Dundee cake

Method13 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Put all the whole blanched topping almonds in a small bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover. Leave for five minutes, then drain through a sieve and leave these whole almonds to dry. Keep the separate ground almonds for the batter.

   Soak whole topping almonds · 5 minUses 100 g whole blanched almonds for the top · Boiling water to cover the whole blanched topping almonds

2. 2

   Step 2: Heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / gas 4. Line a deep loose-based 20 cm cake tin with baking parchment.

3. 3

   Step 3: Beat all the room-temperature unsalted butter (180 g) in a large bowl until soft. Add all the light muscovado sugar (180 g) and beat until light and fluffy, keeping the separate glaze caster sugar for later.

   Uses 180 g unsalted butter at room temperature · 180 g light muscovado sugar for batter

4. 4

   Step 4: Wash and finely zest the large orange without its bitter white pith. Stir all the orange zest and three tablespoons apricot jam through the actual creamed mixture.

   Uses All actual creamed butter-sugar mixture · Zest of 1 large orange, prepared in step 4 · 3 tbs Apricot Jam

5. 5

   Step 5: Sift all the plain flour (225 g) and baking powder (1 tsp) together into a separate bowl. Beat all three large eggs, then add the beaten egg a little at a time to the actual creamed mixture, beating well between additions. Hold the sifted flour mixture separately for the next stages.

   Uses All actual creamed mixture · 225 g plain flour, sifted in step 5; some may be used to prevent curdling before the remainder enters the batter · 1 tsp Baking Powder · 3 Large Eggs

6. 6

   Step 6: If the actual egg mixture starts to curdle, beat in a little of the held sifted flour mixture. Keep every remaining part of that same sifted mixture for the next stage; do not add extra flour.

   Uses The actual egg mixture and all its separately held sifted flour

7. 7

   Step 7: Mix every remaining part of the actual sifted flour mixture and all the separate ground almonds (100g) into the actual egg mixture. Mix in only the two tablespoons batter milk, then gently fold in all the mixed dried fruit (500g) and whole glacé cherries (100g).

   Uses All actual egg mixture and every remaining part of its sifted flour · 100g Ground Almonds · 2 tbsp milk for cake batter · 500g Dried Fruit · 100g Glace Cherry

8. 8

   Step 8: Spoon all the actual batter into the lined tin and level its surface. Arrange all the actual dry whole topping almonds in neat close circles on top.

   Uses All actual finished batter · All prepared whole topping almonds

9. 9

   Step 9: Bake the actual assembled cake at 180°C / 160°C fan for forty-five minutes.

   First Dundee cake bake · 45 minUses The complete assembled cake

10. 10

    Step 10: Lower the oven to 160°C / 140°C fan / gas 3 and continue baking the same cake for around sixty to eighty minutes more. Begin checking after fifty minutes at the lower temperature with a skewer inserted into the centre.

    Lower-temperature Dundee cake bake; first check at 50 min · 80 minUses The same cake after the first forty-five-minute bake

11. 11

    Step 11: The cake is ready when the centre skewer has only a few moist crumbs attached, with no wet batter. If it is not ready at the first check, check every ten minutes while it continues baking; keep the centre slightly soft rather than overbaking.

    Uses The same cake being checked for doneness

12. 12

    Step 12: Once the cake is fully baked, briefly take it from the oven. Gently heat the separate one tablespoon glaze milk with the two teaspoons glaze caster sugar in a small pan until dissolved. Brush all this actual glaze over the cake, then return the same cake to the lower-temperature oven for two to three minutes.

    Set the Dundee milk-sugar glaze · 3 minUses The complete cake once its centre passes the skewer check · 1 separate tbsp milk for glaze · 2 tsp caster sugar for glaze

13. 13

    Step 13: Remove the glazed cake and let it cool completely in its tin. Once cold, remove it, wrap well in foil and keep it for at least two days before cutting into sixteen portions.

    Minimum 2-day maturation after cake is cold and wrapped · 2880 minUses The complete finished cake