Soul cakes are one of my favorite new family traditions for Halloween/All Saints’ Eve (October 31), All Saints’ Day (November 1), and All Souls’ Day (November 2, transferred to November 3 in 2025 so that it doesn’t fall on Sunday). Or Allhallowtide for short! It’s a brief season when the Church remembers all of the faithful departed, including saints and martyrs, but also our own loved ones.
I was introduced to soul cakes when my husband and I converted to the Anglican Catholic faith and now I eagerly look forward to making them each year. The tradition dates back to medieval England, when children and the poor would go “souling.” A precursor to modern trick-or-treating, they went door to door during Allhallowtide, singing and begging for soul cakes in exchange for prayers for the givers and the souls of their deceased relatives.
When I was developing this recipe, I played around a bit with the spices, but settled on cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves as a nod to one of my favorite saints, St. Hildegard von Bingen (more on her below):
“Take some nutmeg and an equal weight of cinnamon and a bit of cloves, and pulverize them… It will calm all bitterness of the heart and mind, open your heart and impaired senses, and make your mind cheerful. It purifies your senses and diminishes all harmful humors in you. It gives good liquid to your blood, and makes you strong.” – St. Hildegard von Bingen, Physica
It was believed that every soul cake eaten represented a soul saved from Purgatory – and, if that’s true, I’m absolutely going to free many, many souls this weekend!
What do soul cakes taste like?
Most recipes seem to yield some sort of a shortbread/biscuit/cookie, spiced with warm fall spices, dotted with fruits, and marked with a cross on top, though there doesn’t seem to a firm consensus on exactly what a traditional soul cake is.
I, for one, welcome the ambiguity. The wide range of takes on “soul cakes” makes our parish’s annual soul cake competition a delight!
Last year, I started baking with sourdough and was surprised to find a lack of sourdough soul cake recipes out there! It took some tinkering, but I think these sourdough soul cakes are just right, especially with tea or coffee.
What is Allhallowtide?
Allhallowtide is the triduum (a period of three days) that encompasses:
- October 31: All Saints’ Eve/All Hallows’ Eve/Halloween
- November 1: All Saints’ Day
- November 2: All Souls’ Day
During Allhallowtide, we celebrate the entire Mystical Body of Christ in His Church. We ponder the four last things: death, judgement, heaven, and hell. We are not only reminded that we will all die, but that Christ has triumphed over sin, death, and the devil. We give honor to the saints in heaven who have run the race and given us their example of how to live a Christian life as we strive for salvation and fight the spiritual battle. We pray for all the faithful departed, especially our departed loved ones.
Should Christians celebrate Halloween?
While some modern aspects of Halloween (e.g. the occult) are not appropriate for Christians to participate in, it is a Christian holiday at its core!
Halloween should not be a celebration of evil, but it is entirely appropriate and fitting to spend time remembering the four last things. Skeletons, bones, skulls, and coffins have long been used in art as expressions of memento mori. And while we should not aspire to be them, witches and devils represent spiritual evils that we ought to fear and flee from as we seek the protection of Jesus Christ.
Traditionally, All Hallows’ Eve was a day of prayer and fasting/abstinence from meat as preparation for the great feast of All Saints’ Day. You may or may not follow this tradition (since it is no longer required in most branches of the Church), but if you can, find a way to make All Saints’ Day feel even more special than the night before – even if your family goes trick-or-treating!
What are some prayers that go well with soul cakes?
I particularly like the Prayer for Eternal Rest:
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
And let light perpetual shine upon them.
May the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.
However, you can offer a Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, or any prayer/intention in conversation with God!
Who is St. Hildegard von Bingen?
St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a German Benedictine abbess and mystic, known for her principle work, Scivias, in which she describes and illustrates 26 of the visions she experienced. As one of just four female (and 38 total) Doctors of the Church, she is recognized for her significant contributions to theology and doctrine that have influenced Church teachings. St. Hildegard is also known for her gifts in music (as a great composer of sacred monophony), writing, art, medicine, herbology, and cooking!
Coming from a musical background, St. Hildegard has always had a special place in my heart. I have many fond memories of studying her beautiful “Ordo Virtutum,” a sacred music drama, which depicts the struggle for a human soul (Anima) between the Virtues and the Devil. In many ways, St. Hildegard’s music was part of my conversion as I realized that the Beautiful (along with the Good and the True) points to God!
It seems so fitting that her “spices of joy” – cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves – would become nearly synonymous with fall as the base for pumpkin spice when her feast day (September 17) falls so near to the autumnal equinox!
St. Hildegard von Bingen, patron saint of musicians and writers, pray for us!
Is it biblical to pray for the dead?
I believe it is, though I am not a theologian.
In 2 Timothy, Paul mentions the household of a man named Onesiphorus twice (2 Timothy 1:16 and 4:19), but only speaks of Onesiphorus in past tense and does not greet him along with the rest of his family. In 2 Timothy 1:18, he prays for Onesiphorus: “The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day.” According to Catholic Answers, many scholars have concluded from this that Onesiphorus was deceased, and therefore Paul was praying for the dead.
But it’s not just Catholics who believe in praying for the dead. C.S. Lewis (an Anglican) wrote in Letters to Malcom: Chiefly on Prayer:
“Of course I pray for the dead. The action is so spontaneous, so all but inevitable, that only the most compulsive theological case against it would deter me. . . . At our age the majority of those we love best are dead. What sort of intercourse with God could I have if what I love best were unmentionable to Him?”
Furthermore, I believe that as members of the Church, we should pray for all our brothers and sisters in Christ, regardless of which side of the veil they are on!
Ingredients
- 50g sourdough starter – either active or discard will work, though discard will need a longer fermentation time if you’re looking for the full benefits of a long ferment.
- 1/2 cup (120g) whole milk – plus more for brushing the soul cakes with before baking (optional, but highly recommended).
- 1 cup butter, softened – if you forget to set it out (as I am often guilty of), heat a bowl of water in the microwave to a boil, then quickly stick the butter in and close the door. The steam and ambient heat will soften it up within a few minutes.
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups (420g) flour
- 2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries – plus more for decoration. I finely chop the ones for decoration because they just seem disproportionately large when left whole. That’s just my preference though!
- 1 small apple, finely diced – I prefer to use crisp apples, like Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, or Fuji. Totally up to you though!
- Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional) – it’s not necessary, but it does look very pretty!
Directions
Step 1: In a small bowl, whisk together sourdough starter and milk.
Step 2: In a large bowl (or stand mixer), cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla.
Step 3: Add flour, spices, salt, and baking powder to the creamed butter/sugar. Beat until it is a sandy consistency.
Step 4: Add the sourdough/milk mixture and beat until it comes together into a dough. You may need to scrape down the bowl a few times!
Step 5: If you want to long ferment, allow to sit out at room temperature for about 8 hours, or overnight. If you don’t want to ferment it, just skip ahead to the next step – it will still work thanks to the baking powder!
Step 6: Fold in the dried cranberries and diced apple. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.
Step 7: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper.
Step 8: Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the dough to 1/4″-1/2″ inch thick. Cut out soul cakes with a circular cookie cutter or biscuit cutter (mine has about 3.5″ diameter), and place on baking sheet. They don’t spread much, but I still find it better to give them plenty of space.
Step 9: Deeply cut a cross on each cake and place a small piece of dried cranberry at each point and in the center, then brush with milk. I’ve found that only lightly scoring the cakes will make the cross difficult to see, so I nearly cut through the cakes!
Step 10: Bake 20 minutes, or until edges are just starting to lightly brown.
Step 11: Cool on a baking rack. If desired, dust with powdered sugar once completely cool.
Equipment
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Sourdough Soul Cakes
A sourdough twist on a traditional English treat for Halloween and Allhallowtide! Made extra special with a little nod to a favorite saint’s “spices of joy,” more popularly known as pumpkin spice!
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: about 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 50g sourdough starter (active or discard)
- 1/2 cup (120g) whole milk, plus more for brushing
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups (420g) flour
- 2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries, plus more (finely chopped) for decoration
- 1 small apple, finely diced
- Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together sourdough starter and milk.
- In a large bowl (or stand mixer), cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla.
- Add flour, spices, salt, and baking powder to the creamed butter /sugar and beat until it is a sandy consistency.
- Add the sourdough/milk mixture and beat until it comes together into a dough. You may need to scrape down the bowl a few times!
- Optional long fermentation: Allow to ferment at room temperature for about 8 hours, or overnight.
- Fold in the dried cranberries and diced apple, then refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper.
- Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the dough to 1/4″-1/2″ inch thick. Cut out soul cakes with a circular cookie cutter or biscuit cutter (mine has about 3.5″ diameter), and place on baking sheet. They don’t spread much, but I still find it better to give them plenty of space.
- Cut a cross on each cake and place a small piece of dried cranberry at each point and in the center, then brush with milk.
- Bake 20 minutes, or until edges are just starting to lightly brown.
- Cool on a baking rack. If desired, dust with powdered sugar once completely cool.
Notes
Yield will depend on the thickness you roll it out to and the size of your cookie cutter. Rolling them fairly thin, I can get up to 30 soul cakes. Rolling them out thicker means I get about 24.
Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 183 kcal
Fat: 8g
Total Carbohydrates: 26g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 2g
The nutrition data provided here is for informational only and is only an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It cannot be verified or guaranteed, and should not be used in the treatment of medical conditions. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice This data should be interpreted and used at your own risk.
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