Product of Great Britain

My German Grandfather loved marmalade. In particular he loved Dundee. Dundee has been synonymous with marmalade for hundreds of years. The story goes that around 1700, an enterprising Dundee housewife crafted marmalade as we know it from a boatload of bitter Seville oranges purchased by her husband from a Spanish ship stranded in the harbor. I have started a collection of these clay beauties. Like all the darling rubbish I bring home, I've given it a new role as my gouache paintbrush holder. I have 5 now and they seem hard to come by. I've seen some online from $3 to $30. I don't think I've paid more than $5. Don't you wish they would get back to quality packaging of products? Like so many of my blogging friends who take great care to produce things of excellence and put their hearts into it. (You can visit these friends by looking to your right at 'My Daily Tour'.)

As you may or may not know, my favorite 'food group' is 'Cake'. (I capitalize the 'C' because Cake is oh so very important to me!)

Here is a lovely Dundee Cake recipe:

Cake:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon whisky
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
3 large eggs
3/4 cup golden raisins
3/4 cup dark raisins
3/4 cup dried currants
1/3 cup chopped candied orange peel
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
Whole blanched almonds

Sauce:
2/3 cup orange marmalade
3 tablespoons
whisky
4 oranges
Sweetened whipped cream

For Cake:
Preheat oven to 300°F. Butter 8-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides; line bottom with parchment paper. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and spice into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, whisky, and grated orange peel in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Stir in dry ingredients, then all dried fruits and candied peel. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
Bake cake 1 hour. Remove cake from oven. Brush top with 2 tablespoons marmalade. Arrange almonds around edge, pressing lightly to adhere. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes longer. Cool cake completely in pan on rack. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover; store at room temperature.) Turn cake out of pan; peel off parchment. Place upright on plate.

For Sauce:
Combine marmalade and whisky in medium saucepan. Cut all peel and white pith from oranges. Working over bowl to catch juices, cut between membranes, releasing orange segments. Add 2 tablespoons orange juice from bowl to saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until marmalade melts and sauce is heated through, about 5 minutes. Transfer sauce to serving bowl.
Serve cake with warm sauce, orange segments, and whipped cream.
Market tip: High-quality candied orange peel is available at most candy shops.