Yorkshire Parkin
Dark, sticky oatmeal gingerbread made with black treacle and golden syrup: the traditional cake for Bonfire Night.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 1 hr
- Total
- 1 hr 20 min
- Makes
- 16 servings
- Difficulty
- Easy
Parkin is the gingerbread of northern England, made with oatmeal as well as flour and sweetened with treacle and syrup. Yorkshire and Lancashire both claim it, and it is eaten around a bonfire on 5 November.
Bake it a few days ahead. Wrapped and left in a tin, parkin gets softer and stickier each day.
Ingredients
- 200gunsalted butter, plus a little for the tin
- 85gblack treacle
- 200ggolden syrup
- 85glight soft brown sugar
- 100gmedium oatmeal
- 250gself-raising flour
- 1tbspground ginger
- 1tspmixed spice
- 2eggs, beaten
- 4tbspmilk
Equipment
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- 20 cm square cake tinHow to chooseShop on Amazon(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
- Small saucepanHow to chooseShop on Amazon(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
- Large mixing bowlHow to chooseShop on Amazon(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
- Digital kitchen scalesHow to chooseShop on Amazon(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
Method
- 1
Heat the oven to 160°C / 140°C fan / gas 3. Butter a 20 cm square tin and line it with baking paper.
- 2
Put the butter, treacle, syrup and sugar in a saucepan and warm gently, stirring, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Do not let it boil.
Photo: Joost J. Bakker IJmuiden · CC BY 2.0 (cropped) - 3
Mix the oatmeal, flour, ginger and mixed spice in a large bowl. Pour in the warm syrup mixture and stir, then beat in the eggs and milk to make a loose, glossy batter.
- 4
Pour into the tin and bake for 50–60 minutes, until firm to the touch and a skewer comes out clean.
- 5
Cool in the tin, then cut into squares. Wrap in baking paper and keep in an airtight tin for 3–5 days before eating if you can wait.
Photo: Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent · CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
Tips
Weigh the treacle and syrup straight into the pan on digital scales. It is far easier than measuring spoons.
Parkin sinks slightly in the middle as it cools. That is normal and part of its dense, sticky texture. For another golden-syrup bake, try treacle tart.
Using a different tin? Change "Your tin" and the ingredient quantities above update automatically.
Convert tin sizes
Multiply every ingredient by
1.00
Enter tin sizes between 5 and 60 cm.
If it goes wrong
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Dry, not sticky | Eaten too soon or overbaked | Leave it wrapped for a few days; check it at 50 minutes |
| Sunk badly in the middle | Underbaked | Bake until a skewer comes out clean |
| Hard, burnt edges | Oven too hot | Bake low and slow; this much syrup catches easily |
Guides for this recipe
Buying guide
Cake and Biscuit Tins: Keeping Bakes Fresh
Buying guide
How to Choose Sandwich Tins for Victoria Sponge
How-to
Essential Equipment for British Baking
Buying guide
Baking Trays and Bun Tins: What You Need
Buying guide
Springform and Deep Cake Tins: A Guide
Buying guide
Kitchen Scales for Baking: What to Look For
Buying guide
Mixing Bowls: Glass, Steel or Ceramic?
Kitchen design
Copper Pans in the Kitchen: Cooking, Display and Care
Buying guide
Saucepans: Stainless, Non-Stick or Copper?
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