Dundee Cake is a traditional light Scottish fruit cake packed full of dried fruit, almonds, orange and lemon zest and orange marmalade. It is instantly recognisable with its trademark pattern of blanched almonds on top. It’s absolutely delicious and is very easy to make.
I love a good fruit cake recipe and a Scottish Dundee cake is one of the best! There are hundreds of recipes online for this traditional Scottish cake – this version is adapted from a Delia Smith recipe.
A slice of this light, crumbly fruit cake makes a delicious afternoon treat with a cup of tea. Rumour has it the Queen was a fan – and often enjoyed a slice for afternoon tea.
why is it called dundee cake?
As the story goes, this light fruit cake was created in the late 1700s by the Dundee based company Keiller, as a sideline to their very successful marmalade making business. The original recipe contained only sultanas and naturally, lots of orange peel.
I’m not a big fan of peel but I love citrus, so my version of this timeless Scottish fruit cake has orange and lemon zest and a few spoonfuls of orange marmalade.
If I don’t have any homemade marmalade, I use Mackays Seville orange marmalade. Tiptree is also very good.
The original recipe for Dundee cake didn’t include cherries – apparently Mary Queen of Scots despised them so they were omitted. Personally, I love cherries in fruit cake but they just don’t seem quite right here. But if you want to add them, please feel free. It won’t be an authentic Dundee cake though.
what’s the difference between dundee cake and a fruit cake?
A Dundee cake isn’t as rich as a Christmas fruit cake – it’s a light fruit cake studded with whisky soaked dried fruits and topped with crunchy almonds. It’s quite similar in texture to this mincemeat loaf cake.
As I’ve mentioned above, what sets a Scottish Dundee cake apart from a regular fruit cake is the distinct zesty orange flavour from both freshly grated orange zest and orange marmalade.
You’ll need sultanas and raisins to make this cake. Feel free to add some mixed peel if you like it – I’m personally not a fan so I leave it out.
If your dried fruit has been sitting in the cupboard for a while, it can tend to dry out a little. Soaking the fruit in a little alcohol or orange juice will inject some moisture back into the fruit and add a lovely flavour.
Ground almonds add moisture and lightness to the cake.
The traditional pattern of blanched almonds placed on top of the cake adds a pleasing crunch and looks rather pretty. This, of course, is what distinguishes a Dundee cake from other fruit cakes!
ingredient list
Scroll to the bottom of the post to find printable recipe card with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
- 75ml (1/3 cup + 1 tsp) whisky or orange juice
- 200g (1 cup + 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp) sultanas and 200g (1 cup + 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp) raisins
- 50g (1/4 cup + 1 tbsp) mixed peel (optional)
- 150g (1/2 cup + 3 tbsp) soft butter
- 150g (3/4 cup) caster sugar or soft light brown sugar (packed)
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 250g (1 cup + 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp) plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- finely grated zest of one lemon and one orange
- 3 tablespoons orange marmalade
- 50g (1 cup + 1 tbsp) ground almonds
- 1 or 2 tablespoons milk
- 50g (1/3 cup) whole blanched almonds
equipment list
To make this recipe you will need:
- a 20cm (8 inch) round deep cake tin
- baking parchment to line the tin
- A wooden spoon, hand held electric mixer or stand mixer
step by step instructions
- Soak the fruit – Place the dried fruit in a pan with some whisky (I used Drambuie) or orange juice. Bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool down. This step can be done up to a day or two in advance. You don’t have to do this, but I think it’s definitely worth it if you don’t think your dried fruit is particularly plump and juicy.
2. Cream the butter and sugar – Using an electric mixer or a bowl and wooden spoon, cream the soft butter and sugar together for about five minutes until very light and fluffy. Slowly add the eggs, one at a time.
3. Fold in the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, ground almonds along with the orange and lemon zest and marmalade. Finally, fold in the dried fruit along with any remaining soaking liquid.
4. Spoon the cake mixture into the cake tin. The mixture will be quite stiff. Decorate the top with the blanched almonds.
5. Bake the cake for around 1 hour 20-30 minutes at 150C/130Fan or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the middle and a skewer inserted in the center emerges clean.
Recipe note – If the top of the cake is becoming too dark before it has fully baked, cover it with a piece of baking paper or tin foil.
6. Place the cake on a wire cooling rack and leave it to cool completely in the tin before unmoulding.
storage
Wrapped in a layer of baking parchment or greaseproof paper and stored in an airtight tin, Dundee cake will keep for about two weeks. However, it is at its best eaten within a week of baking.
freezing instructions
To freeze the cake, let it cool completely then wrap the whole cake or slices in a double layer of baking parchment and tin foil. Freeze for up to four months. Defrost the cake at room temperature before serving.
looking for more Scottish recipes for a party?
If you were planning a Scottish themed afternoon tea party, you couldn’t go far wrong with this traditional Scottish fruit cake, a batch of Scottish shortbread, a plate of empire biscuits and a batch of traditional Scottish tablet.
more scottish recipes to try
did you make this recipe?
I hope you loved it! Let me know what you thought of the recipe by leaving a comment below and please consider leaving a rating by clicking on the stars in the recipe card below.
Dundee Cake
Dundee Cake is a traditional Scottish fruit cake. It is instantly recognisable with a trademark pattern of blanched almonds on top. It's absolutely delicious and is easy to make. Packed full of juicy fruit, ground almonds and orange marmalade, it's little wonder it was Queen Elizabeth's favourite cake!
Ingredients
- For soaking the fruits: (optional, but if you feel your dried fruit isn't plump enough it's worth doing)
- 75ml (1/3 cup + 1 tsp) whisky or orange juice
- 200g (1 cup + 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp) sultanas
- 200g (1 cup + 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp) raisins
- 50g (1/4 cup + 1 tbsp) mixed peel (optional)
- 150g (1/2 cup + 3 tbsp) soft butter
- 150g (3/4 cup) caster or soft light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 250g (1 cup + 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp) plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of fine salt
- finely grated zest of one lemon
- finely grated zest of one orange
- 3 tablespoons orange marmalade
- 50g (1 cup + 1 tbsp) ground almonds
- 1 or 2 tablespoons milk
- 50g (1/3 cup) whole blanched almonds
Instructions
- If you're soaking the fruit, place the sultanas, raisins and mixed peel if using in a medium bowl. Pour over the whisky or orange juice and stir. Cover the bowl and leave for a minimum of two hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/150C fan. Grease and line a deep 20cm round cake tin, making sure the baking paper comes above the top of the cake tin by about 4cm.
- Cream the butter and sugar together for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is very light and fluffy. Slowly add the beaten eggs, a little at a time and beating well after each addition.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and fold into the creamed mixture.
- Fold in the soaked dried fruits, lemon and orange zest, orange marmalade and ground almonds. Finally, fold in the milk until you have a cake mixture that falls easily from a spoon.
- Spoon the mixture into your lined cake tin and decorate the top with the blanched almonds. Bake for 1- 1 1/2 hours or until the cake has risen and a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake emerges clean. If the cake looks like it is turning too dark on top before it has fully baked, place a sheet of baking paper or tin foil over the top.
- Place the cake on a wire cooling rack and leave to cool completely in the tin before slicing.
Notes
Dundee cake will keep for up to one week in an airtight tin. Wrap the cake in a layer of baking paper to prevent it from drying out.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 432Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 160mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 3g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.
That looks lovely – and I’m with you on the cherries!
This looks so tasty. In my opinion cherries should be in all fruit cakes! Yum.
I totally agree! Thanks for stopping by ?
Thanks! Cherries are the best ??
Hi can I make this in a kitchenaid stand mixer as I have limited movement in my hands and fingers.
Hi Lawrence, yes absolutely!