Shropshire Soul Cakes
Spiced, tender, biscuit-like cakes dotted with sweet currants and scored with a cross. Traditionally baked for autumn souling across Shropshire.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 235 kcal
Equipment
- •Two baking trays
- •Greaseproof paper
- •Large mixing bowl
- •Rolling pin
- •6 cm fluted round cutter
- •Wire cooling rack
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 235 kcal
- fat
- 11 g
- carbs
- 33 g
- fibre
- 1.2 g
- protein
- 3 g
- calories
- 235 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Heat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan) and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
- 2
Sift the plain flour, mixed spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt together into a large mixing bowl.
- 3
Rub the chilled butter into the spiced flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- 4
Stir in the caster sugar and dried currants until they are thoroughly distributed.
- 5
Add the beaten egg yolks and two tablespoons of milk to the bowl.
- 6
Mix the ingredients together using your hands to form a soft, cohesive dough.
- 7
Add the remaining tablespoon of milk if the mixture feels too crumbly to hold together.
- 8
Lightly flour your worktop and roll the dough out to roughly 1 cm thickness.
- 9
Cut rounds using a 6 cm fluted cutter and place them spaced apart on the lined baking trays.
- 10
Score a cross lightly into the surface of each cake using the back of a small knife.
- 11
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the edges turn a delicate pale golden colour.
- 12
Cool on the trays for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to firm up completely.
Chef's tips
Do not overwork the dough or the cakes will turn tough rather than crumbly. Ensure your butter is cold when rubbing it into the flour to maintain a delicate, shortbread-like texture. Keep the scoring light so the cross stays visible without splitting the cake during baking.
Ingredient substitutions
- dried currants → sultanas or finely chopped raisins
- ground mixed spice → equal parts ground allspice and ground mace
Storage
Store in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to five days.
Reheating
Warm gently in an oven preheated to 150°C (130°C fan) for 3 to 4 minutes to restore freshness.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Over-baking the cakes until hard and brown instead of soft and pale golden.
- •Rolling the dough too thin, which makes the cakes dry out rapidly.
- •Cutting deeply with the knife, causing the dough to crack in the oven.
Serving suggestions
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