SPECIAL CAKES

DUNDEE CAKE 

• 250g butter 
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed 
• 5 eggs 
• 375g raisins 
• 60g mixed peel 
• 60g glace cherries 
• 60g ground almonds 
• 1 tablespoon honey 
• 1 tablespoon rum or orange juice 
• 2 cups plain flour 
• ½ cup self-raising flour 
• 60g slivered almonds 

Cream butter and sugar until combined, beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in chopped raisins, peel, and halved cherries, and add ground almonds, honey, and rum; mix well. Stir in sifted flour. Spread mixture into greased and greased paper - lined deep 20cm round cake tin or loaf tin ( base measures 12cm x 22cm ), and sprinkle evenly with slivered almonds. Bake in a moderately slow oven for 2 to 2 hours, cool the cake in a tin.

DUTCH GINGER CAKE 

• 1 1/4 cups plain flour 
• 1 cup castor sugar 
• 125g glace ginger 
• 1 egg 
• 185g butter 
• 30g blanched almonds 

Sift flour, add sugar and chopped ginger, and mix in melted butter and egg. Press the mixture into well well-greased 20cm sandwich tin. Brush top with a little milk, and decorate with almonds Bake in a moderate oven for 45 minutes cool in a tin, and cut into wedges to serve

HONEY SPONGE 

This lightly textured sponge contains no water or milk. 

• 3 large eggs 
• ½ cup honey 
• 1 cup self-raising flour 
• 300ml jar of thickened cream 

Beat whole eggs on high speed in a small basin of an electric mixer until eggs are thick and creamy ( this will take up to 5 minutes ). Add honey in a thin stream gradually to eggs while they are still beating, continue beating at high speed for a further 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large basin, sift flour over the egg mixture, and fold in lightly with a spatula, knife, or hand ( use one hand with fingers outstretched to combine ingredients ). Spread mixture into well-greased lamington tin ( base measures 16cm x 26cm ), and bake in a moderate oven for 25 minutes or until the sponge feels firm to touch and is slightly shrunken from the sides of the tin. Turn onto a wire rack to cool. When cold, split in half, fill with whipped cream, dust top with sifted icing sugar.

ALMOND APRICOT CAKE

• 2/3 cup self-raising flour 
• 2/3 cup plain flour 
• 125g butter 
• 1/2 cup castor sugar 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1 tablespoon milk 
• 1/3 cup apricot jam 

TOPPING 

• 3 eggs, separated 
• 2 teaspoons warm water 
• ½ cup sugar 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 2 tablespoons self-raising flour 
• 2 tablespoons cornflour 
• 90g ground almonds 
• 60g butter 

Sift flours, rub in butter, add sugar, vanilla, and milk, and mix to a soft dough. Place on a lightly floured surface, knead lightly until smooth, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cut two-thirds from the pastry, and press evenly over the base of well-greased lamington tin ( base measures 16cm x 26cm ); return the remaining dough to the refrigerator while preparing the Topping. Spread pastry in tin with apricot jam. Spread the Topping evenly over the jam, then roll the remaining pastry to a rectangular shape on a floured surface. cut into 1cm strips, and decorate the top by placing strips in a lattice pattern. Bake in a moderate oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Cool in the tin before cutting. 

Topping: Beat egg yolks, water, sugar, and vanilla on an electric mixer until thick and creamy, transfer to a large basin. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. place on top of egg yolk mixture, sift flour and cornflour on top of egg whites, add almonds, fold all ingredients together very gently, then fold in melted butter.

Also Read: PARTY CAKES