If you’re like me, you’re over the bar scene associated with St. Patrick’s Day. Skip the green beer this year and make yourself a proper Irish breakfast. Pour a nice cup of Irish Breakfast tea or better yet an Irish coffee and enjoy a slice of Porter Cake.
If you’re interested in a true Irish breakfast check out this guide to a proper fry up. For other Irish recipes and many more featured on The Dish check out the Pinterest board where I pin my inspirations for all the recipes you enjoy each week.
This cake tastes even better when its had a week or so to let the flavors meld.
Porter Cake
1 cup butter, at room temp
1 cup brown sugar
3 cups flour
pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pie spice
3 eggs
2 3/4 cups mixed dried fruit (golden raisins, dried cherries, cranberries, currants, chopped apricots, etc…)
zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
2/3 cup stout, such as Guinness
Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and line the bottom of an 8 inch round cake pan with parchment paper or grease a bundt pan.
In a bowl, sieve the flour, salt, baking powder and spice. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time adding a 1/4 cup flour with each egg. Beat well after each addition. Mix well and add remaining flour. Add stout until batter is a soft consistency. Add fruit and nuts and mix well.
Scrape mixture into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour. Reduce heat to 300°F and bake for another 1-1 1/2 hours until the top springs back when touched and skewer comes out clean. Cool cake in pan.
*If baking in a bundt pan cook cake for 45 minutes at 325°F, reduce temp to 300°F and cook for another 30 minutes.
When cool, turn out cake and remove paper if using a cake pan. Wrap in parchment paper and store in an airtight container in a cool dry place.
You can eat it right away but it tastes best when it has had up to a week to let the flavors mellow and meld. Enjoy spread with butter alongside a hot cup of Irish Breakfast tea.
