Recipe byThe ZestyPlate Kitchen
Parkin - 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 hit of ginger - traditionally baked for Bonfire Night but far too good to save for one day a year. The oats give it a lovely soft, almost chewy crumb, and a little patience is the secret: it gets stickier and more delicious as it sits. Cut into squares with a cup of tea, it is pure cosy comfort.
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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 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 remove from 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 a little 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 becomes softer and stickier the longer you leave it, up to 2 weeks.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Melt the syrup, treacle, sugar and butter gently and do not let it boil - you just want the sugar dissolved.
- Weigh the golden syrup and treacle with a warm spoon or oiled scales so they slide off easily.
- Resist cutting it straight away - wrapped and left for 3 to 5 days, parkin turns wonderfully soft and sticky.
- Use medium oatmeal rather than rolled oats for that classic slightly nubbly texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
As it rests, the cake absorbs moisture from the syrup and treacle and softens into its signature sticky texture. Wrapped well, it keeps improving for up to two weeks.
Black treacle is a dark, bittersweet syrup similar to molasses, which is the closest swap. It gives parkin its deep colour and flavour, so try not to leave it out.
Use a gluten-free self-raising flour blend and certified gluten-free oats. The texture will be slightly different but still lovely and sticky.
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