Lancashire Parkin
Lancashire parkin is a traditional cake eaten on in parts of . Like many gingerbreads, it is baked into a hard slab. It then softens due to the hygroscopic properties of golden syrup.
- Time
- Prep: 15 minutes / Baking: 2 hours / Resting: 2 days
- Yield
- 32 slices
Ingredients
- 340 g (1 ½ cups / 12 oz) self-raising flour
- 340 g (1 ½ cups / 12 oz) oatmeal
- 220 g (1 cup or 8 oz) caster sugar
- 1 tbsp powdered ginger
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (optional)
- 440 g (2 cups / 16 oz / 1 lb) tin golden syrup (Tate & Lyle's brand preferred)
- 220 g (1 cup / 8 oz) hard margarine
Method
- Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F or gas mark 2).
- Warm the tin of golden syrup in a bowl of hot water.
- Mix together all the dry ingredients.
- Empty the golden syrup into a saucepan, and warm it gently without boiling. You can balance the tin over the pan by using two chopsticks.
- Melt the margarine into the syrup.
- Use the margarine wrapper to grease a 12-inch square baking tray (an 11x13 inch pan will also work). Line the tin with baking paper.
- Mix the hot syrup and fat into the dry ingredients. Stir thoroughly but quickly.
- Spread the dough into the baking tray. Put it on the bottom shelf of the preheated oven, and bake for 2 hours.
- Remove from oven, and turn the slab out from the tray onto a cooling grid. After an hour, cut into four, and store in a sealed tin for 48 hours to reach correct consistency. It can be eaten while warm, but it is better if it is stored at least overnight.
- Cut into long strips, getting between 8 and 12 slices from each quarter.