With 5 November looming, I baked a tray of traditional parkin to see if this old northern favourite still earns a prime spot beside the sparklers. The answer sits somewhere between childhood comfort and grown-up spice, with a price that nudges under a fiver and a texture that improves as the week rolls on.
Why parkin belongs on your Bonfire Night table
Parkin is not just ginger cake. It leans on medium oatmeal, black treacle and golden syrup for a dense, damp crumb and a slow burn of spice. Yorkshire and Lancashire households have served it around 5 November for generations. The flavour suits the season and the sticky chew pairs with cold air and hot mugs. You cut small squares and they travel well in pockets and lunchboxes.
Oatmeal makes parkin chew, not crumble. That single ingredient separates it from a standard ginger cake.
Modern Bonfire Night spreads often feature hot dogs and toffee apples. Parkin adds a sliceable, warming anchor. It also ages well, so you can bake before the big night and free the oven for jacket potatoes and sausages.
I baked one tin: texture, timings and the three-day wait
I used a classic formula: butter, syrup, treacle, soft brown sugar, oatmeal, self-raising flour, milk, egg and plenty of ground ginger. I melted the fats and sugars together gently. I stirred in the dry mix, then the egg and milk. The batter looked loose and glossy. The tin went into a low oven and came out firm on top after just under an hour. The aroma carried molasses and a hint of smoke from the ginger.
Bake today, eat on day three. The cake becomes stickier, darker and softer as the days pass.
Fresh from the oven, the top felt slightly crusty, which worried me. I cooled it, wrapped it well and left it. By day three, the square had transformed. Syrup had seeped evenly. The crumb felt pliant. The ginger sat forward, but the treacle grounded it. Warm slices with pouring cream felt fitting for a garden watch of fireworks. Cold slices with tea made an easy breakfast.
The method that keeps it tender
- Warm the syrup, treacle, sugar and butter only until the sugar dissolves; avoid boiling.
- Mix swiftly once the dry ingredients go in; overworking toughens the crumb.
- Line the tin and leave overhangs; it helps you lift the cake out cleanly.
- Wrap in baking paper and foil while still slightly warm; this traps moisture.
- Rest for 48–72 hours in a cool spot; flavour and texture develop over time.
What it costs in 2025 and how many it feeds
Prices vary by supermarket, but a single 22cm square tin came in at roughly the numbers below. I counted only the ingredients used, plus a realistic energy cost for a 60-minute bake.
| Item | Amount used | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 200g | £1.50 |
| Golden syrup | 200g | £0.80 |
| Black treacle | 85g | £0.40 |
| Light soft brown sugar | 85g | £0.25 |
| Medium oatmeal | 100g | £0.20 |
| Self-raising flour | 250g | £0.25 |
| Egg | 1 large | £0.30 |
| Milk | 60ml | £0.06 |
| Ground ginger | 1 tbsp | £0.30 |
| Energy + parchment | — | £0.44 |
| Total | — | £4.80 |
Cut into 8 squares, you spend about 60p per serving. Cut into 12, you drop to roughly 40p each. Both options travel well to a display or a back-garden fire.
Recipe at a glance for busy nights
Ingredients
- 200g butter, plus extra for greasing
- 1 large egg
- 4 tbsp milk
- 200g golden syrup
- 85g black treacle
- 85g light soft brown sugar
- 100g medium oatmeal
- 250g self-raising flour
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
Method
- Heat the oven to 160C, or 140C fan, gas 3. Line a deep 22cm square tin.
- Beat the egg with the milk. Set aside.
- Warm the butter, syrup, treacle and sugar in a pan until smooth. Take off the heat.
- Combine flour, oatmeal and ginger in a bowl. Tip into the pan. Stir until just blended.
- Stir in the egg mixture. Pour into the tin.
- Bake for 50–60 minutes until the top sets and springs back.
- Cool in the tin. Wrap and keep for 2–5 days before slicing if you can wait.
What makes parkin different to ginger cake
Ginger cake usually relies on plain flour and sugar for structure. Parkin brings in oatmeal. Oat particles hold syrup while keeping a little bite. Treacle adds depth that brown sugar alone cannot reach. The spice level sits higher. The result feels robust enough for outdoor eating.
Treacle gives parkin its smoky bass note; golden syrup brings shine and that sticky, toffee finish.
Smart swaps, storage and serving ideas
- No oatmeal at home? Pulse porridge oats in a blender to a medium grind and use the same weight.
- Like it darker? Swap half the soft brown sugar for dark muscovado.
- Gluten-free? Use certified gluten-free oats and a gluten-free self-raising blend, then check baking time.
- Vegan? Use a dairy-free baking block and replace the egg with 3 tbsp aquafaba or a flax egg.
- Keep wrapped and cool for up to two weeks; flavour deepens over time.
- Warm slices under foil for five minutes at 150C and serve with cream, custard or vanilla ice cream.
A quick plan if you want it perfect for 5 November
- 2 November: bake and wrap.
- 3–4 November: leave undisturbed to mature.
- 5 November, afternoon: cut into squares, pack in tins, add napkins.
- 5 November, evening: warm briefly or serve cold beside hot tea.
Nutrition and allergens to keep in mind
The tin holds roughly 4,000 kcal in total. Expect around 340 kcal per slice for 12, or around 510 kcal for 8. Butter and syrup drive most of the energy. Ginger adds warmth without heat. The cake contains gluten, dairy and egg unless you make the swaps above. Oats can bother a few people even when gluten-free; check labels if you need certainty.
History, tradition and why the wait matters
Parkin’s roots reach back to northern farmhouse baking. Oats were affordable and stored well, so cooks used them to bulk out flour and carry sweetness. The link to Bonfire Night likely strengthened as households marked the date with seasonal bakes. Chemistry helps the ritual. Syrup slowly migrates through the crumb after baking. The crust softens. Ginger volatilises and spreads. That is why day three tastes richer than day one.
Patience pays: three days of resting turns a decent traybake into a sticky, spiced keeper.
If you want to go further
Add a teaspoon of mixed spice for a rounder profile. Scatter chopped stem ginger across the batter for pockets of heat. Drizzle with a thin treacle glaze if you like shine. Leftovers work as a breakfast base under yogurt and stewed apples. Crumble slices into a trifle with custard and poached pears for a second act later in the week.
Hosting a crowd? Double the recipe, bake in two tins and stagger the oven shelves to keep heat even. Planning a display run? Wrap portions in parchment and foil to keep hands clean and the crumb warm. The bake tolerates travel, queues and a gust of cold wind without falling apart.
