A soul cake is a small round cake which is traditionally made for All Saints Day or All Souls' Day to
celebrate the dead.[1] The cakes, often simply referred to as souls, were given out to soulers (mainly
consisting of children and the poor) who would go from door to door on Halloween singing and saying
prayers for the dead. Each cake eaten would represent a soul being freed from Purgatory. The practice
of giving and eating soul cakes is often seen as the origin of modern trick-or-treating. In Lancashire and
in the North-east of England they were also known as Harcakes.
Buttery Soul Cakes
You'll need:
Two sticks butter, softened
3 1/2 C flour, sifted
1 C sugar
1/2 tsp. nutmeg & saffron
1 tsp each cinnamon & allspice
2 eggs
2 tsp malt vinegar
Powdered sugar
Cut the butter into the flour with a large fork. Mix in the sugar, nutmeg, saffron, cinammon and allspice. Lightly beat eggs, and add to flour mixture. Add malt vinegar. Mix until you have a stiff dough. Knead for a while, then roll out until 1/4" thick. Use a floured glass to cut out 3" circles. Place on greased baking sheet and bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle with powdered sugar while the cakes are still warm.