This recipe was donated by Cathy Liddle, writer and historian, of Silsden, West Yorkshire.

Cathy writes:

In Yorkshire, in  times past, it was believed that adding stout (particularly the dark Guinness variety) to baking aided recovery from illness. Perhaps it was the effect of the dark rich colour!

Ingredients

• 1lb (450g/16 oz) sifted flour
• 1lb (450g/16 oz) brown sugar
• 1lb (450/16 oz) raisins
• One level teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda melted in a quarter pint of tepid Guinness stout
• Four eggs
• 8oz (225g) butter or luxury margarine
• 4oz (113g) glace cherries
• 4oz (113g) mixed peel
• Grated rind and juice of a lemon
• Pinch of mixed spice.

Method

• Rub butter into flour, add other dry ingredients
• Beat eggs with stout and bi-carb; blend well into mixture
• Turn into lined greased large tin, cover with greaseproof paper and bake in slow medium oven for four to four and half hours, removing paper for last half hour. Cool in the tin.