British · Baking

Yorkshire Parkin

An oatmeal, treacle and ginger cake that is inedible on the day it is baked and excellent a week later. Yorkshire makes it for Bonfire Night.

1 hr 20 min prep and cooking plus time for cooling completely, which the recipe does not time at least 1 hr 20 min start to finish Serves 12 servings Easy
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Yorkshire Parkin

Photograph credit: Yorkshire Ginger Parkin by amandabhslater · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Flickr · this resized copy is shared under the same licence

Build the Meal Around Yorkshire Parkin

  • A wedge of Wensleydale
  • Strong tea
  • Bonfire Night
Yorkshire Parkin, in preparation
Yorkshire Parkin, in preparation

Photograph credit: Yorkshire Ginger Parkin by amandabhslater · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Flickr · this resized copy is shared under the same licence

Making Yorkshire Parkin, Step by Step

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  1. Line a 23 cm square tin with baking paper, base and sides.

  2. Mix the oatmeal, flour, ginger, nutmeg, mixed spice, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl.

  3. Melt the butter, treacle, golden syrup and brown sugar together in a pan over low heat until smooth. Do not boil it.

  4. Cool the syrup mixture for 5 minutes, then pour it into the dry ingredients and stir well.

  5. Beat in the eggs and the milk to a thick pouring batter.

  6. Pour into the tin and bake at 140°C / 285°F fan / 160°C / 320°F / gas 3 for 60 minutes, until firm at the edges and just set in the middle.

  7. Cool completely in the tin.

  8. Wrap the whole cake, still in its paper, in foil and keep it in a tin for at least 5 days before cutting.

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A Few Notes

Five days in a tin, minimum. On day one it is not parkin.

Medium oatmeal, not flour. The texture is the point.

A low oven. Treacle burns fast.

Ingredient Swaps

  • No self-raising flour to hand? The common home substitute is the same weight of plain flour with 2 teaspoons of baking powder for every 150 g, sifted together well; the rise may not be identical to a bought self-raising flour.

Keeping What's Left

Wrapped in a tin for 3 weeks and best from day five. Freezes 3 months.

Yorkshire Parkin: Your Questions Answered

How long does Yorkshire Parkin take to make?

20 minutes of preparation and 1 hour of cooking, so at least 1 hour 20 minutes. The method also needs time for cooling completely, which it does not time, so treat that as a minimum. The recipe serves 12.

The Numbers per Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

404Calories
5gProtein
60gCarbs
16gFat
2gFibre
36gSugar
240mgSodium

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Compiled by Turab

Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.

First published ; last changed .