Winter is coming back July 16th peeps! Meaning the Season 7 start of Game of Thrones - the long running HBO series based on the Songs of Fire and Ice books by George R.R. Martin.
So in anticipation - more Game of Thrones cupcakes!
And I think you really have to be a book and series fan to get these. They are support for Team Stark aka The Starks of Winterfell - the original family and cast from the beginning that have been separated since the first season. They can never fully get back together since some have already been killed off the show. That's just how the books go and you can't get attached to any one character - we all learned that early on! BUT I am still routing for the Starks!
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| House Stark clockwise - Catelyn and Ned Stark (mom and dad), Jon Snow (a "bastard of Ned's), Robb Stark (oldest), Rickon (youngest), Bran Stark, Arya Stark, Sansa Stark |
These cupcakes are actually for Ned's sister Lyanna Stark who died mysteriously earlier before the books and series even start but we get clues to what's happened and why along the way via flashbacks. Not to give any spoilers but we know she plays a big part for one of the kids which they seemed to reveal at the end of Season 6.
One of the things the books go into more detail about is her love of and association with
blue winter roses that grow only in the North so I wanted to make my version of them - in cupcake form of course!
The pale blue color is all natural and comes from dried butterfly pea flowers. Steep them in some milk and you get a really pretty pastel blue color. (This is my fav way to tint stuff blue these days!)
My go to method for piping roses or flowers are with some Russian piping tips I got awhile back. To add a little contrasting color - grey - which also happens to be the go to color of House Stark - add some to the middle of the blue icing.
Wrap the icing up in some plastic wrap, cut the end off, then insert into a piping bag with the tip and pipe to get some 2 toned easy roses.
If you steep the dried flowers in some water for awhile you also get some neat darker blue/aqua tea which I thought would be cool to go along with the blue rose cupcakes.
Actually in the books they talk about a drink called
Shade of the Evening - which is said to be very blue and if you drink enough can give magical powers. It's often drunk by warlocks and said to turn their lips blue. I love these books and the detail within!
The frosting color came out very light to almost gray which seemed perfect for the Winterfell clan since their sigil is a grey direwolf (basically giant wolves) and works well since they are from the North which is cold and wintery most of the time.
Oh and the cupcake flavor is lemon which is one of Sansa Stark's favorite flavs since she apparently loves lemon cakes. Don't judge that I know so much minutia about GoT - I've read the books a bunch of times since we are still waiting for the next book - Winds of Winter, waiting since 2011!
(Come of George!)
One of the catch phrases of the Stark's is that "Winter is coming" meaning that a very long and cold winter like no other is around the corner. They've been saying it since Season 1, but it looks like in Season 7 they are right and Winter - and the anticipated clash of Winter and Fire may finally be happening - at least that's what I hope!
And speaking of fire and ice - I added a little "fire" inside some of the Lyanna Stark winter themed cupcakes. The HBO show has bypassed the book now and last season they did some revealing about Jon Snow's real parents. Again don't want to spoil anything but let's just say the Starks of the North are very wintery and another prominent family - House Targaryen - are more hot and fiery. One of the main characters Daenerys Targaryen is marching back to Westeros with her dragons. Her brother Rhaegar died before the books start (like Lyanna) and there *might* be something about he and Lyanna that gets revealed this season so I thought these cupcakes kinda summed that up.
Or you can just go with the plain lemon cupcake - either way these are Game of Throny and fun!
And Winter is almost here! Only 7 more sleeps - I can't wait!
Anyway, if you don't watch or haven't read the books this is all probably meaningless to you - but I hope you at least like the cupcakes! I used a different frosting - a flour frosting which was so light and fluffy and a homemade lemon cupcake. I think all the Stark's would approve!
Are you as excited for the return of GoT as me? If yes leave me a comment with your fav GoT clan or character! There's so many to choose from!
Game of Thrones - Blue Rose Cupcakes
by Michelle Clausen July 9, 2017
Ingredients
Flour Frosting adapted from
Serious Eats
- 4 1/2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup butter softened at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon of dried butterfly pea flowers
- Black food colorant (optional)
Lemon Cupcakes adapted from
Life, Love and Sugar
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup water
- Mix of red/orange/yellow candy coated sunflower seeds and sprinkles for inside cupcakes (optional)
Instructions
Frosting:
- Steep milk and dried flowers over low heat until milk is tinted light blue. Remove from heat and remove flowers.
- In a new sauce pan, whisk together flour and sugar. Whisk in tinted milk. Place saucepan over low heat and bring to a boil, whisking continuously, then cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Pour the pudding onto a clean heatproof plate or shallow container. Immediately cover it with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap directly against the mixture's surface.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk or paddle, or in a mixing bowl if using a handheld mixer, beat the butter until smooth and fluffy and lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Add the cooled flour mixture one tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and salt and beat until frosting looks thick, smooth, and creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Remove about 3/4 cup and tint with drop of black food color to get gray color.
- Spread blue icing 1/2 inch thick into rectangle shape on plastic wrap. Spread a line of gray icing down center. Wrap up icing into a log and snip the end off. Insert into piping bag with the Russian flower piping tip. Pipe flowers onto cupcakes. Here is a great video tutorial.
Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixer bowl and combine.
- Add the milk, vegetable oil, lemon extract and eggs to a medium sized bowl and combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until combined.
- Slowly add the water to the batter and mix on low speed until well combined.
- Fill the cupcake liners about half way and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Once cooled remove some of the middle of the cupcakes and fill with red/orange/yellow candies (optional).
- Pipe roses with blue/gray frosting.
