I have been missing cake lately.  It seems wrong to consider cake an essential item, but really it is.  No icing here, just a sunburst of almonds to crunch through.  Dundee cake is not as filling as Christmas cake, is extremely easy to make and cooks in far less time.  This one has a mixture of butter and rapeseed oil, in a pathetic effort to cut down the  saturated fats.  Tastes good with a cup of tea and a compensating chunk of Isle of Mull Cheddar.

• Ingredients:  For a 15 cm diameter (small) cake:  175g plain flour, 100g ground almonds, 100g light muscovado sugar, 75g softened whey butter/butter, 50 ml rapeseed oil, 250g dried raisins or sultanas, 2 large eggs, the zest and juice of one orange, a desert spoonful of marmalade, 2Tbsp brandy/tea

• Topping: 100ml whole blanched almonds

• Method: Macerate the dried fruit in the brandy and or tea.  In a medium bowl, amalgamate the softened butter and sugar, using a wooden spoon and then a hand whisk.  Add the rapeseed oil and whisk again.  Add the eggs with a little flour to prevent them from curdling.  Stir in the orange zest, marmalade and orange juice. Sift in the rest of the flour and then add the ground almonds, pour in the macerated fruit  and gently fold everything together.  The mixture ought to be quite fluid, like a thick lumpy batter.  

• Spoon into a 15cm cake tin, greased and lined with baking paper.  Then smooth the surface of the cake and make a pattern (usually circles) with the blanched almonds.  Cooking time about an hour at 160°C. Don’t go too far away and check the oven after about 45 minutes – you might need to turn it down and cover the top.  Check to see if it is cooked by inserting a toothpick.  

If your cake splits (mine did a bit) it means the oven is too hot.  I have adjusted for this here. Doesn’t seem to have spoiled the taste!