Fresh Ginger Parkin Deep Spicy Sticky Cake From Nw England Recipes

FRESH GINGER PARKIN (DEEP, SPICY, STICKY CAKE FROM NW ENGLAND)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 140°C.
• Grease (I use butter) and line with baking parchment an 8 x 8inch square baking tin.
• In a large mixing bowl, sift flour, salt and ground spices together. Add oatmeal then mix to thoroughly combine. Make a well in the center and set aside.
• In a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt butter, sugar, treacle and syrup on a medium to low heat. Stir to combine here and there. Do not allow the mixture to boil!
• Once the mixture is deep and golden in appearance grate in the fresh ginger and lemon zest. Mix together, take off the heat and set aside.
• In a small dish lightly whisk the eggs together.
• Pour the melted butter mixture into the flour etc and beat to combine.
• Beat in the eggs in two steps followed by the milk and finally vanilla extract.
• Pour into the baking tin and bake for 1 hr 30 minutes. ( Although I use an oven thermometer, I check at 1 hr 20mins as my fan assisted oven is kinda keen).
• Allow to cool in tin for 15 mins then transfer to a cooling rack.
• DIFFICULT BIT. This is one of those cakes that tastes waaaaay better days after it has been made. So once completely cooled down, allow this to do its thing wrapped in parchment, then foil, and allow to sit untouched for three (yes 3!) days.

YORKSHIRE PARKIN - STICKY OATMEAL GINGERBREAD FOR BONFIRE NIGHT

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 170C/340F/Gas 3 to 4. Grease and LINE with baking paper a large roasting tin or Pyrex roasting/lasagne dish - I use a 9" by 14" glass dish for mine.
• Mix the flour, sugar, oats, ground ginger and chopped preserved ginger together in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan and then add the golden syrup and treacle, warm them through but do not allow them to boil.
• Pour the butter mixture from the saucepan into the well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Drop the bicarbonate of soda on top and then sprinkle the vinegar over the soda and watch it fizz.
• Meanwhile, add the milk to the butter and treacle saucepan and heat it up gently - not TOO hot, hand hot is fine.
• Add the milk to the ginger parkin mixture and mix thoroughly. It should be a fairly loose batter. Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin/tray and bake just above the middle of the pre-heated oven for 1 hour. (The parkin is cooked when it springs back when touched and is a dark brown with a sticky-ish surface.).
• Allow it to cool completely in the tin/tray, then cut into slices or chunks and store in an airtight tin for 2/3 days before eating. It can be frozen at this stage too. You can eat it straight away, but it is always better after 2 to 3 days!

BANANA GINGER PARKIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 160/325/Gas 3.Grease and line an 18 x 28cm cake tin (7 x 11").
• Sift together the flour,bicarb of soda and ginger,then stir in the oatmeal.Melt the sugar,margarine and syrup in a saucepan,then stir into the flour mixture.Beat in the egg and mashed bananas.
• Spoon into the tin and bake for about 1 hour or until firm to the touch.Cool in the tin,turn out and cut into squares.
• Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in just enough water to make a smooth,runny icing.Drizzle the icing over each square.