In the North of England parkin is the traditional cake for Bonfire Night, but I prefer gingerbread, and I love this recipe for Autumn.
I have added wholemeal flour for texture and stem ginger for more flavour. Stem ginger in syrup is available in jars.
You will need a 7in/18cm square deep cake tin and greaseproof paper to line it.
Ingredients:
- 175g (6oz) black treacle
- 50g (2oz) golden syrup
- 110g (4oz) margarine
- 5 fl.oz (¼pt) milk
- 2 eggs
- 110g (4oz) plain flour
- 110g (4oz) wholemeal flour
- 1 level teasp. bicarbonate of soda
- 1 level teasp. mixed spice
- 2 level teasp. ground ginger
- 50g (2oz) soft light brown sugar
- 25g (1oz) stem ginger
Icing:
- 110g (4oz) icing sugar
- 1 tablesp. syrup from the jar of ginger
- 3 pieces of stem ginger
Method:
Line the tin with greaseproof paper and grease it. Heat the oven to 150C/Gas 2.
Measure the black treacle and syrup: weigh a small saucepan then add the treacle and syrup using the appropriate weights.
Add the margarine to the pan and heat gently until the margarine melts. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the milk.
Beat the eggs and add them.
Sieve the dry ingredients into a bowl then stir in the syrup mixture, mix well and add the chopped stem ginger. Pour into the tin.
Bake in the centre of the oven for 1¼-1½ hours or until the centre is springy to a fingertip touch.
Leave in the tin for a few minutes before turning out.
Icing: mix the sugar with the ginger syrup and only enough water to make a consistency which coats the back of a spoon (2-3 teasp.)
Spread it on top of the cake allowing a little to run down the sides.
Chop the ginger and scatter it on the top.
Store in an airtight tin.