Porter Cake (Irish)

In days gone by Porter was an English stout widely used all over Ireland for cooking or drinking known also as "the working man's pint". Nowadays Guinness, first brewed in 1759 in Dublin, is commonly used when making this rich fruit cake.

1 cup butter
1 orange, freshly zested
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup raisins
½ cup mixed peel
1 lb all-purpose flour, unbleached (~ 3½ cups)
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. mixed spice or a combination of ground cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice
½ cup cherries, halved
3 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Line a 9" round pan with parchment paper.

Melt the butter, sugar, and stout in a saucepan. Add the orange zest and the fruit and peel (except the cherries). Bring the mixture to a boil for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and leave to cool until it is lukewarm.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and mixed spice into a mixing bowl. Add the fruit mixture to the flour and add the cherries. Whisk the eggs; add them gradually, mixing evenly through the mixture.

Bake in the oven for about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

When the cake is cooked, you can pour 4 Tbsp. of stout over it. Keep the cake for 2-3 days before cutting.