Recipe#016: Uncle Billy's Dundee Cake

This is a transcribed recipe from Yorkshire TV's ' Farmhouse Kitchen' show hosted by Grace Mulligan. Joan's late brother, Billy, wrote down the recipe and baked this cake many times afterward. On one occasion while visiting Kilmarnock in the early 90's the cake was shared with a cup of tea and the cake became an instant family favorite. The measurements are in the metric scale and a scale may be needed to measure correct amounts. The recipe make 1x20 cm round cake (8 inch)and is best made in a spring-form pan. It's a lighter almond flavoured fruit cake for those who prefer a non-alcoholic and less dense option.


Ingredients:

3 large eggs, beaten
175g margarine (at room temp)
125g light soft brown sugar
3-4 drops almond essence
200g plain white flour sifted
175g sultanas,(or raisins) washed & dried
175g currants, washed & dried
50g glacé cherries washed, dried and chopped finely
25g ground almonds
1 level teaspoon baking powder
50g whole blanched almonds

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325º F (160ºC)
In a large bowl thoroughly cream margarine, sugar and almond essence ensuring there are no lumps in sugar.
Sift flour and baking powder into another bowl and stir in the fruit, cherries and ground almonds.
Fold the fruit mixture into the creamed mixture together with the eggs and combine thoroughly. Do not beat.
Grease and line the 7-8 inch round spring-form tin with baking parchment paper.
Spoon mixture into the tin and level the batter surface.

*-Hint: How to blanch almonds;
Put almonds in a bowl and pour boiling water over and let stand for 2-3 minutes. The skin should slide off easily.

Arrange the blanched almonds in circles on top of the cake mixture.
Bake in 325º oven for 1-1/2 hours or until cake is firm and shrinking from the sides of the tin.
This cake stores up to 3 months and tastes better with age.
Other recipe variations involve soaking the fruit in brandy or rum overnight and include mixed peel and zest, but that makes it more of a heavy Christmas cake and less of a light traditional Dundee cake.