Guinness Fruit Cake
A stick-to-your-ribs Irish delight perfect for re-energising
dispirited volunteers.
- Serves
- 12
Notes
This cake requires 'maturing' by wrapping tightly in greaseproof
paper and foil for at least a week before it is ripe for eating. For
an extra kick replace normal Guinness with Nigerian Guinness foreign
export stout (other stouts are available.)
Ingredients
- 250g seedless raisins
- 250g sultanas
- 125g prunes
- 330ml bottle of Guinness stout
- 200g unsalted butter
- 200g soft light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon black treacle
- 3 large free-range eggs
- 200g sieved plain flour
- 65g ground almonds
- quarter freshly grated whole nutmeg - or a teaspoon of powdered nutmeg.
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 125g orange marmalade
- 75g chopped walnuts
Method
- Put the raisins, sultanas and prunes in a large bowl and pour over most of the bottle of Guinness - 300ml. Cover and leave to soak overnight.
- Grease and line the base and sides of a 23cm round cake tin with double thickness greaseproof paper that stands about 5 cm above the rim of the tin.
- Beat together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Add the treacle, eggs, flour, ground almonds, and spices and beat until well combined. Add the marmalade and walnuts to the soaked fruit and stir all into the cake mixture which should be quite stiff to hold the fruit and nuts in place, they should NOT sink to the bottom. Tip into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
- Bake in a preheated oven, 180°C/350°F - Gas Mark 4, for 30 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 160C/325F - Gas Mark 3 and cover lightly with double thickness geaseproof paper and bake for a further 90 minutes.
- Leave to cool in tin. Meanwhile make holes all over the cake surface with a skewer and pour over the remaining Guinness. When cold remove from the tin and carefully remove the paper. Wrap first in fresh greaseproof paper and then tightly in foil.
- Mature for at least a week.
