PARKIN (can be gluten free)

 

Years ago I made Parkin using oatmeal for a Bonfire Night party and was disappointed with the result.  There was something slightly too gritty and serious about it - that's the best way I can describe it - not sweet or sticky enough.  I can't remember which recipe I used but do remember thinking that I probably wouldn't bother making any again!

The Parkin that my mum used to make every year for Bonfire Night wasn't really Parkin at all, it was just a plain but utterly delicious tray of ginger cake made to the Be-Ro book recipe.  You can read about that here.

Anyway, having been asked to make some for another Bonfire Night gathering I wondered what to do.  I have no idea if you can buy oatmeal as such in France so I set about finding an alternative recipe that was almost authentic but also like the sticky ginger cake we all love.  I came across one on the Sainsbury's Magazine website.

It was stunningly good.  Just like proper Parkin without the grit and with all the stickiness of a perfect ginger cake.  You can (for now) see the recipe here.  (These links do have a habit of disappearing.)

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A friend recently made some using Dove's Farm gluten free plain flour but it somehow went very wrong.  The mixture exploded over the edge of the tin and onto the oven floor.

So, I borrowed her bag of the same flour and tried it myself.  I didn't use my last two balls of preserved ginger as I didn't want to waste them if the mixture exploded for me too.  Instead I used an extra teaspoon of dried ginger and added half a teaspoon of mixed spice.

It came out perfectly!  I didn't get to taste it as I donated it back to my friend.  She has since reported back to say it was delicious and is keen to have another go.  I don't know what went wrong before but fingers crossed for her this time!

Ingredients

175g plain flour (gluten free flour also works)

125g porridge oats

200g caster sugar

1 tsp ground ginger

2 balls preserved ginger, finely chopped (said to be optional in the original website but it's well worth it)

200ml semi-skimmed milk

110g butter

2 tbslp golden syrup

Method

Preheat the oven to 150°C / 130° fan / gas mk 2.  Grease and line a 20cm square cake tin.

In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients.

Put the milk, butter and golden syrup into a small pan and heat gently until the butter has melted.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and beat with a whisk.  Add and whisk in the preserved ginger.

Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 45 minutes.

Cool in the tin and then cut into 16 squares.  It keeps well for several days and if anything improves with keeping.  Remember to line your tin or box for storing it with baking paper not foil as apparently (according to the website) it will stick to foil.

Cuts into 16 generous portions.