Soul Cakes: Simple, Historic & Warming

I was twenty years old when I ate my first soul cake. It was Halloween, and I was visiting the grandmother of my then partner. Her family were staunch Catholics, whilst I was raised a Protestant, in the Church of England (C of E). Well, I say 'raised' - unless we actively practice another religion, the English are all fairly much C of E by default whether we regularly attend church or not.

There was little that was different about our respective Halloween traditions. With one exception; the small, round cakes the grandmother baked to commemorate the occasion. She told me they were called 'Soul Cakes.'

What the cakes lacked for in size, they more than made up for in taste.

They were generously filled with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg - my taste buds exploded into life the moment I bit down into it, and my tummy instantly warmed as the spices worked their magic. It was the perfect antidote for a chilly, autumnal night. In fact, I can still taste it now, over twenty years later.

The top of the cake was decorated with a cross formed of raisins. Being an inquisitive sort of person, I asked why. In return I got a thoroughly enjoyable history lesson.

The grandmother explained that soul (or soul-mass) cakes were, traditionally, given out during the period we now commonly call Halloween but - historically - encompassed the three days of All Hallow's Eve, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day.

Across those three days, 'Soulers' would go from house to house, singing, and saying prayers, for the departed souls related to those who resided inside. Those souls could be those of family members, friends, or even pets. In return, the 'Soulers' would be given a cake, some of which had even been blessed by the parish priest.

The custom dates back to Pagan times, but was subsumed by the Catholic church during the Medieval age. Although it was primarily designed to commemorate the dead of that community, 'Souling' also served another purpose.

'Soulers' were often the poorest members of that village or town, and the soul cakes also doubled as 'alms' - charitable donations of foods. The cakes might have been small, but they could be the difference between a poor family starving, or not.

I was amazed I had never heard of this before. Doubly-so because, being a theatre student, it's a custom Shakespeare references more than once in his plays - whenever he mentions a beggar, he almost always says something about a cake, as well as name-checking Halloween. Now I understood why.

My partner's grandmother lived in a small village in deepest Lancashire, in the north of England, where the custom was still - largely - practiced. A few centuries earlier, the village had been a bastion of Catholicism; that faith may have lost adherents over the years, but many of its traditions, such as the giving of soul cakes, were still respected.

At the end of every October, she baked the cakes, and gave them out to the people who knocked on her door across those three nights.

Except, those people weren't the poorest members of the community anymore - they were children dressed as ghosts, ghouls, and monsters.

For, over the centuries, the 'Souling' tradition had evolved into what we now call 'Trick or Treating.' So, in addition to getting a delicious, home-baked cake, the lucky revelers in that particular village also now got a handful of chocolate.

As she told me this, part of me wished I had grown up in her village. I like candy, but I would've been more than happy to have received a flotilla of those cakes once a year.

That Halloween I dressed as Count Dracula, and helped my partner and her grandmother give out a cake, and some candy, to every child who rapped on her front-door. Given how many guests she had, the grandmother's cakes were obviously a popular local delicacy. Despite the official population of her village being given as under three hundred, we dispensed over five hundred cakes.

Something was certainly amiss there.

But, everyone was happy, and she didn't seem to mind in the slightest that the math didn't make sense. And, a few days later, my girlfriend and I returned to university, having not just learnt something, but also having had a hugely enjoyable time in the process.

It's a very, very good memory, but it's sat dormant in my mind until very recently, and was only stirred into life as I began to consider the rather bizarre shape Halloween will take this year. Normally, we'd have a small party. But, Covid has scuppered that.

As for Trick or Treaters? I know the citizens of Liverpool are hardy souls, but I think that a global pandemic will mean a postponement.

So, how could we celebrate Halloween? It was then that I remembered the soul cakes. We could bake soul cakes! They're not just tasty, they're not just a link back to a largely-forgotten past, with their explosive spices they're also wonderfully warming, ideal to snack on as the nights grow longer, and the weather slowly turns more wintry.

Luckily, the delicious treats are relatively easy to make.

Ingredients first:

1 cup of butter.

4 cups of flour.

1 cup of sugar .

1⁄4 of a teaspoon nutmeg.

1 teaspoon of cinnamon.

1 teaspoon of ginger.

1 teaspoon all-spice (optional).

2 large eggs.

2 teaspoons cider vinegar.

5 tablespoons of milk .

Raisins and / or glace cherries to decorate.

Ingredients assembled, let's begin:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. In one large bowl, mix the butter and flour together using a blender, or fork.

3. Add the sugar, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and allspice, and mix.

4. In a second bowl, beat the eggs, and then add the cider vinegar, and milk.

5. Slowly, add the contents of the second bowl to that of the first bowl, whilst gently stirring, until a thick dough has been formed.

6. Remove the dough, and knead it thoroughly.

7. Roll the dough - you want to have it approximately 1/4-inch thick.

8. Cut the dough into small, circular, 3-inch shapes.

9. Place the cakes on greased baking sheets, and prick several times with a fork.

10. Bake for 30 minutes.

11. Once cooked, decorate the top with raisins or cherries (in fact, it's Halloween - go crazy, and use candy if you wish).

12. Leave to cool at room temperature for one hour.

And there you have it - soul cakes.

They're delicious, easy to make, and touchstone to a custom we've largely forgotten.

I wish I could give them out to Trick or Treaters this year, but I know that's not going to happen. However, having rediscovered this tradition, I'm confident I'll get the chance next year.

In a year in which Halloween is going to be down-scaled, and very different, I'm more than glad I can introduce a little bit of fun, and a warming, delectable slice of history, into proceedings the form of the soul cake.

Happy Halloween!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you've liked what you've read, please check out my other stories and articles on Vocal - https://vocal.media/authors/christopher-donovan

If you've really liked what you've read, please share with your friends on social media.

If you've really, really liked what you've read, a small tip would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!