Guinness cake recipe

Ever wanted to bake a Guinness fruit cake, but never knew how? Well this is your chance to make a real Irish delicacy. The inclusion of Ireland’s favorite drink (in other words: Guinness) is what makes the sweet a local favorite. The thick ale helps round out the heavy, fruity, and moist cake, adding a hint of bitterness to the baked good.

Easy to follow instructions are below, but the best ingredient is time. Whenever possible, be sure to prepare your cake well in advance. Like French wine or Scotch whiskey, Irish Guinness cake actually improves with age, and all the flavors become even more special if you give them several days to rest. Perhaps because it needs to sit down, the cake is most often enjoyed during the colder months.

All in all, Guinness cake is easy to bake, even for kitchen newbies, and it will almost certainly turn out just fine as long as you make sure all the ingredients are mixed well. It will stay well for some time; in fact, it has to “rest” for at least a week before it reaches its full flavor.

Guinness cake ingredients

You will need the following ingredients to bake a Guinness cake (but see notes below):

• 225g or 8oz butter, softened (any butter will do, but lightly salted Irish butter is best)
• 225 gr or 8 oz of soft brown sugar;
• 4 medium eggs;
• 275 gr or 10 oz of plain flour use well-ground flour, without whole wheat flour or self-cleaning flour)
• 2 teaspoons ground mixed spices;
• 225 gr or 8 oz of seedless raisins;
• 225 gr or 8 oz of sultanas;
• 100 gr or 4 oz of glazed cherries;
• 100 gr or 4 oz of mixed peel;
• 100 gr or 4 oz of walnuts;
• 150 ml or ¼ pint Guinness (Guinness Stout, not Guinness Black)

Notes on Guinness Cake Ingredients

Alternative recipes sometimes suggest using more flour (350g or 12oz), fewer eggs (3), half the amount of nuts, and adding a teaspoon of baking powder. This results in a slightly lighter cake (both in color and texture).

Feel free to add some variety by substituting some raisins for other dried fruits, with dates and figs that work particularly well, as well as apricots. You can also use other nuts if you wish, or substitute them with dried fruit if you have to be aware of allergies (or chocolate flakes, but this will drastically alter the taste, though not for the worse), try using only dark chocolate, Butler’s Irish Chocolate if you have it).

If you don’t have Guinness on hand, any other brave or porter will (like Murphy’s or Beamish). As the leftovers of this ingredient do not keep well, the baker must dispose of the remainder of the open bottle or can by drinking it. After all, baking is hot, hard work, and you need soda and calories!

If you want to avoid alcohol as an ingredient altogether, substitute any liquid you like for Guinness – non-alcoholic stout would work just fine, as would Russian kvass (if you can get it).

How to bake Guinness cake

Start with not too hard but time-consuming work: cherries, peel, and walnuts need to be chopped, just like other dried fruits if you add them. The good news is that you don’t have to achieve a very fine powder, a rough cut will. Take your sultanas and raisins as a guide to the final size of the pieces you are trying to achieve. Once the ingredients are cut to roughly the same size, begin baking:

1. The first step in the actual cooking process is to bind together butter and sugar, the end result should be light and fluffy. Add a pinch of salt if you use unsalted butter.
2. Now gradually add the eggs, looking for a consistent, creamy structure again.
3. Sift the flour and spices into a separate bowl, then fold it into the creamy mixture.
4. Fold all the other ingredients (except the Guinness) into the mixture.
5. Add 4 tablespoons of Guinness and mix well.
6. Take a greased and lined cake tin 18 cm (or 7 inches) in diameter and slowly pour in the finished mixture.

1. Bake for 60 minutes in a moderately hot oven (160 ° C, 325 ° F).
2. Reduce the heat of the oven slightly to 150 ° C (300 ° F) and bake the cake for at least another 90 minutes or until a skewer pushed to the center comes out clean.
3. Let the cake cool in the tin, then remove it.
4. Skewer the base of the cake generously with a skewer, then place the rest of the Guinness on the base and give it a little time to soak the cake.
5. When the Guinness has finally soaked through, store the finished, uncut cake in an airtight container large enough for at least a week.

Tips for serving Guinness cake

Guinness cake can be served on its own, but it pairs especially well with milk tea. You can also add some ice cream or brandy sauce for an extra treat, but this is not necessary. The cake is not usually served with frosting or cream, but feel free to add your own twist to this Irish classic by creating a topping that pairs well with the fruity and nutty batter.

As for longevity, they say Guinness is good for you, and a Guinness cake will keep for weeks, if not months, when stored in an airtight container. On the other hand, it tastes so good that it is difficult to have the willpower to sit for long.