One summer I went to Scotland on vacation. I did not enjoy myself very much because I travelled with people who do not show any emotion, even in front of the most beautiful views or the strangest things.
What amused me the most, perhaps because I interacted with the natives, was visiting a whiskey factory. They explained to me how the famous Scottish alcohol is made and had me try the various type.
The thing that struck me the most, however, was this dessert that they had us taste in the gift shop. It’s a typical Scottish Christmas treat, but I spent the whole holiday trying to find a book with the recipe for this alcoholic wonder… I must say that the mission was accomplished!

Scottish whiskey cake

  • Preparation time: 90 minutes
  • Ingredients for a 8-12 servings cake
  • Difficulty: Easy recipe

  • Ingredients
  • 170g or 1 cup of raisins
  • 170g or 1 cup of sultana raisins
  • 140 g or ½ cup of pitted dried plums
  • 250 ml or 1 cup of water
  • 115 g or ½ cup of butter
  • 140 g or 1 cup of brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 280 g or 2 cups of pastry flour
  • 1 tablespoon of baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons of mixed spices (cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon)
  • 2 tablespoons of orange marmalade
  • 30 g or 1 oz of almonds
  • 120 g or ½ cup of candied cherries
  • 120 g or ½ cup of mixed candied fruit
  • For the syrup:
  • 100 g or ½ cup of whiskey
  • 100 g or ½ cup of water
  • 130 g or ½ cup of sugar
  1. Instructions
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  3. Melt the butter in a saucepan in a “Bain Marie”. The bain-marie is a cooking method in which the container does not come into direct contact with the fire, but is immersed in water that’s maintained at the desired temperature. In this case, therefore, you have to put the pan with butter into another pan full of water.
  4. Once the butter has melted, add the raisins, water, brown sugar, chopped plums, and sultanas. Leave to cool.
  5. Sift together the flour and the baking powder.
  6. In a bowl, mix the eggs, the flour/baking powder combination, the spices, the jam, the candied fruit, and the almonds. Add the butter mixture with the raisins and sultanas.
  7. Grease and flour a plum cake pan, then pour in the dough.
  8. Bake it in a preheated oven for an hour.
  9. Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool.
  10. Meanwhile, prepare a syrup.
  11. In a saucepan, bring the water and sugar to the boil and continue cooking for a few minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool. At this point, add the liqueur.
  12. When the pudding is cold, put it back in the clean mold, make holes with a long toothpick, and soak it in whiskey syrup.
  13. Let the cake rest while covered for at least one day.

Tips to ensure the success of the dish:

  • Spices should be bought ungrounded; grind them at home with a food processor. For this preparation, I chop 5-6 cloves with 1 cinnamon stick and then grate 1 nutmeg. The scent of whole spices is very different; much more intense and aromatic.
  • The cooking time is indicative because each oven cooks differently.
  • I tend to let the cake rest in the whisky syrup for around 3 days.