Dundee Cake Recipe

225 g/8 oz/1 cup butter or margarine, softened
225 g/8 oz/1 cup caster (superfine) sugar
4 large eggs
225 g/8 oz/2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
A pinch of salt
350g/12 oz/2 cups currants

350g/12 oz/2 cups sultanas (golden raisins)
175 g/6 oz/1 cup chopped mixed (candied) peel
100 g/4 oz/1 cup glace (candied) cherries, quartered
Grated rind of 1/2 lemon
50g/2 oz whole almonds, blanched

Method:

Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and light. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Fold in the flour and salt. Stir in the fruit and lemon rind. Chop half the almonds and add them to the mixture. Spoon into a greased and lined 20 cm/8 in cake tin (pan) and tie a band of brown paper round the outside of the tin so that it is about 5 cm/2 in taller than the tin. Split the reserved almonds and arrange them in concentric circles on the top of the cake. Bake in a preheated oven at 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2 for 3.5 hours until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Check after 2.5 hours and if the cake begins to brown too much on the top, cover with damp greaseproof (waxed) paper and reduce the oven temperature to 140°C/275°F/gas mark 1 for the final hour of cooking.