Glow In The Dark Chocolate Cherry Soul Cakes.
If your Soul had a Flavor...
As the end of October gets closer, my kids have learned to stay away from many commercial stores as their Halloween displays seem to get darker and more sinister every year. Mannequins dressed as axe murderers at the hardware store and creepy grim reapers overshadowing the grocery check-outs are enough to conjure up nightmares in anyone.
There is more than enough evil in our world. Why do we need to celebrate it?
These gory store displays got me thinking about the origins of Halloween and how far our overly commercialized culture has once again strayed from the origins of a holiday that started centuries ago.
As early as the 8th century, November 1 was set aside as a day of commemoration for “all saints.” In the same way, as many other Christian feast days, this one began with a vigil the evening before. This became known as “all hallow’s eve,” from which the word Halloween is derived (hallow being synonymous with a saint). By the fifteenth century, the Roman Catholic church formally celebrated an 8-day-long “Allhallowtide,” the first 3 days of which were All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ day, and All Souls’ Day.
One notable tradition that developed as part of this vigil of remembrance, in the British Isles, was “souling”. This involved groups of people going door to door singing songs of lament and offering to pray for the deceased members of each household. In exchange, they begged for a sweet treat, called a “soul cake”. Because children were often the ones to “go souling,” many consider this to be the origin of trick-or-treating.
Soul cakes themselves came in a variety of forms, but many versions contained seasonal fruits and spices like raisins, nutmeg, and allspice. They were often decorated with a cross.
I love this idea of a “soul cake”. I personally believe that we are all created in the image of God. Since God is eternal, even though our bodies will eventually perish, our souls will live on for eternity.
So, how do I capture this image of our eternal soul within a cake? With this simple concept as my inspiration, I thought it might be a fun experiment to ask my friends on Facebook a simple question:
If your soul had a flavor, what would it taste like?
Here are some of the responses I received:
Burnt toast.
Like honey on my lips…
Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries.
Everyone’s soul is unique…
BBQ!
Salty
Spicy!
Ginger
…the crunchy taste of seasoned fried breading
Like a fine red wine....approachable, earthy, a little bit fruity, and a long smooth finish.
Wild mushrooms because they're earthy and grounded like a good soul should be.
Complex but stewed over time.
Vanilla is this beautiful warm flavor that wraps you up, it’s full and warm, it’s comfort and homey. It’s deep, it’s sweet, it’s rich….
Chocolate truffles.
Turkish Delight.
…a finely crafted peach and berry mix with whipped cream and colorful sprinkles.
Some kind of contradiction pairing. The struggle, the good, the bad.
These are all wonderful ideas, so I did my best to include as many of them as possible in my version of a soul cake.
The cake is more of a brownie. I included dark chocolate and cherries which go very well with Chipotle and Cayenne pepper. I poached the cherries in red wine and reduced it to intensify the spicy cherry flavor that pairs perfectly with the dark chocolate brownie batter. It has a nice sweet and spicy kick to it. I finished it off with a good glug of vanilla extract.
I had to throw in some orange pumpkin, as it’s the iconic flavor and color of the season. To enhance the pumpkin flavor I added a good dose of ginger, cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg. The earthy pumpkin cake contrasts the rich chocolate cherry brownie as they are baked into the opposite sides of the mold to represent the dichotomy of good and evil that lives deep within each of us. Light vs Dark, sweet vs sour.
The mini cakes are shaped as a wispy breeze and colored with a light blue pearl fondant. I then dusted it with luminescent luster dust and a dollop of Tonic water jelly that represents the eternal image of God that lights up when the Spirit of God shines His unseen light upon us.
The recipe is below, they are simple to make, unique, and delicious.
If there is a light
We can't always see
If there is a world
We can't always be
If there is a dark
Now we shouldn't doubt
And there is a light
Don't let it go out.
- A Song For Someone,