Recipe byThe ZestyPlate Kitchen
A sticky, dark Yorkshire gingerbread made with oatmeal, treacle and golden syrup. Best left to mature for a few days until soft and treacly. A Bonfire Night classic.
Parkin is a sticky Yorkshire treacle and oatmeal cake with a warm hum of ginger, traditionally baked for Bonfire Night but far too good to keep for one evening a year. The oats give it a soft, almost chewy crumb, and a little patience is the real secret, because it grows stickier and better the longer it sits. Cut into squares with a mug of tea, it is about as cosy as cake gets.
Jump to recipe
Prep 20 min
Cook 60 min
Total 80 min
Easy
Scale:
- 200g Butter
- 1 large Egg
- 4 tbs Milk
- 200g Golden Syrup
- 85g Black Treacle
- 85g Brown Sugar
- 100g Oatmeal
- 250g Self-Raising Flour
- 1 tbs Ground Ginger
Nutrition (per serving)
250
kcal
4g
Protein
34g
Carbs
12g
Fat
Estimated per serving. How we calculate this.
Tags:
Caramel
Preparation
- Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease a deep 22cm square cake tin and line it with baking parchment. Beat the egg and milk together with a fork.
- Gently melt the syrup, treacle, sugar and butter together in a large pan until the sugar has dissolved, then take off the heat. Mix the oatmeal, flour and ginger together and stir into the syrup mixture, followed by the egg and milk.
- Pour into the tin and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the cake feels firm and slightly crusty on top. Cool in the tin, then wrap in more parchment and foil and keep for 3-5 days before eating if you can. It turns softer and stickier the longer you leave it, for up to 2 weeks.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Melt the syrup, treacle, sugar and butter gently and don't let it boil. You only want the sugar dissolved.
- Weigh the golden syrup and treacle off a warm spoon or oiled scales so they slide off cleanly.
- Hold off cutting it. Wrapped and left for 3 to 5 days, parkin goes wonderfully soft and sticky.
- Reach for medium oatmeal rather than rolled oats to get that classic, slightly nubbly texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
As it rests, the cake draws in moisture from the syrup and treacle and softens into its signature sticky crumb. Wrapped well, it keeps getting better for up to two weeks.
Black treacle is a dark, bittersweet syrup much like molasses, which is the nearest swap. It gives parkin its deep colour and flavour, so try not to skip it.
Use a gluten-free self-raising flour blend and certified gluten-free oats. The texture shifts a little but it stays lovely and sticky.
Save this recipe, join ZestyPlate free
- Save your favourite recipes
- Build your own cookbooks
- Track what you've cooked
- New recipes in your inbox
Create free account
Already a member? Log in
Ratings & Reviews
Log in or create an account to rate this recipe.
No reviews yet, be the first to rate this recipe!
Comments (0)
Log in or create an account to join the conversation.
No comments yet, start the conversation!