The Definitive Yorkshire Parkin

The History

Parkin is a soft, sticky gingerbread cake made with oatmeal and treacle. It originated in northern England (where oats rather than wheat was the staple grain for the less well-off) and is usually associated with the industrial West Riding of Yorkshire. 

Parkin is traditionally eaten on 5^th November, Bonfire Night (aka Guy Fawkes Night), when effigies of the unfortunate Yorkshire Catholic are burned on huge bonfires built by young children who spent the previous few weeks foraging for firewood. In some Yorkshire locales, this activity is known as progging; in others, people call it chumping.  

For those that need a refresher, Guy Fawkes was a member of a group of English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605, intending to blow up the Houses of Parliament. In times past, the effigy that was consumed by the flames of the community bonfires was usually of the Pope.

Parkin was such a staple of these celebrations that in 19^th century Leeds, November 5^th was known as Parkin Day.

Remember, remember!

The fifth of November,

Gunpowder, treason and plot;

I know of no reason

Why the Gunpowder treason

 Should ever be forgot!

and then ….

A penny loaf to feed ol' Pope

A farthing cheese to choke him

A pint of beer to rinse it down

A faggot of sticks to burn him

Burn him in a tub of tar

Burn him like a blazing star

Burn his body from his head

Then we'll say ol' Pope is dead.

The Ingredients

Golden Syrup (UK), Black Treacle (UK) and Molasses (US) are all liquid syrups formed during the refining of sugar cane. 

They vary in color and taste, depending on when in the process they are extracted.  Medium-strength molasses are the essentially the same thing as black treacle. Do not use Blackstrap molasses which would be too bitter. At a pinch, honey can be substituted for the Golden Syrup but never, ever, use corn syrup.

Half a pound of tupenny rice,

Half a pound of treacle.

That’s the way the money goes,

Pop goes the weasel.

Muscovado sugar.  This is an unrefined, soft, dark brown sugar with an intense molasses flavor.

Oatmeal.  After oat grains are de-husked, what remains are the seeds inside the husk or groats.   The oat groats may be then milled to produce fine, medium or coarse oatmeal.  Steel-cut oats (or pinhead oatmeal) are whole oat groats which have been chopped into pieces. Rolled oats are steamed and flattened groats. Most parkin recipes call for medium oatmeal which appears to be a uniquely British product.  If medium oatmeal is not available, there are several acceptable substitutes: (1) steel-cut oats which produce a fairly chewy parkin, (2) organic rolled oats or (3) rolled oats that have been lightly processed in a food processor or blender.

Flour.  It is better to use plain flour + baking soda rather than self-raising flour as (a) the rising agent in SR can expire and (b) it is easier to control the amount of leavening.  I have never tried whole-wheat flour but it’s worth a go.

The Recipe

 225 g plain flour
Pinch of salt
1 tbs ground ginger
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tbs baking soda (bicarb of soda)
225 g medium oatmeal
100 g unsalted butter
100 g muscovado sugar
175 g golden syrup
175 g black treacle
1 medium/large egg
3 tbs milk

1. Preheat the oven to 300 (F) or 150 (C).
2. Sift the flour, salt, spices and baking soda together in a large bowl.  Stir in the oatmeal.
3. Put the butter, sugar, syrup and treacle in another glass bowl and place over a saucepan of water.  Heat gently until the butter is melted and the sugar dissolved.
4. Beat the egg, combine with the milk and add to the flour/oats mix.
5. Pour the syrup mix over the flour/oats and stir. The resulting mixture should be fairly liquid.
6. Pour the mix into a 20 cm square cake tin which has been greased with butter and lined with greaseproof or parchment paper.
7. Bake for about one hour until firm to the touch.
8. Remove from the oven, cool on a wire rack, turn the cake out and wrap in foil for several days.