Irish Porter Cake200g Butter 200g brown sugar 250ml stout Zest of 1 orange 200g Sultanas 200g Raisins 100g Mixed peel 400g plain white flour .5 teasp bread soda 2 teasp mixed spice 100g glace cherries- optional 3 free-range eggs. 23cm round cake tin. Method Do Nos 1. and 2. the night before.- Wash and zest the orange. Melt butter and sugar and the stout in a saucepan. Add the zest and all the fruit (except the cherries,) boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat cover and cool.(cool quickly by placing the pot in a basin of cold water!!)
- Line the cake tin with cake tin with greaseproof paper.
- preheat the over to 180*C/Fan oven 170*C/Gas mark 4.
- Whisk the eggs. Sieve flour, soda and spice into a mixing bowl. Quarter the cherries, mix into the flour. Stir the cooled fruit mixture into the flour gradually beating in the eggs.
- Turn mixture into prepared tin, wet the top slightly, smooth with the back of a wet tablespoon, Make a slight well in the middle.
- Bake on middle shelf for 1.5 hours. Cover top with tinfoil or cardboard (good in a fan oven) after 45 minutes to protect the top from burning. In a fan oven the cake might cook too quickly so lower the heat to 160*C for the last 45 minutes.
- to test cake: put skewer or sharp-pointed knife into centre of cake, it should come out clean without sticky dough on it.
- Prick all over with a skewer, pour 4 tablespoons of stout or whiskey into the cake.
Allow to cool in cake tin. When cold, turn out. Wrap in greaseproof paper. Store in an airtight tin. Keep for one week before cutting.
This cake is quick to make and does not need too much time to mature before cutting. It will keep for 2/3 months in an airtight tin wrapped in greaseproof paper. It is often made for the Christmas season and is often served with a little butter.
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