City of Discovery bakers are attempting to reclaim the famous Dundee cake by demanding European protected food name status.
Much like Arbroath smokies and Stornoway black pudding, the humble Dundee cake’s delicate flavour is, the bakers believe, best made through use of the collective production skills in the area.
City legend has it that the delicacy, a light fruit cake which traditionally contains candied peel and almonds, originated as a by-product of Dundee’s famous and long-established marmalade maker, Keiller’s.
While making the marmalade, staff apparently found there was a surfeit of citrus peel, which was then used in the original recipe for Dundee cake.
As its popularity continued to expand, bakers from across the country have produced the cake. As a result, the original concept and recipe has been adapted with the addition of different fruits and spices that critics believe detracts from the traditional Dundee method of combining mellowness and zesty, nutty mix.
In a City Square summit Martin Goodfellow from Goodfellow & Steven was joined by fellow local bakers Sandy Milne and Ben Milne (Fisher and Donaldson), Mark Robb (JM Bakery), Alan Clark (Clarks Bakery) and Iain Murray (The Baker Trade of Dundee) to try to protect the status of the famous local delicacy.
Mr Goodfellow said: ”Although the Dundee cake is a product that is known nationally, it does not currently enjoy any geographical protection and is produced in a number of locations and to various quality levels throughout the UK.
”It is such a significant part of our heritage and it is important that the cake is rightfully associated with the city in which it originated.”
Securing a bright future for the Dundee cake could not come at a better time, Mr Goodfellow insisted.
”There are so many new and exciting things happening in Dundee such as the impending arrival of the new V&A centre of design and the £1 billion waterfront development,” he continued.
”It is equally important that we continue to hold on to historically important and popular products such as the Dundee cake.”