Dundee Cake

Dundee cake is a baked cake named after a Scottish port city. Blanched almonds are arranged in concentric circles on its golden top, and dried fruit and citrus peel are scattered through the cake underneath. Because the fruit is mixed into a butter batter, the cut surface shows pieces of fruit of various sizes, in contrast with the neat top. The city’s production of marmalade and candied peel is also part of the cake’s history.

Mixing dried fruit and citrus peel into a butter batter

Butter and sugar are creamed until light, eggs are added a little at a time, and then flour and dried fruit are mixed in. One well-known method uses a large amount of sultanas and flavors the cake with Seville orange peel or marmalade. Some recipes (the proportions of ingredients and the method) also add ground or finely chopped almonds to the batter for richness.

The fruit is spread through the whole batter so that it does not clump in one place. Because so many ingredients are mixed in, the batter is made thick so that the fruit is less likely to sink to the bottom. In recipes where the dried fruit is soaked in alcohol or citrus juice in advance, the fruit takes up moisture and aroma before it is mixed in.

Citrus peel adds an aroma and a slight bitterness that are different from those of the juice. Dark raisins and small pieces of peel can be seen in the pale butter cake. Fruit of various sizes is scattered across the cut surface, while the almonds are neatly arranged on top.

Arranging almonds in concentric circles without pressing them in

The typical decoration is whole blanched almonds. They are arranged in rings, working from the outside toward the center, and are set lightly on the batter rather than pressed in firmly. This keeps the nuts on the surface and the concentric pattern visible even as the fruit batter rises.

It takes time for heat to reach the center of a thick fruit batter. Once the top has browned enough, the cake is covered if necessary and baked through. The cake should not be overbaked or dried out. It is finished so that the batter around the fruit stays moist and the crumb does not fall apart too easily.

The baked cake is left in the tin for a while, then turned out and cooled thoroughly. In some methods, small amounts of alcohol are spooned over the cake before it is left to mature, but the cake does not always need to be aged for a long time after baking. Another feature is that the top is not covered with thick icing, so the fruit and nuts remain visible.

An example of a Dundee cake with almonds arranged in circles on top. Photo: RGloucester, 2013-08-22, location unknown. Original image / CC BY-SA 4.0. Downscaled version from the provider; no additional processing.

The Keiller family and their seasonal preserves

According to the history given by local bakers and others, the Keiller family business goes back to the late 18th century and Janet Keiller’s shop, which sold marmalade and confectionery. In 1797 the business took the name “James Keiller.” After James died, his wife Margaret set up the shop and a separate factory in 1839. The history of this local specialty is not about a single inventor but about several people who carried on a family business.

In the 19th century, the factory made Seville orange marmalade at the start of the year and candied orange, lemon and citron in spring. Preserving citrus and using chopped peel in cakes were both part of the same family business. It has been suggested that the Keiller company may have tried making a cake under its own name in the mid- to late 19th century, but the year of the first trial or advertisement has not been established.

One story says that Queen Mary disliked cherries and chose almonds for the top instead. It is unknown whether this matches the meals or recipes of her time, and the story is handed down as a later legend that explains the cake’s distinctive rings.

Different fruit proportions under the same name

The proportions that local bakers give as the traditional method combine sultanas, Seville orange peel, butter, eggs, sugar and flour, with blanched almonds on top. By contrast, the “Dundee Cakes” recipe in Karl Muffler’s notebook, from around the early 20th century, used rum-soaked raisins, red candied cherries and sliced almonds. Several recipes with the same name already existed early on.

Cakes named after the same city included some that mainly used sultanas, some with red cherries added, and some in which alcohol changed the aroma of the fruit. With almonds on top and fruit visible inside, the cake has spread to different places, and its proportions have changed to suit local tastes and the preferences of individual bakers. Local businesses applied for Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status in the UK, but the application was rejected in May 2023 because the name had become established as a generic name.

Pouring tea and serving a slice

The Fisher & Donaldson shop on Whitehall Street in Dundee has a takeaway counter and a tearoom, and it serves this cake with pots of tea. Besides large cakes cut at the table, the shop sells a “Wee Scottish Tea” box that contains tea, shortbread, a small Dundee cake and other items. The assortment lets people enjoy tea together with the city’s cake.

Glossary