I know it's nearly Christmas when I bake Parkin. It's a traditional Yorkshire cake, known for its rich, spicy flavour and dense, sticky texture, made with a combination of oats, flour, ginger, black treacle, and brandy. And it's so easy to make, in fact it's one of the first cakes I ever made.
You can make Parkin a week in advance, actually the flavour gets better if you wait a few days before eating. Here's the best recipe that I've found.
Ingredients:
250 plain flour
100 medium oatmeal
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
2 large eggs
75ml brandy or 50 ml milk
125ml golden syrup
225g black treacle
115g unsalted butter, softened
200g muscovado sugar
100g light brown sugar
150ml milk
a pinch of salt
Method:
Preheat the oven to 140°C (275°F). Line a 23x23 cm baking tin with parchment paper.
Sift the flour, oatmeal, ginger, nutmeg, mace, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Whisk together the eggs and milk in a jug.
In a saucepan, melt the butter, golden syrup, and black treacle over low heat, stirring until combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well until a smooth batter forms.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin and bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Tips:
For a richer flavor, use dark molasses instead of black treacle.
If you don't have brandy, you can use milk instead.
Serve with a scoop of ice cream or cream for a decadent dessert.
Please note that this recipe is for a traditional Parkin cake, which is a dense and sticky cake. If you prefer a lighter cake, you can reduce the amount of black treacle to 175 grams.
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