Catholic Recipe: Irish Porter Cake

This recipe is from the famed Darina Allen.

This fruit cake is made with the famous black stout of Ireland. Its distinctive flavour makes it a great favorite—so much so that it is even exported in tins to Irish emigrants in the United States. This cake is suitable for St. Patrick's Day, but then leftovers can be saved until after Easter.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Melt the butter and the sugar in a saucepan with the stout. Add the orange zest and all the fruit except the cherries. Bring to a boil and boil for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and allow to cool until lukewarm.

Sieve the flour, soda and spice into a mixing bowl. Add the fruit mixture to the flour and then add the cherries. Whisk the eggs and add gradually, mixing well.

Spoon the mixture into a greased and floured 9 inch round pan and bake in the middle of a preheated 350ºF oven for about 1 1/2 hours.

If you wish you may pour 4 tablespoons of stout over the cake when it is cooked (prick the cake with a skewer first). Keep for 1 to 4 days before cutting. This cake will keep well for several weeks in a tin.