Guinness Fruit Cake

As a little St. Patrick's Day celebration we had a Guinness and beef casserole cooked in the slow cooker. It needed around ½ pint or 300ml of Guinness and with a standard can coming in at 440ml it meant something needed to be done with the leftovers. Since we like to have our main meal at lunchtime on a Sunday a cake was required for Sunday tea. Guinness in a fruit cake makes it nice and rich as well as making it naturally moist. The dark sugar gives the cake an extra richness while the spices a bit of a kick.

Equipment: 7in (18cm) loose-bottomed cake tin lined, 2 large bowls, electric whisk/beaters

Ingredients

4oz (115g) Unsalted butter softened or baking spread

4oz (115g) Dark soft sugar

8oz (225g) Self-raising flour

1tsp (5ml) Mixed spice

½ tsp (2.5ml) Mace

2 Eggs

¼ pint (140ml) Guinness or stout

¼ tsp (1.25ml) Orange extract

14oz (400g) Dried mixed fruit

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C/Gas mark 3.

2. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar together for several minutes. The 3. texture of the dark sugar is quite gritty so it needs a bit of time.

4. In another bowl sift together the flour and spices.

5. Beat the flour and eggs into the butter mixture followed by the Guinness.

6. Then add the orange extract and dried mixed fruit.

7. Transfer to the prepared tin and level the top.

8. Bake for 1 hour then check the top to see if it needs covering if it is cooking too quickly.

9. Reduce the oven to 150°C/Gas mark 2 and bake for another 30 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.

10. Leave to cool in the tin.