Dundee cake

Dundee cake

Type	Fruit cake
Place of origin	Scotland
Created by	Keiller's marmalade
Main ingredients	Currants, sultanas and almonds

Dundee cake is a traditional Scottish fruit cake.^[1][2]

Ingredients

Dundee cake often incorporates ingredients like butter, sugar, lemon zest, orange zest, marmalade, flour, baking powder, eggs, milk, dried fruit, glacé cherries, candied citrus peel, currants, sultanas, ground almonds, and finally blanched almonds as a decorative finish.^[3]

History

The original commercial development of the cake began in Dundee in the late 18th century in the shop of Janet Keiller ^[4] but was possibly originally made for Mary, Queen of Scots in the 16th century.^[5] It was mass-produced by the marmalade company Keiller's marmalade who have been claimed to be the originators of the term "Dundee cake".^[6] However, similar fruit cakes were produced throughout Scotland. A popular story is that Mary Queen of Scots did not like glacé cherries in her cakes, so the cake was first made for her, as a fruit cake that used blanched almonds and not cherries.^[7] The top of the cake is typically decorated with concentric circles of almonds. The cakes are sold in United Kingdom supermarkets.

The cake was also made and marketed in British India, and in independent India after 1947, by Britannia Industries and its successor firms. After 1980, the cake was withdrawn from the market; however, it continued to be supplied privately as a corporate Christmas gift by the maker.

Recognition

Queen Elizabeth II was reported to favour Dundee cake at tea-time.^[8]

In The Gathering Storm, Winston Churchill is depicted as a fan of the Dundee cake.^[9]

See also

• Scottish cuisine

References

1. Elizabeth, Hinds. "Classic Scottish Cakes". Cake Baker. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
2. "Dundee Recipe Is Another Standby for the Holidays". The Evening Independent. St. Petersburg, FL. 13 November 1936. p. 13. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
3. • Traditional Dundee Cake — Delia Online
   • Dundee cake recipe — The Hairy Bikers
   • Dundee cake recipe — BBC Good Food
   • Dundee cake recipe — Good Housekeeping
4. "Go nuts for Dundee Cake". Scottish Government. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
5. "| Dundee Cake "The Queen of Scots Cake"". 26 October 2016.
6. Amos, Ilona (7 November 2014). "Bid to award Dundee cake protected status". The Scotsman. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
7. "Marmalade - Part 2 ... and Dundee Cake". Baking for Britain. 26 March 2006. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
8. Rayner, Gordon (14 April 2016). "On the road with the Queen: What I learnt from 20 royal tours". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
9. "Winston Churchill's Dundee Cake Authentic Recipe | TasteAtlas". www.tasteatlas.com.

External links

• "Single Dundee cake recipe sought". BBC. 6 August 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
• Traditional Dundee Cake — Delia Online
• Dundee cake recipe — The Hairy Bikers
• Dundee cake recipe — BBC Good Food
• Dundee cake recipe — Good Housekeeping
• Dundee Cake Recipe — UK Recipes