Darina Allen’s Porter Cake
Serves about 20
We’ve taken Darina Allen’s Porter Cake Recipe and made it extra special with McGargles Stout, which helps plumps up the fruit and gives it a very distinctive taste. If you can manage to hide it away, this cake keeps really well.225g (8oz) butter
225g (8oz) golden caster sugar
300ml (½ pint) McGargles Porter
Zest of 1 orange
225g (8oz) sultanas
225g (8oz) raisins
110g (4oz) mixed peel
450g (1lb) white flour
1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp mixed spice
110g (4oz) cherries, halved
3 Golden Irish organic eggs
23cm (9in) round tin, lined with silicone paper
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/ gas mark 4.Melt the butter, caster sugar and stout in a saucepan. Add the orange zest and the fruit and peel (except the cherries).Bring the mixture to the boil for 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and leave to cool until it is lukewarm.Sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda and mixed spice into a mixing bowl.Add the fruit mixture to the flour and add the cherries. Whisk the eggs; add them gradually, mixing evenly through the mixture.Bake in the oven for about one hour and 10 minutes.If you wish, when the cake is cooked, you can pour 4 tablespoons of stout over it.Keep for 2–3 days before cutting.