Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Melted Syrup Base
- 115 g unsalted butter, diced
- 150 g black treacle, room temperature
- 100 g golden syrup, room temperature
- 100 g dark muscovado sugar, packed
Dry Ingredients
- 150 g medium oatmeal
- 150 g all-purpose flour, sifted
- 10 g ground ginger
- 2 g ground cinnamon
- 1 g ground nutmeg, freshly grated
- 4 g baking powder
- 3 g bicarbonate of soda
- 2 g fine sea salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 60 ml whole milk, room temperature
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 231 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- 36 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 22 g
- Zinc
- 0.4 mg
- Water
- 24 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F) with a rack positioned in the center.
Line a 20 cm square baking tin with parchment paper, allowing an overhang of 2 to 3 cm on two opposite sides to assist in lifting later.
Combine diced unsalted butter, black treacle, golden syrup, and dark muscovado sugar in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring with a heatproof spatula until the butter melts and sugar dissolves completely.
Remove the medium saucepan from the heat source and let the warm syrup mixture cool for 5 minutes.
Whisk together the medium oatmeal, all-purpose flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and fine sea salt in a large mixing bowl until evenly blended.
Whisk the egg and whole milk together in a small bowl until fully emulsified.
Pour the warm melted syrup mixture from the saucepan directly into the dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl.
Stir the mixture with a heatproof spatula until the dry ingredients are roughly half moistened.
Pour the whisked egg and milk mixture into the mixing bowl with the batter.
Fold the batter with the heatproof spatula until thoroughly combined and uniformly glossy, stopping as soon as no dry pockets remain.
Pour the batter into the prepared 20 cm square baking tin and smooth the top into an even layer with the heatproof spatula.
Bake in the preheated oven at 150°C (300°F) for 50 to 55 minutes until the cake has risen slightly and a cake tester inserted into the center emerges clean.
Place the 20 cm square baking tin onto a wire cooling rack and cool the cake undisturbed for 30 minutes.
Grasp the parchment paper overhang, lift the cake gently out of the tin, place it directly onto the wire cooling rack, and rest until cooled completely to room temperature.
Slice the cooled cake into 12 even portions using a sharp chef's knife, wiping the blade between cuts for clean edges.
Chef's Notes
- Parkin is unique among ginger cakes because it dramatically improves with age. While enjoyable on day one, resting the cake uncut in an airtight container for 2 to 5 days allows the invert sugars in the black treacle and golden syrup to absorb ambient moisture, transforming a tender crumb into the signature sticky, chewy texture.
- Medium oatmeal is the critical defining ingredient. Do not substitute quick oats or rolled flakes; stoneground medium oatmeal provides the authentic toothsome bite and distinctively rustic structure characteristic of Yorkshire baking.
- When melting the butter, treacle, syrup, and muscovado sugar, keep heat strictly at low. Overheating caramelizes the syrups prematurely and risks scrambling the egg once combined.
- For an extra punch of ginger spice, fold in 30 grams of finely minced crystallized stem ginger alongside the liquid ingredients for sweet, pungent pockets throughout each slice.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 weeks — Wrap tightly in parchment and store in an airtight container. Ambient storage at room temperature in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks is also ideal, as it allows the syrups to develop the traditional sticky exterior.
Freezer: 3 months — Wrap individual portions securely in plastic wrap and freeze inside an airtight freezer container. Defrost at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before eating.
Reheating: To serve warm, heat a slice in an oven preheated to 150C (300F) for 5 to 7 minutes until heated through to an internal temperature of 74C (165F).
Troubleshooting
Cake turns out crumbly and dry instead of rich and sticky
Cause: The cake was overbaked, or cut and eaten immediately before the sugars and oats could mature
Fix: Wrap the uncut cooled cake tightly in parchment paper and store in an airtight tin for 2 to 3 days at room temperature to allow hygroscopic sugars to pull in moisture
Prevention: Check doneness at 50 minutes and remove as soon as a tester emerges clean; do not exceed 150°C (300°F)
Center of the cake sinks noticeably after baking
Cause: The oven door was opened prematurely, or leavening agents were overmeasured causing rapid rise and collapse
Fix: Cannot be fixed structurally, but the sunken section can be masked by slicing into squares and serving warm with custard
Prevention: Measure leaveners precisely on a digital scale and keep the oven door closed for at least the first 40 minutes of baking
Edges taste acrid or burnt
Cause: The syrup mixture boiled during melting, or the baking tin was too thin and scorched the sugars
Fix: Trim away scorched perimeter edges with a serrated knife before slicing
Prevention: Use low heat strictly to dissolve butter and sugar, and line the tin thoroughly with parchment paper
Cultural Context
Originating in Northern England, particularly Yorkshire and Lancashire, parkin is a historic oat, treacle, and ginger cake traditionally enjoyed during autumn and on Bonfire Night to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night. Developed by working-class communities using hardier regional crops like oats alongside imported black treacle, parkin was treasured for its economical ingredients and remarkable shelf life.
