Bonfire Night Parkin. When I was a child growing up in Yorkshire, Bonfire Night was a time for special treats - treacle toffee (also known as Bonfire toffee), sticky sweet toffee apples, piping hot, slightly charred potatoes baked in the smouldering ashes of the bonfire and my own particular favourite, parkin. At any rate, have a lovely Bonfire Night, see some fantastic fireworks, stay safe and, of course, eat lots of parkin. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the black treacle, honey, butter and sugar together, stirring, until the butter and sugar have dissolved.

The preparation is a bit different based on county, but they're both considered Parkin. Although I live in Lancashire county, I quietly lean towards the Yorkshire version. It's a busy time of year for outdoor celebrations. You can have Bonfire Night Parkin using 8 ingredients and 7 steps. Here is how you cook that.

Ingredients of Bonfire Night Parkin

You need 225 g of self raising flour.
It's 110 g of caster sugar.
You need 1 tsp of ground ginger (you can add more, if you like).
You need 1 tsp of baking soda.
Prepare 1 of egg.
Prepare 200 ml of milk.
You need 55 g of butter.
Prepare 110 g of golden syrup.

I love Bonfire Night, for me it's the start of winter proper. The traditional cake eaten on bonfire night is Parkin Cake, a sticky cake containing a mix of oatmeal, ginger, treacle and syrup. Other foods include sausages cooked over the flames and marshmallows toasted in the fire. In main town and cities, torch-lit processions are also popular on this night too.

Bonfire Night Parkin step by step

Preheat the oven to 150 Celsius. Line a 22cm/8 inch deep tray..
Sift together the flour, sugar, ginger, and baking soda..
In a small pan, melt together the butter and syrup..
Beat the egg into the milk..
Gradullay pour the syrup/butter into the dry ingredients. The mixture should look a little like dough..
Pour in the egg and milk. Stir until smooth, and pour into lined tin..
Bake for an hour, or until inserted skewer comes out clean..

The difference between gingerbread and parkin is parkin typically contains oats, while gingerbread does not. It should work well enough, though the texture of molasses is not quite as thick as that of black treacle. Try this one-pan pud/cake hybrid as an easy dessert for Bonfire Night, Halloween or cooler nights. Bonfire Night for me conjures up thoughts of campfire foods, muddy boots, faces lit up by fire light but most importantly 'Yorkshire Parkin'*. It's the best thing about bonfire night if you ask me.