Cookbook:Lancashire Parkin

| Cake

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.

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

Procedure

 * 1) Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F or gas mark 2).
 * 2) Warm the tin of golden syrup in a bowl of hot water.
 * 3) Mix together all the dry ingredients.
 * 4) 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.
 * 5) Melt the margarine into the syrup.
 * 6) 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.
 * 7) Mix the hot syrup and fat into the dry ingredients. Stir thoroughly but quickly.
 * 8) Spread the dough into the baking tray. Put it on the bottom shelf of the preheated oven, and bake for 2 hours.
 * 9) 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.
 * 10) Cut into long strips, getting between 8 and 12 slices from each quarter.