Date, Walnut and Guinness Cake for Saint Patrick’s Day 2012

Dark, nutty, moist - this is a GREAT cake.

This is a good one - get baking with you!!

This cake smells divine when it is just out of the oven and is a truly delicious morsel slathered with a nice layer of salted butter and a steaming hot cup of, if you can get it, Barry’s Tea. What a

wonderful way to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day!!

From "Irish Baking Book" by Ruth Isabel Ross

  INGREDIENTS:

Leave your ingredients out to warm to room temperature for a better rise in your cake.

 8oz chopped dates

2oz chopped walnuts

  

4oz butter (I nearly always use salted for the taste)

7oz sugar

10oz white flour

7oz of Guinness or water if you prefer

1 egg well beaten

1 teaspoon baking soda/bicarb

I tablespoon milk

Pre-heat oven to 325F and grease either one 9” round cake tin, a small (6” round) high (3”) cake tin like mine in picture below (I like small high cakes) or two 1lb loaf pans – then line chosen tin with parchment paper to about 1.5” above the top of the pan – this helps shape the cake if it rises above the level of the pan (as mine did) and also stops the top from browning too much – although do check baking a couple of times and if the top is still browning too much add a tin foil hat.

1. Put the chopped dates in a pan, add the Guinness or water and bring to a boil, take off the heat and let sit for 15 minutes.

2. Add the butter cut in 8 or so pieces, stir and allow to melt.

3. Allow to cool about 10 minutes.

4. Now add the sugar, walnuts and egg and mix well.

5. Next sift the flour over the mix in three batches and mix well in between each addition.

6. Mix the baking soda with the milk and fold into cake mix.

7. Pile the delicious batter into chosen tin and pop in the oven for about 1 1/2hours – like I said above check on it to see the top isn’t browning too much.

8. Use a bamboo skewer or tooth pick to test cake for doneness – skewer should come out clean.

My well used small but tall cake pan (6 round by 3 high) which bakes very evenly and more quickly than it's non-removable bottom counterparts!

 9. Leave in cake pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out, remove paper and allow to cool on a wire rack – wait until almost totally cold before cutting as it will cut better when cold – but perhaps like me you can’t wait that long!!!

10. EAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT – preferably with a nice spread of butter – Kerrygold would be a treat if you can find it – of course I use Kate’s from Maine.

Oh oh - looks like some naughty Leprachaun had a bite already!!

 HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY TO YOU ALL - eat lots of cake!!

"Friends Forever" in Gaelic...meanwhile in Maine - whilst the rest of the country is having record high temperatures - here is 32F and snowing :(((((((((
You can purchase my design for Saint Patrick's Day on all manner of items at my Cafe Press shop HERE

"AMHAIRGHIN"
anonymous
I am the wind which breathes upon the sea

I am the wave of the ocean.

I am the murmur of the billows.

I am the ox of the seven combats.

I am the vulture upon the rocks.

I am a beam of the Sun.

I am the fairest of plants.

I am a wild boar in valour.

I am a salmon in the water.

I am a lake in the plain.

I am a word of science.

I am a point of a lance in battle.

I am the God who created in the head the fire.

Who is it who throws light into the meeting in the mountain?

Who announces the ages of the Moon?
Who teaches the place where couches the Sun?

This is the oldest known Irish poem, of Medieval date, and I am dedicating it to my dear departed Mum and Dad who were born in Galway City, and all my rellies far and wide.


I just added the print friendly button (below) to make it so much easier to print out this recipe - you can even delete the images to save paper and ink and enlarge the type size too - happy printing.

This blogpost is part of the Saint Patrick's Day bloghop over at Buttercream Bakehouse