The only way I seem able to keep up with the insanely quick passing of the seasons at the moment is when Betty’s alerts me to their new seasonal offerings.
Right now, their autumn line (which is not to be confused with their Halloween line, launching in early October) has been rolled out in the physical shops as well as online and consists of a marzipan and sponge ‘cauliflower’ and two seasonal loaf cakes.
I picked up all three items to try from the York location this week.
First up: the cauliflower. Upon initial inspection, I was worried that it was going to be dry and heavy, as the marzipan on the outside seemed fairly thick. Oh how wrong I was. In true Betty’s style, the marzipan was substantial and yet not overly sweet and had managed to keep the cake inside perfectly soft and moist.
The inside was reminiscent in flavour to their classic fondant fancies (IYKYK), but the whimsical cauliflower exterior gave it a really fun appeal.
Next up: the sticky toffee loaf cake. Again, I was a little skeptical as to how good a plastic-wrapped loaf cake could be. Why I haven’t yet learned to trust in the power of Betty I have no idea, but again, I was amazed at how deliciously gooey this cake was for something that was made to last on a shelf for a couple of weeks.
It had caramel running through the cake, similar to a drizzle cake style, and the icing was pleasingly thick. It was testament to how good this was that the pieces disappeared far too quickly and my husband and I were both disappointed that it was finished.
Then: the parkin. As a Lancashire girl originally, I am aware that there is contention around who invented parkin and who does it best (Lancashire vs Yorkshire). I like my Parkin to be sticky and dense, with a real sense that perhaps a little too much treacle and syrup has been used in the recipe. Parkin, IMO, should get stickier the longer it sits, so I was hoping that a loaf cake that had been made in advance would be just like this.
Sadly, it wasn’t. It was a little too crumbly for my liking (although not dry, I do want to stress that). The spice flavours were complex and delicious, but I definitely couldn’t have managed more than a small piece of this. It is better suited as an accompaniment to a brew (but make sure you’ve got a plate because, again, crumbly). If you want a stickier version of parkin, you can try my recipe here.
Overall thoughts: the marzipan fondant fancies are always great at Betty’s; they have perfected the art of those over so many years. And I was pleasantly surprised by the freshness and heft of the loaf cakes. The sticky toffee loaf cake has definitely got me intrigued now to try the other flavours (chocolate cake and carrot cake), but I am still on the lookout for the parkin of my dreams.
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