A precursor to the Halloween custom of trick or treating, the medieval English ritual of “souling” involved children and the poor going door to door, offering a prayer for the departed in return for a sweet soul cake. More biscuit than cake, these aromatic, delicately sweet crumbly baked treats have a timeless appeal. I’ve kept the tradition of including dried fruits in the dough and marking the biscuits with a cross. The addition of a little rum to the glaze, however, is entirely my own; if you’re baking for kids, just replace with apple or orange juice.
Soul cakes.Credit:William Meppem. Styling by Hannah Meppem
Makes 12
25g currants
25g sultanas
50ml rum or brandy
250g plain flour
1 tbsp mixed spice
1/4 tsp salt
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
100g caster sugar
finely grated zest of 1 large orange
2 egg yolks
30ml full-cream milk
For the glaze
80g icing sugar, sifted
1 tbsp (20g) softened butter
2 tsp rum
2 tsp water
1. Combine the currants, sultanas and rum or brandy in a very small pan and place over low heat until the alcohol has nearly evaporated (6 to 8 minutes depending on pan size). Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
2. Sift flour, mixed spice and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
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3. Place the butter, sugar and orange zest in the bowl of a cake mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes until light and creamy. Add the yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, add the sifted dry ingredients in three batches, followed by the milk and the dried fruit. Beat until the dough just comes together, then turn out onto a clean bench – it will be quite soft – and knead lightly for a few seconds to form a ball.
4. Place the ball between two sheets of baking paper, press to flatten slightly, then roll evenly to a thickness of about 1cm. Keeping the dough between the baking paper, transfer to a baking tray and place in the fridge for 30 minutes (or up to 2 days).
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