One of the most delightful things about reading The Lost for Words Bookshop was discovering what Parkin Cake is.
I love books set in different places, and a large reason why is that they allow me to discover new cuisines.
A “Parkin” is repeatedly mentioned in The Lost for Words Bookshop as something that Loveday and her mother would bake together for her father. Baking a Parkin carries supremely happy memories for our heroine before everything started to go very wrong in her world.
I’d never heard of a Parkin before, so, of course, I Googled it right away.
Turns out, a Parkin is a cake primarily found in the Yorkshire region of England, where The Lost for Words Bookshop is set.
Given the treat’s significance in the book, as well as the fact that it’s a brand new cake recipe, I knew I had to make a Parkin cake for my book-inspired recipe.
I decided to use a recipe I found online for a Parkin, though I had to do some improvising since the original version calls for a few ingredients I can’t readily find in America, like treacle and golden syrup.
I substituted molasses and corn syrup, and while I have no idea what a traditional Parkin cake tastes like, I think my Americanized version came out pretty good!
Because of the molasses and ginger called for in the recipe, I expected the cake to taste similar to gingerbread, or even the Molasses Blueberry Cake I made a few weeks ago, but this Parkin ended up being a taste and experience all its own!
Making a Parkin Cake was a culinary adventure, albeit an exceptionally simple one. I’m a huge fan of easy-to-make cakes, and this one fit the bill.
First of all, you mix up the ingredients in…a sauce pan. Yup, you heard me.
You melt butter and all the sugary ingredients on the stove, then stir in the remaining dry and wet ingredients. The mixture is a delightfully molten and gooey mess, which then bakes up golden brown into a buttery, thick crumb, fortified by the chewy bits of oats mixed into the batter.
Given the sugar and corn syrup going into the batter – and how sugary the mixture smelled before I baked it off – I expected the Parkin Cake to turn out insanely sweet.
However, it was just the opposite. The flavor is surprisingly mild, more reminiscent of a honey cake, with a simple, light sweetness and faint touch of spice from the ground ginger.
This is also the first time I’ve been told to wait days before serving a cake.
According to the instructions, you’re supposed to bake the Parkin ahead of time, then wrap it up and leave it to sit for three to four days. This creates a soft, sticky, and slightly caramelized topping on the cake that you can really sink your teeth into.
Needless to say, Parkin Cake is the ultimate make-ahead dessert.
If you’re looking for a different dessert to surprise your guests with this holiday season, I recommend the Parkin Cake. You can use the original recipe, found here, or you can use the “Americanized” version I created below, which uses U.S. measurements and ingredients.
Parkin Cake
Ingredients
- 14 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup dark corn syrup
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 2/3 cup self-rising flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 egg, beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Spray an 9x9 square cake pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the flour, oats, and ginger in a medium bowl, then set aside.
- Crack the egg into a small bowl, whisk lightly, then set aside.
- In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the butter, corn syrup, molasses, and brown sugar, stirring constantly. Adjust heat as necessary to make sure mixture is heated through but does not start bubbling.
- Once butter is melted, sugar is dissolved, and all ingredients are thoroughly combined, remove pan from heat.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the warm sugar mixture until thoroughly combined.
- Add the milk and stir to combine.
- Add the beaten egg and stir to combine. **
- Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean and the top is firm to the touch.
- Remove cake from oven and let cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil to let sit for 3-4 days.
- To serve, remove wrappings and slice into small squares. If you've refrigerated the cake, let it come to room temperature or warm it up before serving.
I definitely like the idea of a make ahead cake since the day I want something is not always the day I have time to make something.
Agreed! Especially with the holidays around the corner. I love serving homemade cakes, but sometimes I just don’t have the time to make, like, three cakes the day before I’m entertaining. A make-ahead dessert that’s SUPPOSED to be served later in the week?? BINGO.
Yep, never heard of this before and can’t believe it is supposed to sit for several days. Very interesting and helpful for us plan ahead types! Thanks for educating me!
Bonus: After I made the cake (and took all my photos), I froze it because, well, I had a surplus of desserts at my house at the time, haha. I microwaved a frozen square the other day to have with some tea, and it still tasted so fresh and moist. Amazing.