Yorkshire Parkin

“Eh by lads and lasses nowt as good as Parkin on a chilly day!”

After my two last posts of savoury dishes I am back with a wonderful traditional bake. Parkin is a ginger cake and I find this cake particularly enjoyable to eat during autumn and winter months and it’s such a shame just to limit it to Bonfire Night when this cake will be served up in celebration of this event. Parkin is a traditional cake that is especially associated with Yorkshire, Northern England. I have close family roots that originate from Yorkshire and it would be sacrilege of me if I didn’t share this recipe with you.

This is an easy bake with a few ingredients melting in a saucepan then mixing in with the dry ingredients – it’s as simple as that. The ginger shines through this cake in taste and it has a lovely little crunch from the oatmeal. You can eat this cake after cooling and cutting into squares but it is best made in advance and left wrapped and stored in an airtight container to mature in flavour and become moist and sticky.

Yorkshire Parkin

Ingredients
150g (5 oz) butter
100g (4 oz) golden syrup
100g (4 oz) black treacle
100g (4 oz) soft brown sugar
225g (8 oz) plain flour
225g (8 oz) medium oatmeal
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
150ml (¼ pint) milk

Method

Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2. Grease a deep 20cm (8 in) square non-stick cake tin.

Place the butter, golden syrup, treacle and sugar in a pan and place over a very low heat, stirring constantly until all the sugar is dissolved.

Sift the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the oatmeal making a well in the centre. Stir in the melted butter mixture until combined. Lightly beat the egg and milk with a fork and pour into the mixture stirring until you a smooth batter.
Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 50 -60 minutes, or until firm when lightly pressed in the middle.

Allow to cool before cutting into squares but this is best made a day or two in advance to allow the flavours to develop and the parkin to become moist and sticky. It will keep for up to a week in an airtight container. Coming up shortly on my blog Rosie's Christmas Cake which I baked last week and mincemeat which is steeping now in lots of wonderful booze!