Tastes of home part 8 - Porter cake
Porter cake is not very well known outside of Ireland but it is a recipe that uses something that Ireland is well known for exporting globally - Guinness! You can however use other types of porter if Guinness isn't easily accessible.
When my mother used to make this, naturally she had to buy some Guinness. These days you'll pop to the shops and buy a can or bottle, back then (remember, small village west of Ireland about 30 or so years ago) we didn't have off licences in our village and the local shops didn't sell alcohol at the time. So I would be dispatched to the pub (I was well underage) to buy a pint of Guinness for my mother.
Ok, you're probably thinking this is strange, but my parents were both teetotal (at the time) and the pub in question was owned by our next door neighbour. So I would go to the pub, order a pint without any questions being asked, and bring to back to the house, being careful not to spill it.
Ok, you're probably thinking this is strange, but my parents were both teetotal (at the time) and the pub in question was owned by our next door neighbour. So I would go to the pub, order a pint without any questions being asked, and bring to back to the house, being careful not to spill it.
Without further ado here is my version of Porter Cake
150g butter
150g soft brown sugar
300g plain flour
2 eggs (room temperature)
1 tsp baking powder
200ml guinness (room temperature)
1 teaspoon mixed spice
If you like you can add, 50g sultanas, 50g candied peel and 50g raisins to the cake. It was traditionally made with fruit in it, but as you may have guessed by now, I have an aversion to dried fruit in anything.
Pre-heat the oven to 150c (fan), 160c (normal)
In one bowl, cream the butter and sugar until it becomes pale and fluffy
Add the eggs one by one and stir though until combined
Add the eggs one by one and stir though until combined
Sieve the flour, baking powder and mixed spice into the bowl with the creamed sugar and butter mix
Mix through and start to add the Guinness stirring gently as you do
At this stage, you can add the dried fruit and stir through
Pour into a lined springform baking tin, greased Bundt tin or a lined 500g loaf tin
Cook in the oven for 1 hour
As it needs to cook for so long you may want to cover the top with baking parchment for the first 30 mins to prevent it from burning
Remove the parchment after 30 mins so that the cake will brown evenly.
0 comments