Soul Cakes
Soul cakes are a Christian Hallowtide tradition dating to the medieval period in England, Wales, and Ireland. They were baked for All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days. On those days, adults and children would go knocking door to door, offering their prayers for the household’s deceased loved ones in exchange for the cakes plus other treats like apples and wine. “Soulers” would carry with them hollowed out turnip lanterns with a candle inside, to represent a soul trapped in purgatory. Some soulers dressed up as saints or spirits. These pious (if sometimes raucous) customs came to the U.S. with Catholic immigrants and developed into the American customs of jack-o-lanterns and trick-or-treating. Soul cakes are like a cross between a scone and a shortbread biscuit. They are heavily spiced, sweetened with currants or raisins, and marked with a cross on top. We bake them each year and take them to the cemetery with us on All Souls’ Day, to exchange with friends who meet us there to pray for the dead.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter softened (1½ sticks)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 ⅓ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅔ cup raisins
- 5 Tablespoons buttermilk or milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F. In a mixer or by hand, cream the butter and sugar together and then beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. (Note: Egg whites can be frozen for later use.) Sift the flour into another bowl with the spices. Add the dry mixture—a bit at a time—to the wet mixture, mixing to combine. Mix in the raisins and add the buttermilk by tablespoons as needed to make a soft but slightly crumbly dough, similar to scones. Roll the dough out to half-an-inch thick and cut out the cakes with a 2 ½ inch diameter cutter or drinking glass. Use the back of a table knife to mark each cake with a cross all the way across the top. Place them on a greased or lined baking sheet. Bake the cakes for about 15 minutes, or until browned on the edges. Cool on a wire rack and then store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Exchange them for prayers with friends and neighbors. The Holy Souls will thank you for it!