Eat It - Soul Cakes
Halloween developed from ancient traditions that celebrated the start of a new year - Samhain to the Celts. Among these was the custom of offering food and wine to the spirits of the ancestors, who were said to visit again from the land of the dead on Samhain Eve.
Eventually, as with other pagan festivals and holidays, Christianity absorbed and adapted these customs. In AD 835, the Church made November 1st a religious holiday to honor the saints (All Saints Day, or All Hallows) and the following day, became a holiday to honor the souls of all the dead (All Souls). Instead of offering food and wine to the spirits of the ancestors, people baked treats which they offered to the poor and to each other and who would offer thanks for these gifts of food by praying for the souls of the deceased. In Britain, Souling would take place during the night before All Soul's Day and Soulers would travel from door to door begging for Soul Cakes and spiced ale in exchange for prayers and songs.
The tradition of baking Soul Cakes stretches back to this and beyond: the custom of making cakes/biscuits using harvest-time ingredients and cooking them in the shape and golden colour of the sun goes back far into history, perhaps as an offering to the gods of the harvest, perhaps simply as a way of celebrating the light and the warmth of the sun using the ingredients to hand. Whatever the origin of the Soul Cakes, they make an enjoyable Halloween treat.
Soul Cakes for All Hallows
Eventually, as with other pagan festivals and holidays, Christianity absorbed and adapted these customs. In AD 835, the Church made November 1st a religious holiday to honor the saints (All Saints Day, or All Hallows) and the following day, became a holiday to honor the souls of all the dead (All Souls). Instead of offering food and wine to the spirits of the ancestors, people baked treats which they offered to the poor and to each other and who would offer thanks for these gifts of food by praying for the souls of the deceased. In Britain, Souling would take place during the night before All Soul's Day and Soulers would travel from door to door begging for Soul Cakes and spiced ale in exchange for prayers and songs.
The tradition of baking Soul Cakes stretches back to this and beyond: the custom of making cakes/biscuits using harvest-time ingredients and cooking them in the shape and golden colour of the sun goes back far into history, perhaps as an offering to the gods of the harvest, perhaps simply as a way of celebrating the light and the warmth of the sun using the ingredients to hand. Whatever the origin of the Soul Cakes, they make an enjoyable Halloween treat.
Soul Cakes for All Hallows
- 6oz (175g) butter
- 6oz (175g) caster sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1lb (450g) plain flour
- 2 teaspoons mixed spice
- 4oz (100g) currants
- a little milk to mix
Pre-heat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 5/375F
Cream the butter and sugar together
Beat in the egg yolks one at a time
Sift the flour into a bowl with the mixed spice
Add the flour and mixed spice to the butter, sugar and egg mixture.
Stir in the currants.
Add enough milk to make a soft dough
Roll out the dough and cut out small rounds of the cakes with a biscuit cutter
Mark each cake with a cross
Place the cakes on a greased or lined baking sheet
Bake for 10-15 mins or till golden brown
Cool on a wire rack
Then enjoy with a cup of tea and keep some to hand out to this year's Soulers!
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