This Halloween Night “Dumb Cake” Baking Tradition Is Supposed To Summon Your Future Spouse
Now that it is officially “cuffing season,” you also might be on a quest for love. And what better time to start manifesting your relationship than on Halloween?
I know what you might be thinking– isn’t that more of a Valentine’s Day thing and not something to think about during spooky season?
Well, according to women of the eighteenth century, there is no better time to summon your future spouse than All Hallows Eve. And the only thing you need to do is bake a cake.
Starting in the 1700s, stories of “dumb cakes” spread like wildfire throughout the press and became a solidified tradition among young women hoping to find love.
The idea was akin to a spooky Halloween ritual like “Bloody Mary,” but without all of the gore. Instead, girls would follow an explicit baking checklist in hopes of seeing their future husbands in a dream later that evening.
The origin of the name “dumb” likely refers to the word’s alternate meaning of “silent,”– which is exactly how girls were supposed to bake their cakes.
First, two or three women would quietly gather in a kitchen on Halloween night– an evening that was supposed to signify a time of transition and change. Then, they would silently bake a cake using only three ingredients– flour, salt, and water.
And after completing the dough, each woman would carve their initials into the gluten before popping their cake in the oven. Finally, after baking through, the women would remove their cakes from the heat, break them or take a bite, march back to their bedrooms, and sleep with the cake underneath their pillows.
The goal was to dream of their future husband just in time for the colder months. Kind of like a Victorian-era cuffing season ritual, right?
primipil – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purpose only, not the actual person
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Well, according to historical accounts, this magical summoning ritual was not always so happy-go-lucky. Sometimes the future husbands who were supposed to be dreamed up would actually show up in person while women slept. Other times, women claimed that a dark figure would jump out of the cake after it was broken and chase them into their bedrooms.
Still, this Halloween night tradition continued all the way through the mid-twentieth century, and some even regarded the ritual as a holiday activity as common as jack-o-lantern carving or pumpkin picking.
So, if you are someone desperate to find your other half this year, you might want to grab a girlfriend and try the dumb cake tradition out for size. After all, this supposedly-magical concoction is super simple to bake– and you may even wake up tomorrow with a newfound love.
Dumb Cake Recipe
- 1 Cup of Flour
- 1/2 Cup of Water
- 2 Pinches of Salt
- Oil
First, you should preheat your oven to three hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit before embarking on this love-baking journey. And remember, the entire process must be completed in total silence.
Next, find an object that you and your friend have never stood on before– for example, a book, box, or stool. Place some next to your kitchen counter, stand on top, and begin prepping your workstation.
To prep, you should wash and dry a large mixing bowl. Then, you and your friend will take turns adding in one-half of the ingredients each. So, each of you should add one-half cup of flour, one-quarter cup of water, and one pinch of salt.
Then, mix everything together using either a spoon or your hands. The dough should start out loose before forming into a smooth ball.
And once the dough is done, you can grease an eight-inch cake pan using any oil of your choice. Finally, use your fingers to press the dough into the pan before using a knife to carve or poke both your and your friend’s initials into each side of the cake.
Afterward, the cake should bake for about thirty minutes or until it starts to turn that perfect golden-brown color. Once that crust is achieved, the cake can be removed from the oven and set aside to cool.
This last step is crucial. After the cake is cool enough, you and your friend should each hold one side. Then, step back from each other to break the cake in half.
Once the cake is successfully split, you can each take a bite, march back to your beds, and slide the baked good under your pillows.
This dumb cake tradition is believed to work best when you go to sleep as soon as possible. So, draw the blinds, shut your eyes, and try to imagine your future spouse.
If all goes well, the love of your life might come waltzing into your dream later tonight.
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