Porter Cake traditional Irish cake uses porter, such as Guinness, Beamish or Murphy’s, and is a deliciously rich and moist fruit cake. Make it a few days in advance of the celebratory event (it’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day) if you like, and it will improve even more. 

Ingredients

32/3 c (1 lb) all-purpose flour

1 tsp grated or ground nutmeg

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

16 tbsp (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 c (8 oz) light brown

sugar

1 lb golden or regular raisins or a mixture of both

3 oz chopped candied peel

2 eggs

One 12-oz bottle of porter or stout

Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). 

Line the sides and base of an 8-inch high-sided round cake pan (the sides should be about 23/4 inches high) with wax paper.

Sift the flour, nutmeg, pie spice, baking powder and salt into a bowl. 

Rub in the butter, then stir in the sugar, raisins and the candied peel.

Whisk the eggs in another bowl, add the porter or stout, then pour into the dry ingredients and mix well. 

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 2 hours in the preheated oven. If it starts to brown too quickly on top, cover it with foil or wax paper after about 1 hour. 

The cake is cooked when a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Allow it to sit in the pan for about 20 minutes before turning out and cooling on a wire rack.