The English Parkin’s History and It’s Delish Dessert Recipe

Parkin is a traditional British cake that originates from Northern England, more specifically from Yorkshire and Lancashire. It’s a gingerbread cake made with oatmeal and treacle, sometimes even molasses; count this in the section of cake recipes for beginners. The use of treacle is what gives Parkin its distinctive color and rich, sticky texture. Besides ginger, Parkin is also spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon. It’s one of those cakes that you can always keep handy by baking ahead and storing. It has a decent enough shelf life, so it will last you for a while, especially in winters.

Parkin might just have originated in the 18th century in the autumn or winter months, but some sources suggest that an earlier version of this cake was around even in the 14th century. This cake is associated with the culinary traditions of Northern England, and is most popularly consumed on Guy Fawkes Night on November 5, celebrated to mark Fawkes' failure to bomb the House of Parliament , and on Yorkshire Day that falls on August 1. Parkin can be considered a successor to the tharf cake, an unsweetened oat cake that was not baked but cooked on a griddle.

Parkin tastes great when you have it immediately after it’s baked but even better once it’s been stored for a few days. The cake takes on a sticky quality over time, which makes it tasty, gooey, and delicious. You can have Parkin as is with a strong cup of tea or coffee, or with a side of some fragrant vanilla custard. It’s also the perfect base to create a trifle pudding too. Here is a recipe for Parkin that you can make at home, and enjoy all by yourself or with friends and family.

Recipe for Parkin

Ingredients:

• 226 g softened, unsalted butter
• 350 g golden syrup or light corn syrup
• 110 g soft dark brown sugar
• 80 g black treacle or molasses
• 113 g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 50 g porridge oats
• 4 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp milk, if needed

Instructions:

• Measure the ingredients, and then grease an 8x8 inch square cake tin with some butter or oil.
• Remember to preheat the oven to 160 C.
• In a large enough heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the unsalted butter with golden syrup, brown sugar, and molasses. Keep the heat low so that you can melt all the ingredients and mix them together well. No need to bring them to a boil. If you’re able to get your hands on black treacle, it’s better because the cake will taste all the more authentic.
• Next, mix together flour, baking powder, porridge oats, baking powder and the spices in a mixing bowl.
• Gradually incorporated the warm liquid ingredients into the flour, stirring gently to incorporate it into the dry mix.
• Beat the 2 eggs separately and add them to this as well.
• In case the mixture begins to feel dry, you can add the milk to this too.
• Transfer the cake batter into the prepared cake tin.
• Bake in the oven for 1 ½ hours. Keep an eye on the cake and take it out of the oven when it seems firm and golden brown. You can insert a wooden skewer or a toothpick and if that comes clean, you know the cake is done.
• Once baked, let it rest in the cake tin and come down to room temperature.
• After this, you can slice the cake into squares and serve immediately. Else, store in an airtight container for a couple of days.

To serve it as a fancy dessert by the end of a meal, have it with some vanilla custard.