Old recipes are often the best recipes. This very special whiskey cake recipe has been passed down through my family and comes from my stepmother Roberta, who in turn received it from her aunt.
I love watching how intuitively she whips up this intensely dark and moist cake, by sight, hardly worrying about the measurements. When I visit in the afternoon, I know the world will be set to rights over slices of whiskey cake and tea served in delicate china cups.
This is a traditional boiled fruit cake, so called because part of the mixture is boiled, not the cake itself. I consider it a Northern Ireland bake since my stepmother’s family is from there.
It is a truly moist cake and not just because of the whiskey, though that definitely plays a part. A boiled fruit cake stays wonderfully moist after baking. The boiling method also means there is no creaming of butter and sugar involved, the hob does the work for you.
The fruit is soaked in whiskey and spice before being boiled with butter and sugar. It is difficult not to just eat the plump, liquor-soaked fruit straight from the pot at this point. I have to remind myself that this always reliable cake will be worth the sacrifice and to leave it alone.
The cake will age well if it is fed with a little extra whiskey (one or two teaspoons will do) after baking. The alcohol helps to kill off bacteria on the surface so it can be kept for a few weeks if it is tightly wrapped and stored in an airtight container.
If your willpower doesn’t stretch that far, it can also be eaten as soon as it is cool. This cake has become something of a tradition and a cherished staple in our family repertoire. It is an essential part of our family holidays, with kids and adults sneaking small squares when peckish. Normally, I avoid adding alcohol to bakes that my children eat, but so far, this one doesn’t seem to have resulted in any adverse effects.
Irish whiskey cake
Makes one
Ingredients
450g luxury mixed fruit (dried fruits and mixed peel)
50g glacé cherries
1 tsp mixed spice
100ml Irish whiskey
100ml orange juice
100g butter
175g golden caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly whisked
100g self-raising flour
1 tsp bread soda (bicarbonate of soda)
Method
1. Grease and line a 20cm deep square (or round) cake tin with parchment paper.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the mixed fruit, cherries, mixed spice, whiskey and orange juice. Stir and allow to sit for one hour, if possible.
3. Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan, then add the sugar and stir for five minutes or until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Add all the soaked fruit and all the juices from the mixing bowl. Increase the heat and gently simmer the mixture uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and return the warm mixture to the mixing bowl. Allow to cool fully before covering and setting aside for eight hours to allow the fruit to soften further.
5. After eight hours, preheat an oven to 190 degrees, fan, or equivalent. Stir the mixture well, before mixing in the eggs until evenly incorporated.
6. Sieve together the flour and bread soda and in three batches fold the sieved ingredients through the fruit mixture (the mixture will remain quite moist, which is normal).
7. Transfer the mixture into the lined cake tin and first bake in the preheated oven on a high heat (190 degrees) fan for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 170 degrees and continue baking for a further 50 minutes, by which time the cake will be dark treacle-like in colour, and will be firm.
8. Leave the cake to cool in the tin. Wrap tightly and store in an airtight container for one or two weeks in a cool dark place, feeding it with a teaspoon of whiskey each week to keep it moist. Serve in squares (or slices).
