Vegan soul cakes - these delicious little spiced cakes/biscuits are a traditional British treat dating from medieval times. They were originally baked for All Hallow's Eve, All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day to commemorate the dead.
They are somewhere between a shortbread biscuit and a scone, have a warmly spiced flavour, are studded with currants and decorated with a cross.
What Are Soul Cakes?:
Soul cakes are small, spiced cakes marked with a cross and traditionally associated with the Christian festival of Allhallowtide (31st October to 2nd November). Originating in medieval Britain, these cakes have a rich history intertwined with folklore, customs, and the practice of remembering the deceased.
During this time, it was customary for people to bake these cakes and distribute them to the poor on All Souls’ Day. The belief was that by giving these cakes to the needy, the living could help ease the suffering of the souls in purgatory.
This practice was known as "souling," where groups of children and the less fortunate would go door-to-door asking for soul cakes, reciting a verse or prayer in exchange for the treats.
Nowadays soul cakes are a lovely, easy treat to make for Halloween or Samhain. They have a texture closer to a shortbread biscuit than a cake, but are a little softer than a true shortbread. They are flavoured with warming spices and currants and decorated with a cross.
Ingredient Details:
Currants: You could use raisins instead but because currants are smaller they distribute through the dough more evenly.
Vegan butter: It is very important that you use a BLOCK butter/margarine, not the spreadable kind in a tub as that won't give you the best texture.
Plain flour: Just regular plain (all-purpose) flour is best here. I haven't tried making these gluten-free.
Caster sugar: Caster sugar is best for these as it dissolves easily, making the dough nice and smooth. Golden caster sugar will add a nice hint of caramel flavour. Granulated sugar will work if that is all you have.
Spices: I use mixed spice and nutmeg but feel free to vary the spices to suit you. Pumpkin spice would work well in place of the mixed spice.
Milk: Any unsweetened non-dairy milk will work but I prefer to use soy as it has the highest protein content.
Vinegar: This helps to give the soul cakes a nice texture. you can omit it if you want though.
Baking powder: Most recipes for soul cakes contain eggs, as we are not using eggs I add a touch of baking powder to replace the lift that they provide. There is also evidence that original recipes may have contained ale as a sort of leavening agent, so the baking powder replaces that as well.
How To Make Vegan Soul Cakes:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
Step 1: Mix together the flour, baking powder and spices then rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Step 2: Stir in the sugar and currants.
Step 3: Mix together the milk and vinegar then add it to the dry ingredients and mix to form a dough.
Step 4: Roll the dough out on a floured surface to 6-8 mm thick. Use a 6-7cm round cutter to cut out as many rounds as possible.
Step 5: Place the soul cakes spaced apart on a couple of lined baking sheets. Use the length of a toothpick or the back of a knife to press a cross deeply into the top of each.
Step 6: Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Top Tips:
All of my recipes are developed using grams, and as with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
Do not overwork the dough as that will develop the gluten in the flour resulting in chewy biscuits. Just mix it until it is fully combined then use your hands to bring it together.
If the dough is too soft to roll out, wrap it in clingfilm and refrigerate it for an hour to firm up.
Transfer the cut out soul cakes to the baking sheet before marking the crosses, otherwise they can be a bit delicate to move.
Make sure that you cut the crosses deeply, but don't go all the way through! I find that pressing the length of a toothpick into the dough and wiggling it slightly to widen the mark is the best way to do it, but you can use the back of a knife instead.
FAQ's:
Allow the vegan soul cakes to cool completely then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Yes, freeze the cooled soul cakes in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Allow to defrost at room temperaure to serve.
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Vegan Soul Cakes
Ingredients
- 300 g (2 ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons mixed spice (or pumpkin spice)
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 150 g (⅔ cup) vegan block butter cold and diced
- 150 g (¾ cup) caster or granulated sugar
- 75 g (½ cup) dried currants
- 4 Tablespoons unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- ½ Tablespoon cider or white wine vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180℃/160℃ fan/350℉/gas mark 4. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.
- Mix together the flour, baking powder and spices in a large bowl then rub in the butter using your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and no lumps of butter remain.
- Stir in the sugar and currants.
- Mix together the milk and vinegar then add it to the dry ingredients and mix to form a soft dough. You may find it easiest to use your hands to bring it together.
- Roll the dough out on a floured surface to 6-8 mm (¼ in) thick. Use a 6-7cm (2 ½ in) round cutter to cut out as many rounds as possible. Bring the scraps together and re-roll to cut out more biscuits.
- Place the soul cakes spaced apart on the baking sheets. Use the length of a toothpick or the back of a knife to press a cross deeply into the top of each. The cross needs to be quite deep but be careful not to cut all the way through. Wiggle the toothpick/knife from side to side a bit to widen the mark.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Bake the soul cakes for less time for a softer texture, or longer for a crisp texture.
- Transfer the baked soul cakes to a wire rack to cool before serving. Once cool store in an airtight container.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details and step-by-step photos.
- All of my recipes are developed using grams, and as with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
Tamara
Amazing cookies! I've just made my second batch. Thanks Hannah!