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Fall back with Guinness Porter Cake

KELLY FINCHAM

IrishCentral.com Editor

Published Sunday, October 25, 2009, 1:07 PM

Updated Sunday, October 25, 2009, 1:48 PM

Piece of cake! Guinness Porter Cake is a cinch to get together

Recipe / Guinness and Baileys chocolate cupcakes / Click here

Guinness porter cake is traditionally supposed to be baked for St Patrick's day.

But that leaves another 364 days for the next go of porter cake and quite frankly, it should be eaten more than once a year!

Guinness porter cake is perfect for this time of year as it's the perfect comfort food.

The days are growing shorter, and in fact, next week, they will be getting shorter again with the end of daylight saving time.

The time change (remember the saying, 'spring forward and fall back') actually takes place in November this year.

So, with shorter days and cooler climes in mind, we've put together a recipe which will truly warm your heart and hearth.

And don't forget to keep a bottle of Guinness on hand for the cook!

1 lb cream flour
8oz sultanas
1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda or bread soda
8oz of sugar
8 oz Irish butter
3 eggs
4 oz mixed peel
1 lbs mixed dried fruit
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2oz almonds
1/2 pint of Guinness

Sieve the flour, bread soda & spices into a bowl.

Beat butter and sugar together for 5 to 10 minutes to a cream.

Add eggs one at a time and continue to beat.

Finely Chop almonds

Fold in Flour Mixture, Sultanas, Mixed peel, Almonds and Mixed Fruit.

Add Guinness. Mix well.

Turn in to a greased and lined 8 inch tin

Bake in the center of oven ( 300°F) for 120 minutes.

Check cake at intervals after 90 minutes.

Let cake cool a little in tin then stand on a wire tray. Cover with tea towel.

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Posted by monkeyapplenerd on Nov 20, 2009, 01:00 AM EST

I had never heard of sultanas or cream flour, I suspect this is because I live in America. Anyway I took the liberty of looking these things up and here is what I found: The sultana (also called the sultanina or sultaninini) is a type of white, seedless grape of Turkish, Greek or Iranian origin. In some countries, especially Commonwealth countries, it is also the name given to the raisin made from it; such sultana raisins are often called simply sultanas or sultanis. Cream flour is plain flour as opposed to self-rising flour. It is an Irish term.

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Posted by Eloisee on Nov 06, 2009, 02:22 PM EST

It's now in my recipe book -- can't wait to try it.

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Soda bread is one of the most popular types of Irish food. In soda bread, baking soda is used for leavening instead of yeast. Soda bread is traditionally made up of flour, bread soda, salt, and buttermilk. Other possible ingredients are raisins, egg or various forms of nuts. Soda bread can dry out quickly and is typically good for two to three days; it is best served warm or toasted. Irish food features other traditional bread as well such as blaa, which is a doughy, white bread bun. Blaa is a versatile Irish food, since it may be eaten at breakfast with butter (the usual form) or at other times of the day with a wide range of fillings, such as ham. Another traditional Irish food is boxty, a potato pancake. There are many versions of boxty, but all contain raw potatoes that have been finely grated. The most popular version uses flour, baking soda and buttermilk, and sometimes an egg. Almost all versions of boxty are served fried. Historically, the potato has been very important to Irish food, since it came to be the main crop of the poor, which meant that if there was a bad harvest, the poor would not have enough to eat. Potato blight caused the Great Irish Famine of the late 1840s. Some Irish food is meant to be eaten for dessert. Goody is made by boiling bread in milk with sugar and spices. Goody is eaten on St. John’s Eve, which occurs around the time of the summer solstice. In recent years, shellfish dishes have become a bigger part of Irish food. An oyster festival is held in Galway every year. One example of an Irish shellfish dish is Dublin Lawyer, which is lobster cooked in whiskey and cream. In recent years, Irish food has also come to include fresh vegetables and handmade cheeses. These days, Irish beer no longer necessarily means Guinness, since 63% of the beer now sold in Ireland is lager. Stout, including Guinness stout, accounts for 32%, while ale makes up the remaining 5% of Irish beer. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Irish beer was made at over 200 breweries in Ireland. Today, there are about twelve breweries. Irish beer historically did not have hops, since hops are not native to Ireland. The famous Irish beer Guinness stout is made from water, malt, barley, hops and brewer’s yeast. Guinness gets its dark color and taste by flaking some of the barley, Flaking means steaming and rolling. The color of Guinness is a dark shade of ruby. This Irish beer claims to have fewer calories than skim milk or orange juice. Guiness was stronger in the nineteenth century. Another Irish beer is Harp Lager. Harp was first produced in 1960. One of Harp’s advertising slogans was “Harp stays sharp.” Smithwick’s is Irish beer in the red ale style. The original brewery for Smithwick’s was on the site of a Franciscan abbey where monks had brewed ale since the 14th century. One variation of this Irish beer is Smithwick’s Draught, which has a ruby red tone with a stable, slightly thin head. Smithwick’s Draught is produced using hops and special roasted, malted barley. Its texture is smooth and refined, with a bitter and complex finish. Another variation of this Irish beer is Kilkenny Cream Ale, which is similar to Smithwick’s Draught, but with a stronger, more bitter taste and a cream head reminiscent of Guinness.

Fall back with Guinness Porter Cake

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