Dundee Almond Cake
Edward Bottone is a food and lifestyle journalist, a former chef and restaurateur, TV and radio presenter, and culinary educator.
Dundee Almond Cake is a Scottish almond topped cake that emerged in the late 18th century and proliferated in the 19th. The fruit can be soaked just a day in advance of baking. It is an excellent Christmas or other festive dinner dessert.
Nigella Lawson suggests one “feed” the Dundee cake with “good Scottish Malt Whisky” the same as one would a “traditional” fruitcake.
Ingredients
- 118 ml (½ cup) raisins, soaked in Scotch whisky, dark rum or brandy
- 237 ml (1 cup) glacéed cherries, halved, soaked in Scotch whisky, dark rum or brandy
- 156 ml (2/3 cup) candied peel, soaked in Scotch whisky, dark rum or brandy
- ½ lb butter (2 sticks), softened (plus extra for greasing)
- 300 grams (2½ cups) all-purpose flour, plus additional for flouring pan
- 95 grams (½ cup) superfine sugar
- 106 grams (½ cup) dark brown sugar
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) Dundee marmalade
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) heavy cream
- 7.5 ml (1½ teaspoons) baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup ground almonds (or almond meal), packed
- 4 large eggs
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) almond extract
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) Scotch whisky, dark rum or brandy
- 40 or so blanched whole almonds
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) milk or cream
- Scotch whisky, dark rum or brandy for “dousing”
NOTE: Almonds can be bought blanched. They can also be blanched by cooking for 2-3 minutes in boiling water (a microwave oven works well for this). The skins then pop off with a little coaxing.
The famous Scottish Orange Marmalade is made in Dundee for which the cake is named. It is also a brand name.
Preparation
- At least one day before baking, soak the raisins, glacéed cherries, and candied peel in Scotch whisky, dark rum or brandy.
2. To bake the Dundee Cake, heat the oven to 163°C (325°F). Lightly grease and flour a 23 cm (9 inch) round springform pan. Cream butter and superfine and dark brown sugars together until pale, light and fluffy. Add the orange zest, Dundee marmalade, and cream. Drain well the raisins, glacéed cherries, and mixed peel.
3. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt and add 118 ml (½ cup) to the drained dried fruits. Mix well so that the fruit is well coated to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake. Add ground almonds to the butter mixture. Gradually add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in half the remaining flour; gradually add the fruit, mixing well with each addition. Fold in the remaining flour and any of the left over fruit-coating flour. Add almond extract, and spirit of choice.
4. Spoon the mixture evenly into the baking pan and smooth the surface. Dip blanched almonds in milk and arrange decoratively in concentric circles around the top of the cake. (If using a pan with a molded bottom, place the almonds in the pan first; once baked, the bottom became the top. )
5. Bake until the tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 2 hours. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, dousing with your spirit of choice while cooling. Turn the Dundee Cake out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Feed the cake with an occasional dousing until ready to serve.
WELL WRAPPED, STORED IN A COOL PLACE, THE DUNDEE ALMOND CAKE KEEPS FOR A WEEK OR MORE.
Edward Bottone
Edward Bottone is a food and lifestyle journalist based in Philadelphia, whose works have appeared in Philadelphia Magazine, The Bermudian, London Times Express, Islands Magazine, and the online magazine Table Matters where he was also Editor. He has also published academic papers on Tourism and Taste.
He is a former chef and restaurateur with establishments in Philadelphia and Bermuda, a TV and Radio presenter, and Assistant Professor teaching a range of courses, including Gastronomy and Culture, at Drexel University and Delaware Valley University. Reach him at [email protected]
Courtesy photo
