In the week or two leading up to Bonfire Night we used to eat Parkin Pigs, which were similar to gingerbread men but in the shape of a pig. These are a traditional Yorkshire delicacy! As soon as the parkin pigs were on sale, I used to look forward to eating my Grandma's parkin. Parkin is a ginger cake which originated in the North of England, most likely Yorkshire, my neck of the woods. It's traditionally eaten on Bonfire Night, November 5th. I wanted to try and recreate this scrumptious Parkin and make it suitable for the SCD. My son had created a coffee cake which was quite similar in texture and by altering this recipe slightly, the cake became one which is extremely similar to my Grandma's ginger cake and brings back so many memories for me!
My Grandma often wrote wonderful chatty letters to me. Below is her recipe for gooseberry jam which she included in a letter she wrote while I was still in hospital following the birth of my daughter.
And here is the original recipe for her wonderful sticky Parkin, with drops and splashes of mixture scattered all over it. Her original recipe is egg free and was developed during the war years, I believe.
Ginger Cake GF SCD
½ tblsp fresh ground coffee
120ml boiling water
180g pitted dried dates
3 eggs
300g ground almonds (almond flour)
120 ml honey
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 heaped tsps (or more) ground ginger (up to 2 tblsps)
1 heaped tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp sea salt
Set the oven to 160°C and line the base of a 20cm square loose based cake tin with baking parchment.
Pour the ground coffee into a cup, add the boiling water and leave to cool.
Pour the dates into a food processor and process until they become a sticky paste.
Strain the coffee through a coffee filter paper then pour on to the dates. Don't worry if a few of the grounds go in too. Add the honey and process until smooth.
Break the eggs into the bowl and process well.
Measure out the ground almonds, spices, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl.
Mix the dry ingredients together well then tip into the food processor. Process until it becomes a smooth batter. This is fairly thick bit add a little water if you think it is too thick.
Tip into the lined tin and smooth over the top.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the middle of the cake is firm and springs back when gently pressed.
Store in the fridge, wrapped in baking paper and foil. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
