The recipe this week is one I do every year at this time, whilst it's not officially a Christmas cake, it is well suited as one.

We first made this cake whilst working in Ireland and we loved the fact that it was packed full of fruit but wasn't heavy like the traditional Christmas cakes.

Make this cake as on the morning of Christmas and serve warmed with some cream, ice-cream and poached strawberries. 

Dundee cake

Makes one 25 cm cake

Ingredients

450 gm butter softened

1 lemon, zested

1 orange zested

175 gm castor sugar

100 gm stevia natural sweetener

300 gm raisins

150 gm currants

150 gm sultanas

150 gm mixed candied peel

500 gm plain flour

75 gm baking powder

100 gm ground almonds

8 eggs

20 whole almonds for decoration

25 ml milk

Cream butter and gradually work in the fresh citrus rind.

Add the sugar and cream together until pale, light and fluffy.

Place raisins, currants, sultanas and mixed peel in a bowl.

Sift flour and salt together twice and add 50g of it to the mixed fruit. Mix well to cover all.

Add the ground almonds to the butter and sugar and mix well, then gradually add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Gradually fold in half the remaining flour, then the fruit little by little. Fold in the rest of the flour. (At this point add the alcohol if using it)

Spoon the mixture into greased and lined 25 cm cake tin and smooth the surface. Dip the whole almonds into milk then arrange on top)

Bake at 170 C for at least 30 minutes then continue cooking until done. Check regularly.

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