Recipe for warm walnut whiskey and sultana cake with mango and mascarpone

This cake may be served warm as a pudding, with afternoon tea, or even as a wedding cake, covered with marzipan. It will also keep in an airtight tin for three days.

Serves 10-12200g (7oz) walnut halves

250g (9oz) raisins, currants, muscatels or a mixture

280g (10oz) butter, at room temperature, cut into 2cm (¾in) chunks

400g (14oz) light brown sugar

3 eggs

120ml (4fl.oz) Irish whiskey

350g (12oz) flour

3 tsp baking powder

2 large ripe mangoes, stoned, peeled and cut into chunks

200g (7oz) mascarpone

Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/gas 3.

Line a 30cm cake tin with non-stick baking parchment. Put the walnuts and sultanas in a saucepan and cover them with cold water. Bring it to the boil, then simmer rapidly for 10 minutes. Drain them in a colander, discarding the liquid, and return them to the pan. Add the butter to the pan and stir over a low heat until it has melted.

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar for 30 seconds, then stir in the walnut mixture and the whiskey. Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture and stir to incorporate. Spoon the cake mixture into the tin and bake it in the centre of the oven for 40-50 minutes.

The cake is cooked when a thin knife or skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake to cook in the tin. Turn out. Spread the mascarpone over it and scatter on the mango.