Soul Cake Basic Recipe

As part of the Great Northern Soul Cake Bake we’d love to hear about your experiments with the historical technical challenge. However, if you’d just like to have a go at making tried-and-tested Soul Cakes, here’s a modern recipe supplied by a friend to the project, Ros Barnes. You may even have tried Ros’s samples if you’ve attended on of our Souls of the North shows.

Ingredients

    • 175g/6oz butter
    • 175g/6oz caster sugar (6ozs)
    • 3 egg yolks
    • 450g/1lb plain flour
    • 2 teaspoons mixed spice
    • 100g/4oz currrants, or fruit of your choice
  • Tablespoon of milk

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 180C/375F/Gas mark 5. Cream the butter and sugar together and then beat in the egg yolks, one at a time.
  2. Sift the flour into another bowl with the mixed spice. Add to the butter, sugar, and egg yolk mixture.
  3. Stir in the currants or other fruit and add enough milk to make a soft dough, similar to scones.
  4. Roll the dough out and cut out little cakes with a biscuit cutter. Mark each cake with a cross and then place them on a greased and/or lined baking sheet.
  5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
  6. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight tin for up to 5 days.