A Christmas Classic: Traditional Scottish Dundee Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is Dundee cake the same as Christmas cake? ›

A Dundee cake makes a lighter take on the traditional Christmas cake. It's a less rich, crumblier alternative to the hefty traditional Christmas cake.

This Scottish dundee cake is a traditional recipe and a classic Christmas treat for all, full of fruits and Scotch whisky.

Dundee cake is from Dundee in Scotland and it is quite different from a regular plum cake for so many reasons. The major difference is that we won't be soaking fruits for this cake. Dry fruits are added as it is in the batter. IT saves a lot of time and effort.

Dundee Cake is one of the most famous and widespread traditional Scottish cakes. Usually, it is being made using almonds, currants, sultanas and sometimes cherries, alongside a wide range of...

Dundee Cake had strong association to the geographical area through the marmalade makers Keillers of Dundee. Keillers used their surplus orange peel from their marmalade production to create the Dundee Cake. The cake was made as a rich buttery sultana cake flavoured with orange peel and almonds.

That honor goes to a 4,176-year-old cake that was found in an Egyptian tomb, according to the Guinness organization. It is on display in a food museum in Switzerland.

Prior to the Reformation of 1560, Christmas in Scotland, then called "Yule" (alternative spellings include Yhoill, Yuil, Ȝule and Ȝoull; see Yogh) or in Gaelic-speaking areas "Nollaig", was celebrated in a similar fashion to the rest of Catholic Europe.

Cutter & Squidge's research found that Scotland's favourite cake is chocolate cake. The study found that Scottish people had the sweetest tooth and enjoyed indulging in chocolate cake.

Christmas Pudding

It is a small cake typical in British dinners and made with a fruit base dehydrated. Depending on the tastes, it can be presented with chocolate and a brandy or rum sauce. Ingredients: Raisins, dried figs, orange peel, dried basil, dried cherries, quince, orange juice, breadcrumbs, flour and sugar.

A classic Dundee cake is a round fruitcake. I prefer it to its distant American cousin, the Christmas fruitcake, in part because it's lighter and butterier. It's typically made with moist raisins and orange peel and topped by pretty concentric circles of whole blanched almonds.

Why is it called a Dundee cake? ›

A traditional Dundee cake comes from Dundee, Scotland, which is quite simply how this cake got its name. The cake distinguishes itself from other rich fruit cakes by the circles of blanched almonds on the top.

Today, Dundee cake remains one of the most popular Scottish food and drink specialties – alongside shortbread, whisky and black pudding. It is said that the cake was originally made for Mary Queen of Scots in the 16th century.

A dry cake is usually the result of one of the following pitfalls: using the wrong ingredients, making mistakes while measuring or mixing the batter, or baking the cake too long or at too high a temperature. Once you understand which common cake-baking blunders to avoid, you'll know how to bake a moist cake every time.

The Fruit Cake Tradition

A rich fruit cake, encased in marzipan and royal icing, is a classic choice for a Scottish wedding. This hearty cake, often made months in advance, is a testament to the lasting nature of the couple's commitment.

It can also be called a fruitcake. A common favorite of many is the traditional Scottish Christmas cake, the "Whisky Dundee." It was named this because the cake came from Dundee and is made with Scotch whisky.

Fruitcake was historically referred to as plum cake in England from around 1700.

You're forgiven if you think Christmas Pudding is the round English version of an American fruitcake. While it has similarities, they are altogether different. Both improve with age and include dried fruits, chopped nuts, hearty spices, and steep in a cold dark spot for weeks, but that is where the similarities end.