Getting soulful for Halloween

To celebrate the (almost) holiday of Halloween, I am starting the cooking experience with a nod to all hallows eve. For this week’s challenge I am going to be making ‘Soul Cakes’. 

With Halloween just around the corner, the greengrocers and superstores are packed to the roof with an array of Pumpkins, ready to be carved and stuffed into pies. You’d be forgiven for thinking that this was the traditional Halloween nibble but I’ve discovered that Halloween edibles have originated a little closer to home. 

The earliest form of Halloween food is actually ‘soul’ cakes, which are a Celtic concoction of dried fruit, cinnamon and mixed spice.
 

During the nineteenth and early 20th centuries these flat, round cakes were given to children and the poor who would go door-to-door singing and saying prayers for the dead, this later evolved into ‘trick or treating’. Read on to find out how to make these delicious hallows treats and also to see how well mine turned out.  

This recipe was sourced from all recipes. 

All the ingredients you need to make the Soul Cakes:

375g flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp nutmeg 

2 tsp mixed spice 

185g butter (at room temperature = soft) 

155g caster sugar

90g currants 

90g sultanas 

1 egg and 125ml milk

 

 

Ingredients needed to cook up a ‘treat’                                                               

 

Preparation method:

1.   Preheat oven to 220 C / Gas 7. Grease baking tray or line with parchment.
2.   Sieve dry ingredients into a medium-sized bowl. Rub in the butter. Mix in the sugar, currants and sultanas.
3.   Make a well in the centre and add the egg and milk. Mix in well until you have a firm batter.
4.   Using a dessertspoon and fork, spoon the mixture onto greased trays. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in preheated oven.

What I thought: “These cakes were very easy to make, cheap and tasty. The majority of the cakes came out perfectly apart from the last one to go into the oven, sadly this one was forgotten about and came out of the oven like charcoal. Apart from that, the cakes were lovely, especially warm and are a perfect way for heating up those Autumn nights”. 

  The final result  

 

 

 

The one that didnt make it

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Here are some of the responses to my version of the Soul Cakes: 

Juliette, 24, Cardiff 

“They were delicious and a great alternative treat for Halloween. Were lovely warm with butter and jam”. 

Delyth, 24, Llantrisant 

“Bit too sweet for me, but smelt lovely and looked really easy to cook”. 

Good luck with your cakes and happy cooking! 

xx 

 

Read Full Post »