Best Bakes for Bonfire Night 2022

The clocks may have gone back, the nights may be drawing in and Halloween may have been and gone but there's still more to look forward to in 2022 than just Christmas - Bonfire Night is just around the corner!

Also known as Guy Fawkes Night, Bonfire Night takes place on November 5th to commemorate a failed plot to assassinate King James I all the way back in 1605. In celebration of the king's survival, bonfires were lit around London and an annual day of thanksgiving was announced shortly after.

Today, people tend to celebrate the occasion for the opportunity to meet up with their nearest and dearest, enjoy a big, noisy firework display and gather round a roaring bonfire. But what's an evening around a fire without some food to go with it? Here are a few of our favourite Bonfire Night bakes for you to make at home and the best coffees to pair them with.

Parkin

There's no such thing as a ‘no parkin zone’ on November 5th; this warming ginger cake is the perfect snack to help keep the cold away on a chilly evening. Bake a few days in advance for best results!

Ingredients

To make 16 squares of parkin, you will need:

• 200g butter, plus extra for greasing

• 1 large egg

• 4 tbsp milk

• 200g golden syrup

• 85g treacle

• 85g light soft brown sugar

• 100g medium oatmeal

• 250g self-raising flour

• 1 tbsp ground ginger

First, heat your oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3, then butter a 22cm square cake tin and line it with baking paper. Beat the egg and milk together with a fork.

Next, slowly melt the syrup, treacle, sugar and butter together in a large pan until the sugar dissolves, then remove from the heat. Combine the oatmeal, flour and ginger and stir into the syrup mixture, followed by the egg and milk.

Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 50 mins until the cake feels firm and develops a slight crust on top. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin, then wrap in more baking paper and some tin foil. To make the parkin as soft and sticky as possible, keep it for between five days and two weeks before eating. Serve with a flat white for the ultimate smooth, warming treat combo.

Toffee apples

Ok, this one's technically not a bake, but what's bonfire night without toffee apples?!

Ingredients

To make eight toffee apples, you will need:

• 8 Granny Smith apples

• 400g golden caster sugar

• 1 tsp vinegar

• 4 tbsp golden syrup

Begin by placing the apples in a large bowl (or two large bowls) and covering them with boiling water. Dry thoroughly, remove any stalks and push a wooden skewer or lolly stick into the stalk end of each apple, then place on a sheet of baking paper.

Pour the sugar and 100ml water into a pan over a medium heat. Cook for five minutes until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the vinegar and syrup. Set a sugar thermometer in the pan and boil to 150C. If you don’t have a thermometer, test by pouring a little toffee into a bowl of cold water. It should harden instantly and, when removed, be brittle and easy to break. If you can still squish the toffee, continue to boil it.

Finally, quickly dip and twist each apple in the hot toffee until covered, letting any excess drip away, then leave on the baking paper to harden. Leave the toffee to cool before eating, then enjoy with a frothy latte for extra indulgence.

Cheesy loaves

Not everything has to be sweet on Bonfire Night. These savoury loaves are great for sharing and are the perfect counterpoint to all the other recipes' sugar.

Ingredients

To make eight cheesy loaves, you will need:

• 200g wholemeal flour

• 200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 2 tsp cream of tartar

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp caster sugar

• 25g butter, melted

• 300ml milk, at room temperature

• 175g cheddar, grated

• 3 tbsp pumpkin seeds

• 85g ready-roasted pepper from a jar, drained and chopped

Heat your oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5, then sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Combine the melted butter and milk, pour into the well, then mix to a soft dough.

Dust a work surface with flour, then add most of the cheddar, 2 tbsp of the pumpkin seeds and the chopped peppers to the dough. Gently knead to combine on the floured surface, then divide into eight lumps and shape into rough rounds two finger-widths deep.

Place the pieces side by side on a floured baking sheet, scatter the remaining cheddar and pumpkin seeds over the top and bake for 30 mins until golden brown and the cheese is bubbling. Cool on a wire rack and eat asap, ideally while still warm, accompanied by an espresso to perfectly match the sharpness of the cheddar.

S'mores

Cookies, marshmallows and chocolate collide in these sweet American classics that are easy to make and designed to be eaten fireside.

Ingredients

To make eight s'mores, you will need:

• 16 chocolate chip cookies

• 8 marshmallows

• 8 tsp chocolate hazelnut spread

Preheat your grill to high and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Put 8 cookies on the tray and top with a marshmallow. Grill until the marshmallow begins to brown and melt, then simply put a tsp of chocolate hazelnut spread on the other 8 cookies and sandwich on top of the melty marshmallow layer. Serve with a cappuccino to enhance the sweetness of the marshmallows and hazelnuts.

Celebrate Bonfire Night with Cafe2U

November evenings in the UK are usually pretty cold so a steady supply of hot drinks is a must if you're going to be outside on Bonfire Night. Contact your nearest Cafe2U van here and we'll deliver some straight to your gloved hands!

Best Bonfire Night Bites

If you're attending a party to celebrate Bonfire Night this year, you'll need something warm to get you through the cold, dark evening. And after 18 months of restrictions and lockdowns, why not push the boat out with some of these indulgent recipes?

Honey mustard hot dogs

A sweet, sticky twist on a delicious Bonfire Night staple that will keep you warm, fill you up and can be eaten on the go. If you don't eat any hot dogs on November 5th, you're doing it wrong. 

Ingredients

To make four hot dogs, you will need:

• 50g emmental cheese, grated

• 50g cheddar cheese, grated

• 3 tsp wholegrain mustard

• 1 tbsp honey

• 4 sausages

• 4 hot dog buns

Begin by cooking the sausages to the pack instructions, then heat your grill to high. Combine the cheeses, mustard and honey in a bowl. Split the hot dog buns, put a sausage in each and top with the cheese mixture, then place onto a baking sheet and grill for two minutes or until the cheese has melted. Best enjoyed next to a bonfire! 

Loaded jacket potatoes

Another classic of the Bonfire Night genre, jacket potatoes are as essential as sparklers. You can either prepare these at home or, better still, cook them by the bonfire.

Ingredients

To make this recipe, you will need:

• 4 baking potatoes

• 1 tsp olive oil

• 100g Gruyère cheese, grated

• 100ml half fat crème fraîche

• 60g pack of good quality ham, cut into pieces

• 3 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

Prick each potato with a fork and brush with olive oil, then wrap in tin foil and place near the edge of the bonfire (near enough that it will cook but not so close that it catches alight!) for 75 - 90 minutes or until soft. Alternatively, don't wrap the potatoes in foil and bake in an oven preheated to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 for the same amount of time instead.

Slice each potato in half, being careful not to cut all the way through. Remove the majority of the flesh and place into a large bowl with the cheese and crème fraîche, then mix until combined and season to taste. Add the ham and most of the spring onions, stir, then spoon back into the potato skins and top with the remaining spring onions. 

Bonfire toffee

This treacle toffee is the perfect Bonfire Night accompaniment whether you're celebrating with a small group or a large crowd.

Ingredients

To make bonfire toffee, you will need: 

• 450g dark brown sugar

• 125ml hot water

• ¼ tsp cream of tartar

• 115g black treacle

• 115g golden syrup

Start by lining the base and sides of a medium-sized tin with non-stick parchment paper and then grease with a little oil. Next, put the hot water and sugar in a pan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. DO NOT stir the mixture; if it needs moving around, tilt the pan instead.

Once the sugar has dissolved, add the remaining ingredients and a sugar thermometer. Bring to the boil until the temperature reaches 270/140℃, which should take approximately 30 minutes, then immediately pour into the tin and leave it to cool.  

Once cool, remove the toffee from the tin and break into chunks with a toffee hammer or rolling pin. 

Enjoy your Bonfire Night!

In addition to good food and good company, an evening spent standing outside in the cold also requires hot drinks, so get in touch with your nearest Cafe2U van here and let us deliver them direct to your bonfire!