Soul cake
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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!''
Such is one example of the song British children would sing when they went "A-souling" on All Hallows Eve. Soul cakes were originally given (in place of candy today) to soulers, and each cake eaten represented a soul being freed from Purgatory. Soul cakes come out essentially more like thick spiced cookies rather than "cakes" as we would know cake today. They are usually filled with allspice, nutmeg, cinammon, or other pumpkin pie-like spices, raisins or currants, and are topped with the mark of a cross.
"Soul Cakes are an echo of the sacrificial foods of the Celtic festival of Samhain held in early autumn. These little cakes were traditionally set out with glasses of wine on All Hallows Eve (31st October) for the souls of the dead. On All Saints Day (1st November) children would go "souling" calling out 'Soul, Soul, for a Soul Cake: pray you good mistress, a soul cake'." (The Green Chronicle, 1)
The Gode Cookery page describes Soul cakes as follows: "Soul Cakes are the traditional British "pre-cursor" to modern trick-or-treating. For centuries throughout British history, the dates of Oct. 31 (All Hallow's Eve), Nov. 1 (All Saint's Day), & Nov. 2 (All Soul's Day) were known as the season of "Hallowtide," which was marked by processions of "mummers," going from door to door, or town to town, begging for Soul Cakes:
Soul Cake, soul cake, please good missus, a soul cake. An apple, a plum, a peach, or a cherry, anything good thing to make us merry. One for Peter, one for Paul, & three for Him who made us all.
