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1 ½ cups medium oatmeal

¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon Mixed Spice

¼ teaspoon ground mace

¼ teaspoon salt

⅔ cups Black Treacle

¼ cup Golden Syrup

1 cup loosely packed brown sugar

6 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons lard

¼ cup candied/crystallized ginger

1 large egg

2 tablespoons whole milk

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1. Generously grease an 8x8 inch baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

2. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

3. Place the medium oatmeal in a large bowl along with the flour, spices, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

4. In a medium saucepan add the brown sugar, black treacle, golden syrup, butter and lard (if using).

5. Heat the mixture until the sugar is melted (don't boil it) and remove from the heat. Let it cool for 5 minutes.

6. Pour the hot mixture into the dry mixture and stir well to combine.

7. Add the candied ginger, egg and milk and stir well to combine. The batter will be liquid and sticky.

8. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake 70-80 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. The cake should be fairly firm but springy.

9. Let the cake cool in the pan.

10. Invert the cake onto a platter. Peel off the parchment paper. Cut the parkin into squares.

11. Place the squares in an airtight container and let it sit for at least 3 days before eating.

notes

An easy way to make “medium oatmeal” yourself is to take steel-cut oats (also known as Irish oats in the UK) and pulse them briefly in a food processor until they are broken down but not to a fine flour, you want some small chunks to remain which will be visible in the finished parkin and contribute to that wonderful chewy texture of the cake.

Many modern recipes for both versions cross regional lines and use some of each.  It comes down to personal preference.  We’re featuring a more traditional Yorkshire parkin that is heavy on the treacle/molasses with a little golden syrup, but feel free to adjust the black treacle to golden syrup ratio according to your preference.  If you’re not sure, go with less treacle and more golden syrup than what this recipe calls for – traditional Yorkshire parkin produces a very bold flavor that you may not be used to.