Dundee cake

Directions

• Pour boiling water over whole almonds to cover and leave 5 minutes; drain and leave to dry.
• Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4 and line a deep loose-based 20cm cake tin with baking parchment.
• Beat butter until soft, add muscovado sugar and beat until light and fluffy, then stir in orange zest and apricot jam.
• Sieve together plain flour and baking powder.
• Add eggs to creamed butter mixture a little at a time, beating well between each addition; if mixture curdles stir in a little flour.
• Add remaining flour and ground almonds and mix well.
• Mix in 2 tbsp milk, then fold in dried fruit and glace cherries gently.
• Spoon mixture into prepared tin and spread level; arrange whole almonds on top in neat circles.
• Bake 45 minutes at 180C then reduce temperature to 160C/140C fan/Gas 3 and bake a further 60–80 minutes, checking after 50 minutes with a skewer until a few crumbs remain (check every 10 minutes to avoid overcooking).
• When cooked, remove briefly from oven; heat 1 tbsp milk and 2 tsp caster sugar until sugar dissolves, brush over cake and return to oven 2–3 minutes.
• Remove cake, allow to cool in tin, then remove when cold, wrap in foil and keep at least 2 days before cutting.