Fresh Ginger Parkin Deep Spicy Sticky Cake From Nw England Food

FRESH GINGER PARKIN (DEEP, SPICY, STICKY CAKE FROM NW ENGLAND)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 140°C.
• Grease (I use butter) and line with baking parchment an 8 x 8inch square baking tin.
• In a large mixing bowl, sift flour, salt and ground spices together. Add oatmeal then mix to thoroughly combine. Make a well in the center and set aside.
• In a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt butter, sugar, treacle and syrup on a medium to low heat. Stir to combine here and there. Do not allow the mixture to boil!
• Once the mixture is deep and golden in appearance grate in the fresh ginger and lemon zest. Mix together, take off the heat and set aside.
• In a small dish lightly whisk the eggs together.
• Pour the melted butter mixture into the flour etc and beat to combine.
• Beat in the eggs in two steps followed by the milk and finally vanilla extract.
• Pour into the baking tin and bake for 1 hr 30 minutes. ( Although I use an oven thermometer, I check at 1 hr 20mins as my fan assisted oven is kinda keen).
• Allow to cool in tin for 15 mins then transfer to a cooling rack.
• DIFFICULT BIT. This is one of those cakes that tastes waaaaay better days after it has been made. So once completely cooled down, allow this to do its thing wrapped in parchment, then foil, and allow to sit untouched for three (yes 3!) days.

FRESH GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C (gas mark 4). Butter the bottom and sides of a 23cm springform or round cake tin with 5cm sides and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
• In a food processor fitted with the metal blade or with a chef's knife, chop the ginger until very fine. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix together the golden syrup, sugar, and oil. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, and pepper.
• In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil, then stir in the bicarbonate of soda. Whisk the hot water into the golden syrup mixture, then add the chopped ginger. Gradually sift the flour mixture over the golden syrup mixture, whisking to combine. Add the eggs and whisk until thoroughly blended.
• crape the batter into the prepared springform or cake tin and bake until the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed with a finger or a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 1 hour. Leave to cool completely. Run a knife around the sides of the cake to help loosen it from the tin. Invert the cake onto a plate, peel off the parchment paper, then re-invert it onto a serving platter.