Porter Cake is a traditional Irish recipe for a classic tea-time fruit cake made with a base of porter or stout beer. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Irish version of: Porter Cake.
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This is the original version of the cake that today is prepared in Ireland as 'Guinness Cake'. Porter is a black form of ale that is stronger in alcohol and richer in flavour that typical British ales, but which is not as thick as stouts like Guinness. However, if you want Guinness cake simply replace the porter beer in this recipe with stout.
Cream together the sugar and butter in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly to combine after each addition.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and spice in a bowl then fold into the egg and butter mix. Add the porter, beating well to combine, then stir in the fruit and the lemon zest. Turn the batter into a greased and lined 18cm tin.
Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 160°C and bake for 90 minutes, covering the top of the cake with kitchen foil if the top of the cake is browning to quickly.
Once cooked through (a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should emerge cleanly), allow to cool completely in the tin then turn out and wrap in greaseproof (waxed) paper and kitchen foil. Store in an air-tight tin for 10 days to mature before eating.
Some like to feed the cake half way through the maturing time. To do this, invert the cake and pierce a few holes in the base with a fine skewer. Pour over a dessertspoon of porter. Set aside for the liquid to be absorbed by the cake for 40 minutes before re-wrapping and storing for a further 5 days.
