Porter cake

Guffy

Does anyone have a nice recipe for a porter cake? Couldn't seem to find one on here

dee_mc

I have, will post it tomorrow for you, my auntie's recipe!

dee_mc

Auntie Bridget's Porter Cake
Ingredients
1.5 lb plain flour
3/4 lb butter/marg, cold
3/4 lb brown sugar
1.5 lb raisins & sultanas
3 oz chopped mixed peel
3 oz glace cherries, rinsed in boiling water and chopped
3 large eggs
1 small bottle stout & 'a drop of the crather' (a dash of whiskey or brandy etc)
1.5 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp mixed spice

Method
Base and side-line your tin with parchment and preheat oven - This will work equally well in an 8 inch square or 9 inch round tin at 170 degrees, and we've also baked it in a 9 inch square - this only took 2 hours at 160. Tie a sheet of brown paper (I usually use a Penneys bag!) around the tin too, secured with staples, paperclips or with heatproof string.

Sieve flour, salt and baking powder
Add sugar and spices
Rub in butter finely
Add fruit
Add stout mixed with beaten eggs
Bake for approx 2.5 hours @ 170, covered after the first hour - make a cover a bit larger than the tin by cutting 3 or 4 pieces of newspaper and covering in a double layer of tinfoil. Ovens vary a lot - be prepared to cook it for up to an hour longer!

This is a nice light porter cake. If you want a richer one, I can give you the porter cake recipe from All in the Cooking, it's a gorgeous cake too.

dee_mc

By the way, a 'small bottle of stout' probably isn't something you can get anymore - I would usually just pour less than half of a 500ml can of stout into a mixing jug and beat the eggs into it, mix up the cake and if it doesn't seem gloopy enough, add more. It's very forgiving, you're going for a thick dropping consistency rather than a pouring mixture.

Guffy

Thanks. Will give it a go next weekend

Lovely Bloke

yes, some craft stouts come in 330ml bottles, look for the Mescan brand in Aldi

dee_mc

Lovely Bloke wrote: »

yes, some craft stouts come in 330ml bottles, look for the Mescan brand in Aldi

I have a feeling that a 'small bottle of stout' could have been even less than that back in the day (recipe would have been written in the 1960s or before) which is why I advised going for maybe 220ml to start with and then adding more if necessary - pure laziness on my part that I've never measured the amount that works and amended the recipe! I usually end up using a can of Beamish because it's quite cheap. Any left over gets thrown in to mincemeat etc.
Just thinking there, one of my neighbours likes a much lighter cake so I do one with Smithwicks for him from time to time, and it's really lovely.

Guffy

Just made it... cooling on a wire rack now, looks deadly

dee_mc

Does it smell amazing?
I don't mean to worry you but I should have said, leave it in the tin to cool.
If you have it out of the tin just make sure you don't move it until it's completely cold.
Enjoy

Guffy

dee_mc wrote: »

Does it smell amazing?
I don't mean to worry you but I should have said, leave it in the tin to cool.
If you have it out of the tin just make sure you don't move it until it's completely cold.
Enjoy

Haha i deliberated this for a good 5 min. Went with out ya its smells unreal. It would nearly be a shame to leave it any longer than today to eat it

rubadub

Lovely Bloke wrote: »

yes, some craft stouts come in 330ml bottles, look for the Mescan brand in Aldi

most would be a lot stronger flavoured too. There is a current thread in the beer forum where a guy was saying he found O Haras stout too strong flavoured and too bitter. While many would think it is pretty mainstream. I was saying I have found guinness has gotten a lot weaker tasting over the years and I no longer hear many going on about it being "an acquired taste" anymore. I know guys who did not even pick guinness out amongst lagers in proper blind (as in blindfolded) tastings.