Gilroy Porter Cake from County Derry

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is probably the most Irish of the recipes I'll be featuring this week. Recipes for porter cake abound, but I wanted to share an authentic version of the cake as it was baked in Irish kitchens a hundred years ago. That took a bit of research. This dense fruitcake is made by using a goodly measures of dried fruit and stout and, while in polite society, it is called porter cake, we all know they are talking about a cake made with Guinness, as true a symbol of the Emerald Isle as is the shamrock or the leprechaun. Harder to divine was why this particular version, which comes from the family of Mary Johnson, was dubbed a Gilroy porter cake. I don't give up easily. It took several phone calls to folks more Irish than me to solve the puzzle, but we got it done. John Gilroy was the artist who designed the early advertising campaigns for Guinness and the recipe for this cake was included in one of his campaign designed to convince folks that "Guinness is good for you!" This is a lovely tea cake if it is allowed to age before it is sliced. I recommend it be made at least 48 hours before serving. I'm posting the recipe exactly as I found it on the website of the Telegraph Media Group. That means some conversion and ingredient replacement is in order. I, of course, used butter in place of margarine and pumpkin pie spice instead of the mixed spice called for in the recipe. You'll notice that no specific temperature is given for baking the cake. I assumed a moderate oven ranged from 350 to 375 degrees and decided to bake the cake at the lower temperature. I think the 3 hours suggested in the recipe is too long and next year I'll cut baking time to 2-1/2 hours. The cake is supposed to crack as it bakes so don't stress when it craters. I'd also suggest using a 9-inch pan to contain the batter. I hope that some of you are into vintage recipes and will give this one a try. Here's the recipe.

Two Classic Irish Desserts for St. Patrick's Day

Irish Apple Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Myrtle Allen, the legendary Irish cook from Ballymaloe House in County Cork, has said that homemade apple cakes are the most popular dessert in Ireland. Legend has it that St. Patrick planted apple trees 3000 years ago. While it is a lovely tale, it's far more likely that the Druids, who used the trees in their rituals, were the ones who first tended apple orchards in Ireland. The Irish took their apple trees seriously and there were laws that protected them from felling. Anyone who cut down a tree was subject to a financial penalty that included the surrender of five cows. I don't want to think about what happened to those who had no cows to surrender. It's important for you to know that no apple trees trees were harmed during the preparation of this dessert. The apple cake I'm sharing with you is a classic that is made throughout Ireland. It is simple and delicious and comes together quickly. The cake is traditionally made with ground cloves in a quantity that I think is excessive. When I make the cake, I replace the cloves with cinnamon or apple pie spice, both of which are more to my liking. This version of the cake is made with self-rising flour. If you prefer to use the all-purpose variety, you'll need to add 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt for every cup of flour called for in the recipe. This is a very moist cake that is wonderful when it is served hot from the oven. The good news, however, stops there. The cake does not age well, and it gets soggy if it is allowed to sit too long. While the cake is traditionally served with unwhipped heavy cream, I prefer to serve it with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream. The cake is a nice way to finish to a traditional Irish meal. If you are looking for something different to serve for dessert on St.Patrick's Day, you might want to give this recipe a try. Here's how the cake is made.