Hello beautiful humans!
I know this month has been scarce on the blog posts, so for that I am sorry! Samhain is so close, and I wanted to share another recipe!
Today we are looking at soul cakes. Soul cakes are a traditional offering, for Samhain, although Christian’s also traditionally made these (who’s shocked, not me) for All Soul’s Day, to commemorate those who have left us. These are kind of like a cross between a scone and a British biscuit. Thicker, like a scone, but crunchy like a biscuit.
From Wikipedia:
The cakes, often simply referred to as souls, are given out to soulers (mainly consisting of children and the poor) who go from door to door during the days of Allhallowtide singing and saying prayers “for the souls of the givers and their friends”. The practice in England dates to the medieval period, and was continued there until the 1930s, by both Protestant and Catholic Christians. In Sheffield and Cheshire, the custom has continued into modern times. In Lancashire and in the North-east of England soul cakes were known as Harcakes.
In the present-day, I make them for an offering on my altar. So, let’s make some shall we?
Vegan Soul Cakes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 24 soul cakes
Ingredients
- 450 g (3 1/2 c) Flour
- 7.5 g (1 1/2 tsp) Baking Powder
- 4.8 g (2 tsp) Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 5.6 g (7/8 tsp) Salt
- 175 g (7/8 c) Sugar
- 170 g (12 TBS) Vegan Stick Butter
- 5.0 g (1 tsp) Vanilla Extract
- 60 g (1/4 c) Plain Vegan Yogurt
- 135 g (1/2 c + 1 TBS) Plant Milk
- 100 g (1/2 c) Dried Apple Cider Soaked Cranberries (or an equivalent you prefer)
Instructions
- Add your flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt to a medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk together.
- Cut the Earth Balance Buttery Sticks into small cubes and cream them together with the vegan sugar and vanilla. Cream together for three minutes on medium speed. Add the vegan yogurt, then combine until whipped and airy.
- Add 1/3bof the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, then stir it in by hand. Add half of the milk alternative and then mix it in. Mix in half of the remaining dry ingredients, then the rest of the milk. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix them in.
- Chop up the cranberries (or whatever dried fruit you are using) and add it to the mixture.
- Place the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes to chill, then turn it out onto a floured piece of waxed paper, or on a clean stone surface. We have granite countertops, so I just use a clean surface. Press the dough out with flat hands until it is anywhere from a quarter, to three-quarters of an inch thick. I prefer them thinner, but I’ve seen many recipes who call for a thicker pastry.
- Spray a large biscuit cutter (I used a 2″ cutter, but I have seen them up to 3″ its really down to personal preference.) with a little bit of nonstick spray. Wipe the spray all over the cutter inside and out, but not the handle. Dip the greased cutter in some flour. You will not need to spray the cutter again, but you will need to dip it in flour again between cutting out each soul cake.
- Cut out as many soul cakes as you can. Place the cakes on a baking sheet that is lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat, then score the top of each one. Make the cuts between 1/8′ and 1/4′ inch deep. Brush the tops with plant milk, then sprinkle with sugar. Again a preference, I prefer coarse white sugar, but it’s really down to you.
- Place the pan in your freezer for twenty minutes and preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. After the soul cakes have chilled, bake them for 23 to 26 minutes. They should be crunchy.