Oct 28, 2012

Soul Cakes


A soul! a soul! a soul-cake!
Please, good Missus, a soul-cake!
An apple, a pear, a plum or a cherry,
Any good thing to make us all merry.
One for Peter, two for Paul,
Three for Him who made us all.
(1891)


A Hallow's tradition of old Ireland and Britain, involved the door-to-door begging of soul cakes.  These cakes, which were more like the sugar cookies I bake today, with added cinnamon and nutmeg, were usually marked with a cross to signify that giving them was a religious practice (think, giving alms to the poor as a sign of virtue.)  The cakes, referred to as "souls" were given to the poor and the children in exchange for singing and saying prayers for the dead.

A lovely and haunting take on the soul cakes song, sung by Kate and Corwen, can be heard here.

You can find a recipe for soul cakes here.

A soul cake is just one of many things you might wish to leave out for your ancestors this Hallows.



10 comments:

MrsDuncanMahogany said...

Perfect recipe! I take Samhain off every year and this year I am going to make these delightful soul cakes. I shall leave them out as an offering. Thanks for the recipe!

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I could go for a handful of those right now!

the wild magnolia said...

Wishing you a blessed All Hallow's Eve and Samhain.

A perfectly wonderful recipe for Soul Cakes.

Thank you.

Goddess Findings said...

yum these are a classic, thanks! HAve you heard Sting's version of Soul cakes? He did it on his concert last Winter Solstice on youtube with authentic, original instruments, it was FABULOUS.

Rue said...

GF - just tracked it down on YouTube - I didn't know Sting had a version. Wow - I love it! Here's the address, if anyone is interested:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2XetM7W1QI

Sleepy Suzy said...

I was just looking for a special treat to make for the ancestors this Hallows eve and now I have found it. Thank you!

Jeanne said...

Have mine made and are awaiting Samhain.
Brightest Blessings this Season!

Lois said...

Perfect for the ancestors! I'l make these for my black and purple party on Sat.

Bogaman said...

Just checking in:^) Treatments will go on for now. Haven't posted on the blog for a while. Need to get back at it. Enjoyed the history on this post. Xavier

Rue said...

Very happy to hear from you, X! Have been wondering how things were going. I know you are a bit inland - I hope the storms out East didn't hit you too much there.