Sansa has never been my favorite character, but I appreciate her sweet tooth. I think to drive home her femininity, they highlight her penchant for the desserts of Westeros and I can’t say I blame her. Her most famous favorite is lemon cakes, of course, so I went off that as inspiration to search for other sweet options from the series, a place where a creepy inn owner made unlimited sweet cakes for Catelyn when she was a child. I didn't want to miss making something for a favorite show, especially when it is nominated. Plus, it's always great to see the cast dirt-free and looking glamorous, even if they aren't taking home the trophy.
These were surprisingly simple for a “different” kind of baked good. I think I just expect a recipe inspired by a complex show to be equally as complex. It required slightly different ingredients than an average baking recipe, but everything came out as expected, and my apartment smelled amazing while they were in the oven.
The recipe called for cake flour, but I had a ton of regular flour on hand, so I just sifted it once on its own before sifting the dry ingredients as instructed to make my own budget cake flour.
The batter came out thick and doughy, thicker than many cake batters I've made, so I spooned it into the muffin tin instead of pouring it.
They were perfectly done at 30 minutes, golden brown and spongey like the recipe suggested.
I can’t imagine icing being super common in Westeros, but if they would have it anywhere, it would maybe be King’s Landing where she spent some happy, but mostly miserable months. The problem I didn’t think about running into when I forayed into fictional food was that the ingredients at times may seem equally as fictional. I wanted to make these cakes with the lavender icing suggested by the recipe I found, but even in New York City, the quest for dried lavender (scouring four grocery stores in the freezing cold) seemed like a journey out of GRRM’s mind itself. I was finally successful at Dean and DeLuca, but I have mentally noted for the future that when making fake food inspired by a world that’s not even based in reality, extra measures might be required.
I waited until the cakes were completely cooled to even make the icing, which took about 15-20 minutes total, and I halved the recipe. Because it was more of a glaze, I just used a spoon to drizzle then smooth the icing over the tops of the cakes, and it smoothed out nicely and eventually hardened a little so they were easier to transport.
honey cakes
inspired by Game of Thrones season 1, episode 4 (but the details come from the books)
makes 12
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour (I used regular flower that I sifted once)
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup buttermilk
Sift together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add egg and beat thoroughly, followed by the honey. Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk in alternating turns, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Pour into paper lined cupcake tins, or a greased muffin pan, filling each cup 2/3 full. I think I technically had batter for more than 12, so I may have filled the cups a little more than 2/3 full to ensure I only had 12, but the texture of them makes it so that they will not overflow on the baking pan in a messy way.mBake at 350ºF for 30 minutes or until the cakes are a golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Recipe from the fantasy food authority: Inn at the Crossroads
lavender icing
makes enough for 12 cupcakes (original recipe makes double)
- 1/6 cup whole milk
- 1/4 tsp. dried lavender
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- Violet gel-paste food coloring (if desired, I didn't use it)
Bring milk and lavender just to a boil in a small saucepan. (Because I was using such a small amount of milk and I didn't want to burn it, I used a tiny pot I typically use to melt butter.) Remove from heat. Let steep for 10 minutes. Strain and throw out the lavender. Whisk in the sugar until the mixture is smooth. Strain again. If you are using food coloring, add now until you get the shade you want. Use icing immediately.
recipe from Martha Stewart as suggested by Inn at the Crossroads.
[Baked while watching Dawson's Creek (season 3)]
She'd probs be happier with a honey cake on her plate. Image: Latin Times.