RECIPE | STICKY MARMALADE PARKIN

I LOVE GINGERBREAD.

A Jamaican ginger bread loaf never lasts very long when I'm around so I thought I'd attempt to make my own. What better though than to put a Northern twang on it by making a batch of Yorkshire's very own Parkin. Parkin is made with treacle and oatmeal, giving it its own special flavour. I however did not have any oatmeal in so I used a mix of oats and oatbran for more texture. As always I like to add my own little twist to my cakes and decided to add some marmalade to the cake and to also add a generous glaze of sticky and syrupy marmalade on top. Extra YUM!

STICKY MARMALADE PARKIN

Ingredients:

Cake:

125g Golden Syrup

100g Treacle

2tbsp Marmalade

100g Soft Brown Sugar

190g Plain Flour

1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

2tsp Ground Ginger

1tsp Cinnamon or Mixed Spice

100g Butter

200g of Medium Oatmeal/Oats/Oatbran

1 Egg

1tsp Vanilla Essence

100ml Milk

Sticky Topping:

2tbsp Marmalade

2tbsp Golden Syrup

1tbsp Treacle

2tbsp Icing Sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 170 and grease and line a square or rectangular deep cake tin.

2. Place the syrup, treacle, marmalade and sugar into a pan on a low heat until melted. Leave to cool.

3. In a bowl, sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon/mixed spice and then rub the butter into the mixture. Stir the oatmeal into the mixture. Add the melted ingredients, the egg and the milk and stir until combined.

4. Pour the mixture into the baking tin and place on the middle shelf of your oven to bake for 50-60 minutes.

5. When the cake is baked. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Place all the ingredients for the sticky topping into a pan and warm on a low heat. When the mixture thickens, remove from the heat and brush all over the exposed surface areas of the cake. Leave to set before eating.

* Did you know that Parkin tastes better the longer you leave it?

3-4 days stored in an air tight container is the recommended storage time before eating but I bet you'll struggle to even keep it for a day!

RECIPE | STICKY MARMALADE COURGETTE LOAF

Well hey there, would you look at that...another baking delight incorporating that funny green vegetable.

This one LOOKS and TASTES incredible and is also ridiculously easy to make.

STICKY MARMALADE COURGETTE LOAF

Ingredients:

Cake:

175g Self-Raising Flour

1tsp Baking Powder

150g Brown Sugar

150g Butter

3 Eggs

2tbsp Milk

1tsp Vanilla Essence

200g Grated Courgette

Zest of 2 Oranges

Sticky glaze:

3tbsp of your favourite Marmalade.

40g Caster Sugar.

Juice + Zest of 1 Orange.

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin.

2. Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy.

3. Add the eggs individually until they are mixed in well.

4. Add the flour and baking powder to the mixture, followed by the grated courgette, orange zest and milk.

5. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and place on the middle shelf of your oven for 50-55 minutes.

6. To make the syrup: Heat the juice and zest of the orange in a pan and add the marmalade and sugar. Cook on a very low heat until a nice gloopy syrup forms.

7. Whilst the cake is still hot, take a skewer and jab the cake until your heart is content (this makes the cake extra moist as you are making nice little holes for the syrup to delve into).

8. Pour the sticky glaze over the loaf whilst it is still in the tin. Leave until cool and then remove it from the tin.

Even Paddington Bear would be proud.