Parkin/Gingerbread recipe please!

Thank you Patsy. I love sharing recipes . But because of my disability I make everything my way but it works . I know family and friends like my sweet and savoury bakes.

One of my craft group who doesn't bake brought in a recipe and asked me to make it . So it's in my notebook with my recipes named after her. Made it several times since for our treat at craft group.

Happy baking

As recommended, I’m saving the gingerbread until today, but I did have a taste and it was very good. Thank you for the apple cake recipe Whiff.

Apple cake recipe.
No idea where I got it from as I had written in the front of an old Marguerite Patten cook book when I got married in 1981. It's in ounces. So when I make it just change my scales to ounces. But my scales are an electronic Salter which had for decades.

8oz SR flour
4oz soft brown sugar
4oz butter or spread
2 medium or 1 large cooking apple Bramley is the best.
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of honey.

I have a friend who is allergic to honey so when I make it for her I use golden syrup. Either works well. To be honest I don't measure and just give a good squeeze of either honey or syrup.

2lb lined loaf tin
170° fan 40-45 mins but until the knife comes out clean.

Put everything except apple into a bowl and mix. I use electric hand blender.

Peel,core and cut up the apple . I can't cut very well so my pieces end up all shapes and sizes but that doesn't matter.

Mix well. And spoon into tin and bake .
Leave in the tin for 10 mins then put on cooling rack. As soon as cold can be eaten will keep in air tight tin or plastic container.

If you don't like apple . I make a version using 250g of fresh blueberries just washed and dried . Same method just stir in blueberries in at the end same as apple . Cooking time the same .

Hope you like it.

Picture is off my tomato chutney I made yesterday 9 and three quarter of pound. It was made my easy way everything in pan once simmer just sat and read stirring every 10 mins .

Making Parkin today.

I’ve just taken your gingerbread recipe out of the oven Whiff. I’m putting a thin layer of lemon icing on top too. Thank you. Looking forward to the apple cake recipe. 😋

I use a fan oven SueDonim but every oven is different. Hope you enjoy the cake.
Have an easy apple cake recipe I will post another day.

Perfected my millionaire shortbread this week . My first attempt while tasting great wasn't MS. But this was.

I’ve just tried your first recipe, Whiff. It smells delicious! It took nearer an hour than 40mins but that’s ok as I also cooked our tea in the oven and it’s made the kitchen nice and cosy.

Here's a recipe for my mom's fatless tea bread but her's contained sultana and raisins .But this is my version

I use a 400ml mug . But as long as you use the same size mug whatever you have is fine.

1lb loaf tin lined.
Oven temp 160°
225g dried fruit I use cranberries,cherries and blueberries.
Or what you like .

Put into a mixing bowl.
Make half a mug of tea using 2 tea bags. Not fruit or herbal tea.
Tip onto the fruit with the tea bags . Give a good stir. Leave overnight. Remove the tea bags and squeeze them to get all the liquid out .

Then stir in full mug of SR flour make sure the mug is full and leveled off the top.

Half mug of brown sugar light or dark .
Rounded teaspoon of mixed spice.
I medium egg.

Give every a good mix . Put into loaf tin. Bake 50-60 mins. Once cold. Wrap in baking paper put into tin or plastic container with lid. Leave until next day to cut or better still leave 2 days. It will get sticky due to the reaction of the sugar and fruit. Tastes great by its self but also lovely with some spread or butter and jam if you fancy it.

Never tried to make this, thanks all for the recipes and tips

I was going to make Delia Smith's Parkin recipe. But found Nancy Birtwhistle's recipe so going to make that instead . In her recipe she says you don't have to buy fine oatmeal just blitz some porridge oats to fine . Woman after my own heart always a different way to do things.

Hellogirll:
Thank you Shelflife, I was born and bred in Yorkshire, raised on regular helpings of parkin ..

I too am from Yorkshire, but have lived in the south for a number of years. I haven't heard of Parkin in the south. There are lots of foods we have in the north that you don't find in the south

Good thread, thanks everyone.

Ooh, that sounds lovely, Patsy. Will have a look at the website. There are so many recipes out there it’s good to get some personal recommendations.

Might try that later Whiff. I make a sticky stem ginger cake, with lemon icing, which is very popular with the family. It’s a BBC Good Food recipe.

Reporting back after our coffee and cake tasting session! A delicious everyday sort of cake, not too gingery and quite light. Thank you, Whiff. Will now have a go at Shelflife’s recipe as something inside me hankers for that old-fashioned dark sticky stuff of our childhood! Presume that’s the black treacle? Is that what they put in that dark bonfire toffee? Do you think my ancient tin of black treacle will still be ok? Had it years and not sure what I ever used it for! Having fun baking and tasting, that’s for sure!

Ah, I understand now, thanks for clarifying that, Whiff. It did look just fine when it came out of the oven but I’ll know for next time. We’ve agreed to hold off on the tasting til tomorrow so it’s all wrapped up and out of temptation’s way til then! Thank you for replying so promptly, doesn’t take much to throw me into a panic with baking! I’m fine with cooking, just not baking - all seems a bit too scientific. I’ll report back when we’ve done the taste test.

Pigma I should have written it better one and half level teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda. I always my half teaspoon measure and make sure it's level.
The amount you used will be fine. Once cold if your husband wants a piece he should have one. But when he tastes it tomorrow it will be more tasty as the ginger will be stronger in taste.

Whiff - just made your cake, it’s in the oven right now. Referring back to your recipe, I used one and a quarter spoons of bicarbonate of soda, hope that’s right as my spoons measure in quarter, half or a full teaspoon. Smells delicious so I hope that’s right. Is it vital to keep til the next day? Hubby is looking very hopeful having scraped out the bowl and declared it delicious, he may not be able to wait til tomorrow!!

Moonwatcher glad you like it. Everything I do I adapt to make them easy because of my limitations. Only 2 things I can't make that's muffins always come out like rubber balls. And Swiss roll which always cracks and is dry.

Going to try some gluten free cakes using gluten free flour I have 2 friends who can't have gluten. So will be a learning curve.

I did wonder if oats would give a different texture which is why I asked the question. I’ve found recipes by Drlia, Mary Berry and Good Housekeeping that use oatmeal so don’t think it can just be American and I have seen it in the shops locally but didn’t really want to buy it specially if I could use oats which I already have. Anyway, thanks to the recipes posted here I can make something nice and seasonal using neither! Now there’s no pressure I can take my time and have a play. Will report back on the results of my endeavours.

My (Yorkshire) mum's parkin recipe definitely uses oatmeal!
Oats just wouldn't give the same texture.

In recent years she has got very annoyed because it is no longer readily available in the local supermarkets all year round like it used to be.

Whiff I made your recipe today and it's delicious and very easy to make.

This has made me want to make parkin and ginger cake, so I went to find my mother's old cookery books. I have 'Yorkshire Cookery', published by Dalesman Books in 1974 and 'Yorkshire WI Recipe Book' (Through Yorkshire's Kitchen Door) from the 1960s or early 1970s. They each have a recipe for parkin and both have oats in them.

Found recipe will bake it ready for 2 weeks but bake it days before as it says to keep it. I bake every 2 weeks. It was lemon drizzle this week.

Pigma you may have to make 2 if there are any vegetarians.

I will have a go at Delia's recipe Granva. I can use my craft group as taste testers. Made mango chutney this morning by my way . Like everything I cook plenty of short cuts.