g halved glace cherries in with the dried fruit. We’ve added a little spice too, to add a warming flavour, but you can omit it if you want to make a true Dundee cake.
This elaborate looking cake is a lot more simple to make than it looks! A fruit cake is topped with almonds and then glazed with marmalade.
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Yields:
16 serving(s)
Prep Time:
25 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr 40 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 5 mins
Cal/Serv:
303
Ingredients
175g
unsalted butter softened, plus extra to grease
175g
light brown soft sugar
3
medium eggs, lightly beaten
Finely grated zest 1/2 lemon
1/2tsp.
mixed spice
200g
plain flour
1tsp.
baking powder
50g
ground almonds
50g
coarse Seville orange marmalade, we used Mackays
1Tbsp.
milk
400g
mixed dried fruit
50g
blanched almonds
Directions
Step 1Preheat oven to 160°C (140°C fan) mark 2. Grease and line a 20.5cm round springform tin with baking parchment. Next, wrap a double layer of baking parchment around the outside of the tin, securing it with string – this will help prevent the sides of the cake from over-browning.
Step 2In a large bowl, using a handheld electric whisk, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2min. Gradually add eggs, beating well after each addition. Stir in the lemon zest and mixed spice.
Step 3Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl, add the ground almonds and fold in using a large metal spoon. Stir the marmalade to slacken, then fold into the cake mix with the milk, followed by the dried fruit in 2 additions.
Step 4Scrape into prepared tin and smooth to level. Arrange the blanched almonds on top of the cake in concentric circles, with the tips pointing towards the centre. Bake, for 1hr 40min, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, covering with foil after 1hr. Cool in the tin.
Step 5Once cooled, remove from tin, peel off baking parchment and serve in slices.
GH Tip:
Dundee cake is traditionally not glazed, but if you want the top of your cake to have a shiny finish gently warm 25g of marmalade until runny, then sieve to remove the peel. Brush the sieved marmalade over the top of the cake before serving.
To store:
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
