IN honour of St Patrick’s Day tomorrow (and my Irish roots) this week’s recipe is, of course, a nod to the Emerald Isle. Guinness cake is one of my family favourites and I always look forward to a slice or two when I visit my brother in Ireland (if I made it at home I’d never stop eating it!).

As well as being the best-selling drink in Ireland, the famous Irish stout is also incredibly popular around the world with annual sales currently totalling over 850 million litres. It’s true what they say however, a pint of Guinness always tastes better in Ireland!

Guinness’ characteristic roasted coffee and malty flavours means it also works surprisingly well in a variety of recipes, both savoury and sweet.

Guinness and beef stew is a popular dish but try adding it to bread and cakes too or add it to batter mix for a tangy twist on traditional fish and chips.

It can also be incorporated into gravy and sauces to create a greater depth of flavour and colour.

Chocolate and stout also pair really well together, creating a really moist and decadent cake or brownie mix which makes it an ideal birthday cake option for Guinness fans.

This fruit cake incorporates a good slug of the black stuff into the rich, fruity batter which gives it a lovely, slightly malty flavour. There’s nothing better than a good hearty slice of this cake with a liberal spreading of butter. Serve it with a nice cup of tea and put your feet up!

Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhaoibh!


(serves 10-12)

450g plain flour

Pinch of salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp mixed spice

225g sugar

225g butter

450g sultanas

100g candied peel or dried cranberries or a mix of both

250ml Guinness (other brands of Stout or porter can be used)

3 eggs, beaten

Pre-heat the oven to 180c/Gas4/350F

Grease a deep 23cm/9ins″ cake tin and line with greaseproof paper.

Sieve the flour, salt, baking powder and mixed spice into a large bowl and add the sugar.

Rub in the butter and add the fruit and mix before adding the stout (Guinness) and the beaten eggs. Mix together until well combined and transfer to the cake tin. If the mixture seems too stiff, loosen with a drop more stout.

Bake in the oven for approximately 90 minutes to two hours or until a cake skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake. If the cake seems to be browning quickly, cover with greaseproof paper after an hour.

Allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing and spread with a little butter if desired.