ONE FOR THE TABLE: Guinness Porter Cake with Orange-Whiskey Butter
2 large eggs, beaten
Orange-Whiskey Butter, for serving (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter an 8-by-3-inch round cake pan, line with parchment, and butter again.
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon over a large bowl. Crumble in brown sugar and mix well. Rub in butter until crumbly. Mix in the dried fruit.
Mix together the Guinness and beaten eggs. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Mix until well combined. Turn batter out into the parchment-lined pan, smoothing top. Bake for about 2 1/2 hours. A skewer inserted into the center should come out clean. Cool in the pan for about 25 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Serve with orange-whiskey butter. Store wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.
Orange-Whiskey Butter
Yield: 1/2 cup
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange zest (about 1 orange)
2 tablespoons Irish whiskey
Whip together butter and sugar, orange zest and whiskey until smooth.
(Joseph Erdos is a New York-based writer and editor, who shares his passion for food on his blog, Gastronomer’s Guide. One for the Table is Amy Ephron's online magazine that specializes in food, politics, and love. http://www.oneforthetable.com/.)
