A Bonfire Night supper: parkin cake
A Bonfire Night supper: parkin cake
There’s something to really savour when it comes to Bonfire Night. Perhaps it’s because by then, we’ve all begun to embrace the darker days, the crisper air and the staying-put of our winter wardrobes for the foreseeable months. And so, come 5th November, the prospect of wrapping up and heading out into the evening to stand around crackling flames is a charmingly traditional one.
What better way to make the festivities even more enticing then than a belly full of seasonal fare? Our resident nutritional therapist and cook, Georgie Prowse, has been busy rustling up three new recipes just for Bonfire Night. Each one gluten free and needless to say – scrummy.
First up, one for the sweet-toothed: Parkin. Bursting with seasonal spices from fiery ginger to warming allspice, nothing could be better for cutting into chunks, wrapping in crinkled foil or crumpled parchment paper, and packing up with you to enjoy as you stand under the stars.
Parkin cake
Makes enough for: 16 slices
Put aside: 15 minutes for prep and 45 minutes for baking
What you’ll need
200g self-raising flour gluten free
150g whole rolled oats gluten free
4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp allspice
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
A pinch of sea salt
200g butter
200g coconut sugar
150ml maple syrup
2 medium eggs free range
55ml whole milk or a plant-based alternative, like oat milk
What to do
1. Preheat your oven to 160°C and lightly grease and line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, oats, salt and spices and set to one side.
3. Next, put a saucepan on a gentle heat to melt the butter with the maple syrup and co-conut sugar. This should take about five minutes.
4. While the butter melts down, whisk together the milk and eggs in a separate small bowl.
5. As soon as the butter is silky smooth, pour it into the flour bowl and give it a good stir. Once it’s all blended, add in the beaten eggs and milk, and then stir thoroughly.
6. Now it’s time for the oven. Tip the Parkin mixture into the baking tin and leave it in the oven for 40-45 minutes. To check it’s ready, poke the centre with a cake tester (a chopstick or sharp knife work just as well) – it should come out clean. The sponge should also spring back when you lightly touch it.
7. Leave it to cool on a wire rack and then cut it up into 16 square chunks.
You could always…
Make this ahead, because the longer you leave it, the stickier it gets. So pop it in a cake tin up to three days ahead of Bonfire Night and it’ll keep deliciously well.
