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How make Halloween soul cakes
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Vintage postcard courtesy riptheskull @ flickr.com
Before the modern custom of trick-or-treat began back in the 1930s, Halloween was celebrated in Britain by sending children door to door to beg for 'soul cakes', which were used as Christian prayer offerings for the spirits of the dead.
Halloween was 'cleaned up' for Christian consumption by the Catholic Church in England many centuries ago, but befoer that, 'soul cakes' were set out on the doorstep of each household as part of a pagan festival originally known by the Celts as Samhain.
'Soul cakes' are small cookie-like confections that usually contain mixed spices and either currants or raisins. The cakes were set out in pagan times as an offering to the fairy folk or the spirits of the dead, which were thought to be closest to earth on that specific day of the year.
Later, when Samhain was Christianized into All Hallow's Eve, the little cakes were baked with the shape of a cross pressed into the top. The children going door to door would sometimes sing for the little cakes. (See the traditional soul cake song at the end of this article.)
Today we associate door to door singing with Christmas, but in early times it originated as part of an attempt to make a pagan holiday palatable for Christian consumption.
With more and more people looking for alternatives to trick or treating, this might be a good time to try baking up a batch of soul cakes as part of a Halloween party or indoor celebration. Whatever you might think of Halloween and its religious origins, these little cakes are quite delicious, and go well with spiced cider, pumpkin pie, apples, and dark ale.
Soul Cakes
3/4 cups softened butter
3/4 cups white sugar
4 cups sifted white flour
2 eggs w/one egg yoke added (save the raw egg white in a separate bowl)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves or allspice
1/2 cup currants (or yellow raisins)
Cream the butter with the sugar and beat in the whole eggs and one yolk. Sift in the flour and spices and mix carefully, Fold in currants or raisins. Shape into small cakes (2 inches around) and arrange on a greased baking sheet. Beat the single egg white until frothy and brush the tops of the little cakes with the egg white. Press the shape of a cross into the top of each with a sharp knife and bake at 375 degrees until lightly browned.
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