Parkin

Nov 6, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Cakes cupcakes Easy

A dark, dense ginger cake made with oatmeal, black treacle and golden syrup, which give it a nubbly texture and deep bittersweet flavor. Wrapped and left for a few days, it softens and turns wonderfully sticky. Makes 16 pieces in about 3 hr 20 min.

Prep 15 min

Cook 60 min

Cooling 1 hr 5 min

Total 3 hr 20 min

Yield 16 pieces

Ingredients

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pieces

½ cup (125 g)unsalted butter
5 tbsp (100 g)black treacle, or dark unsulphured molasses
⅓ cup (100 g)golden syrup
½ cup (100 g)dark brown sugar, packed
1 ¼ cups (150 g)all-purpose flour
1 ⅔ cups (150 g)medium oatmeal, or quick-cooking oats pulsed briefly in a food processor
2 ½ tsp (6 g)ground ginger, 1 tbsp
½ tsp (1 g)ground nutmeg, 1/2 tsp
1 tsp (5 g)baking soda, 1 tsp
1 pinchsalt
1 (50 g)eggs, large, beaten
¼ cup (60 ml)whole milk

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Instructions

Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Butter the square baking pan and line it with parchment.
Put the unsalted butter, black treacle, golden syrup and dark brown sugar in a saucepan and warm over low heat, stirring, until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, 4 to 5 minutes; do not let it boil. Cool for 5 minutes.
Whisk the all-purpose flour, medium oatmeal, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
Pour the warm treacle mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until combined, then beat in the egg and whole milk to make a loose, glossy batter.
Pour into the pan and bake until risen, firm to the touch in the center and a skewer comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, 50 to 60 minutes.
Cool completely in the pan on a rack, about 1 hour. Lift out, cut into 16 squares, or wrap the whole uncut cake in parchment and foil for 2 to 3 days before cutting for the classic sticky top.

Tips

Warm the syrup mixture gently; boiling it makes the parkin hard and tough.
It is good the day it is baked but much better after resting wrapped for 2 to 3 days, when it turns soft and sticky.
Grease the measuring cup or weigh the treacle and syrup straight into the pan to save mess.
Good with wensleydale cheese and a cup of strong tea.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make parkin?

Plan on 15 minutes of prep and 1 hour of cooking, plus 2 hours 5 minutes to rise and rest. The recipe makes 16 pieces.

How should I store parkin?

Wrap well and keep in an airtight tin at room temperature up to 2 weeks; it grows stickier as it keeps.

Can I make parkin ahead?

It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.

Parkin is the oatmeal-and-treacle ginger cake of northern England, especially Yorkshire, traditionally baked for Bonfire Night on November 5 and kept wrapped for days until it turns sticky. Serve it with wensleydale cheese and a cup of strong tea.

Variations

Individual portions: bake in a 12-cup muffin pan lined with papers for 22 to 25 minutes.
Orange-zest version: add 1 tbsp (5 g) finely grated orange zest with the egg; bake time unchanged.
Lancashire-style lighter parkin: use 200 g (2/3 cup) golden syrup and no black treacle; bake time unchanged.
Stem ginger parkin: fold in 50 g (1/3 cup) finely chopped crystallized ginger with the milk; bake time unchanged.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 16 servings this recipe makes.

167 Calories / serving

7.0g Fat

24.6g Carbs

1.8g Protein

16.1g Sugar

Whole recipe (16 servings): ~2672 cal · 112g fat · 394g carbs · 29g protein · 258g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.