A Note from Amethyst: Follow the link on this one for some great information on the history of Soul Cakes.
Soul Cakes Recipe
Servings: 12
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt with full-fat
1/2 cup whole milk or milk preference
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 apple diced, patted dry (optional) I used Pink Lady apples, but Honey Crisp or Fuji would work well too.
Additional milk and sugar for topping
An additional 1/4 cup of flour for rolling out the dough.
Directions:
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees
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Cream together sugar and butter with a hand mixer.
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Then add in sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract and mix.
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Next, add in baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice and mix.
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Add in the flour one cup at a time and mix well. Dough will be piec-y.
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Fold in the dried cranberries and apples, and then chill the dough for 20 minutes.
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Roll out dough on parchment paper and use extra flour on your hands, rolling pin, and parchment paper as needed. You may need as much as 1/4 cup extra flour, depending on the moisture in your apples. Roll about 1/2 inch thick.
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Using a cookie cutter or a biscuit cutter, cut the Soul Cakes out and place them on a cookie sheet that’s lined with parchment paper. Double-line the cookie sheet if you are worried about browning, or use a silicone baking liner.
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Cut the X in the top and decorate with dried fruit if you want to. Brush the tops with milk. Bake for 10 minutes.
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Remove them from the oven and brush the tops with milk again, and then sprinkle on sugar. Bake for another 11-14 minutes until the tops have started to brown a bit. Do not bake them for longer than 26 minutes total.
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Transfer to a cooling rack right away and let them cool completely. Then serve them with coffee, tea, cider, ale, or even wine!
Notes:
Tips for making Soul Cakes:
You can use plain Greek Yogurt instead of sour cream if you like.
Make sure your apples are not overly moist.
Feel free to try variations on this recipe. You can use raisins instead of cranberries or whatever dried fruit you like, including dried apples, mangos, and more. If you prefer nutty fruit cake,s you can use cut pecans or walnuts too.
The bottoms of these will sometimes come out a little browned around the bottom edges, thanks to the milk. Just an FYI. It should not be the whole bottom of the cake, though. Just the edges. This happens with other dough-like recipes where milk or buttermilk is added to the baked good throughout the cooking process. Double the parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat on your cookie sheet. The darker the cookie sheet, the darker the bottoms of all baked goods will get.
Please keep in mind these are biscuits and not cookies. Biscuits – especially those that originated in Europe – are often very dense, not as sweet, and sometimes a little crumbly. This is why the addition of the fruit and sour cream was important to me.
To store the Soul Cakes, place them in an airtight container on the counter. They will last about 4-5 days.
Recipe courtesy of Sugar Maple Farmhouse.com
