Happily, I’m taking another year off from any work on Thanksgiving. But, I am still itching to bake lately. A warm oven (cracked slightly to heat the house a bit), a sink of dishes, a shared spoon of batter between Nolan and me. That’s the kind of night I enjoy most.
This recipe started out as a practice parkin. I had seen the golden and brown cake on instagram from Alice Naylor-Leyland with her husband Tom. They were hosting a dinner to promote the Yorkshire town of Malton at Claridge’s (Vogue covered it here). I thought, considering I had the ingredients, I’d give it a go.
Baked in cast iron, I found the recipe too sticky. So I adapted it. Forced the parkin into a baked donut mold of a recipe. And added golden raisins for good measure. Thus, these cakes were born. A perfect little pick-me-up that’s treacly enough to sweeten your tooth, while light enough to keep room for turkey.
Holiday Cakes
Makes roughly 6-8 cakes / Prep: 10 minutes ; Bake: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cup AP flour
1/3 cup quick oats
1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg + 1 yolk
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup molasses
2 TB light corn syrup (or honey)
3 TB vegetable oil
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup strong coffee
1/3 cup golden raisins, candied ginger, or any other dried or preserved fruit
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*F
Grease your pan (I used a Lodge Mini Cake Pan, but you could easily use a muffin tin!)
In a large bowl, use a fork and mix together all dry ingredients (except your preserved fruits)
In a measuring cup, whisk together all wet ingredients until it’s a deep caramel color)
Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients
Use a rubber spatula and mix in wet ingredients into dry
Divide into your prepared pans
Bake for 25 minutes or until top is golden and slightly cracked
Allow to cool and enjoy. Can keep for up to a week in an airtight container (and tastes better that way!)
