How To Make Soul Cakes
Today we celebrate the feast of…. All Souls Day.
A-Souling
In medieval England, the little children and the poor went “a-souling” on All Souls Day. They would go door to door and beg for Soul Cakes. If you received a Soul Cake, you were to pray for departed souls as a way to help decrease any suffering caused by the purification process.
“Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become manifest; for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”
1 Corinthians 3:12-15
A Commemoration of the Faithful Departed
The feast of All Souls Day commemorates the souls of the faithful departed. Baptized Christians that die with the guilt of sin upon their soul go through a cleaning process that Catholics call Purgatory. Catholics pray for the faithful departed and ask God to make them fit for the beatific vision of Heaven.
but nothing unclean will enter it, nor any one who does abominable things or tells lies. Only those will enter whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Revelations 21:27
Because souls in Purgatory cannot pray for themselves, the faithful on Earth will pray for them. When the souls of the faithful departed reach Heaven, they in turn will pray for us. Therefore, Catholics dedicate this day to prayer and remembrance. We hold Masses for our deceased loved ones on All Souls Day and many of us will visit and decorate the graves of our dearly departed loved ones.
Prayer for the Faithful Departed
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.
And let the perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God,
rest in peace. Amen.
Download Soul Cake Recipe
*Note: You must be logged in to save the recipe.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 1/2 cups All Purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup currants, optional
Preparation Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Cream the butter and sugar together.
- Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time.
- Sift the flour into another bowl with the cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice and then add to the butter, sugar and egg yolk mixture.
- Add enough milk to make a soft dough, similar to scones.
- Stir in the currants, if using.
- Roll the dough out and cut out little cakes with a biscuit cutter.
- Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
- With a knife, gently mark each cake with a little cross.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Cool on a wire rack.