Dundee cake is a traditional

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

fruit cake Fruitcake or fruit cake is a cake made with candied or dried fruit, nuts, and spices, and optionally soaked in spirits. In the United Kingdom, certain rich versions may be iced and decorated. Fruitcakes are usually served in celebration of ...

Ingredients

Dundee cake recipes often incorporate ingredients like butter, sugar, lemon zest, orange zest, marmalade, flour, baking powder, eggs, milk, dried fruit,

glacé cherries Candied fruit, also known as glacé fruit, is whole fruit, smaller pieces of fruit, or pieces of peel, placed in heated sugar syrup, which absorbs the moisture from within the fruit and eventually preserves it. Depending on the size and type o ...

, candied citrus peel, currants, sultanas, ground almonds and, finally, blanched

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...

s for a decorative finish. The only ingredients allowed according to the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) application for Dundee cake are as follows: salted butter, sugar (caster, granulated, light or dark soft brown), eggs, thick peel Seville oranges (concentrated or other), finely grated orange zest, plain cake flour, sherry (optional), ground almonds (optional), sultanas, whole blanched almonds or split almonds.

History

The original commercial development of the cake began in Dundee in the late 18th century in the shop of Janet Keiller but according to legend was originally made for

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

in the 16th century. It was mass-produced by the

marmalade Marmalade (from the Portuguese ''marmelada'') is a fruit preserves, fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water. The well-known version is made from bitter orange. It also has been made from lemons ...

company

Keiller's marmalade Keiller's marmalade is a Scottish marmalade, believed to have been the first commercial brand made in Great Britain. It was first manufactured by James Keiller in Dundee, Scotland, later creating James Keiller & Son, a brand name which became i ...

who have been claimed to be the originators of the term "Dundee cake". However, similar fruit cakes were produced throughout Scotland. A popular story is that Mary Queen of Scots did not like

in her cakes, so the cake was first made for her, as a fruit cake that used blanched almonds and not cherries. 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 The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

, and in independent

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

after 1947, by

Britannia Industries Britannia Industries Limited is an Indian Multinational corporation, multinational food products company, which sells biscuits, breads and dairy products. Founded in 1892, it is one of India's oldest existing companies and currently part of t ...

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 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

was reported to favour Dundee cake at tea-time. In '' The Gathering Storm'',

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

is depicted as a fan of the Dundee cake.

References

External links

*
Traditional Dundee Cake
— Delia Online
Dundee cake recipe
—

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Dundee cake recipe
—

BBC Good Food ''Good Food'', known as ''BBC Good Food'' until 2024, is a global food media brand, with a monthly magazine, website, app, live events and series of books. Keith Kendrick is Head of Magazines along with Dr. Keith Rowley, with Christine Hayes a ...

Dundee cake recipe
—

Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American lifestyle media brand that covers a wide range of topics from home decor and renovation, health, beauty and food, to entertainment, pets and gifts. The Good Housekeeping Institute which opened its "Experiment ...

Dundee Cake Recipe
— UK Recipes British cakes Scottish desserts Food and drink introduced in the 19th century {{UK-cuisine-stub

Ingredients

History

Recognition

See also

References

External links