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Irish porter cake
Dark fruit cake made with stout
Porter cake is the Dublin fruit cake made with stout, the dark beer once drunk by the porters of Dublin's markets and docks; it is baked for Christmas, christenings and wakes across Leinster. The fruit is simmered in the stout, which gives the crumb a deep, malty, slightly bitter flavour and keeps it moist for weeks. This recipe contains alcohol: most of it cooks off, but for an alcohol-free version use strong black tea or alcohol-free stout. Chef's tip: wrap the cooled cake and leave it for 2–3 days before cutting; it slices better and tastes richer.
- Total time
- 140 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups stout or porteror strong black tea for alcohol-free
- 8 oz butter
- 1 ⅛ lb mixed dried fruit
- 1 ¾ oz mixed peel
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 16 oz plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 3 eggsbeaten
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put the 1 ¼ cups stout or porter, 8 oz butter and 8 oz dark soft brown sugar in a large pan and heat gently until the butter melts. Add the 1 ⅛ lb mixed dried fruit, 1 ¾ oz mixed peel and 1 tsp orange zest, simmer for 10 minutes, then cool until lukewarm.
40 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 325°F (275°F fan). Grease and line a deep 20 cm round tin with a double layer of baking paper.
5 minStep 3: Sift the 16 oz plain flour, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda and 2 tsp mixed spice into a bowl. Stir the 3 eggs into the cooled fruit mix, then fold in the flour until evenly mixed. A common mistake is adding the eggs while the fruit is hot, which cooks them.
4 minStep 4: Spoon into the tin, level the top and bake for 1¾–2 hours, until dark and firm and a skewer comes out clean. Cover with foil after the first hour if the top is darkening.
115 minStep 5: Cool completely in the tin, then wrap in baking paper and foil and keep for 2–3 days before slicing.
60 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does irish porter cake take?
- About 140 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of dark soft brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
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