Soul, soul, a soul cake!
I pray thee, good missus, a soul cake!
One for Peter, two for Paul,
three for Him what made us all!
Soul Cake, soul cake, please good missus, a soul cake.
An apple, a pear, a plum, or a cherry, any good thing to make us all merry.
One for Peter, two for Paul, & three for Him who made us all.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground fresh if possible
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• generous pinch of saffron
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup currants
• 1/4 cup dried, tart cherries for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 400˚.

Combine the nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and flour in a small bowl. Mix well with a fork. Crumble the saffron threads into a small saucepan and heat over low heat until they become aromatic (watching carefully). Add the milk and heat just until hot to the touch. The milk will have turned a beautiful shade of yellow. Remove from heat.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a medium bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the egg yolks and blend in thoroughly with the back of the spoon. Add the spiced flour and combine as thoroughly as possible; the mixture will be dry and crumbly.

One tablespoon at a time, begin adding in the warm saffron milk, blending vigorously with the spoon. Turn the dough out onto a floured counter and knead the currants in gently, with floured hands, until the dough is uniform. Roll out gently to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Using a floured, 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out as many rounds as you can and set on an ungreased baking sheet. You can gather and re-roll the scraps, gently. Decorate the soul cakes with dried cherries. Bake for 15 minutes and dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm!