Game of Thrones may have finished years ago, but who says you can’t still throw a GOT themed party or get together? My Game of Thrones cupcakes are inspired by some of the most sinister antagonists in TV history: the dreaded white walkers. With whipped frosting and candy toppings, these customisable cupcakes are perfect for any Game of Thrones party! Don’t panic, winter has already been. Let’s bake.
Contents
The Bake
Cake is a given at a party, but sometimes cupcakes just hit the spot in a different kind of way. They’re smaller in size, yet are still packed with flavour.
As mentioned in the introduction: these Game of Thrones cupcakes are customisable. You can change the flavour of the sponge to suit your preferences. See my Top Tips section below for ideas to swap out flavours, including how to make the cupcakes chocolate flavour.
My Game of Thrones cupcakes are a little different to the other cupcakes I’ve created for Flavour of the Film.
Whilst my The Powerpuff Girls cupcakes, my What We Do in the Shadows witch hat cakes, and my Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 cupcakes are all decorated with American buttercream, this white walker inspired batch is topped with a whipped frosting instead.
American buttercream is great because it’s easy, but it’s pretty sweet. I have a sweet tooth and even I like to switch things up when it comes to cake decoration.
Whipped frosting is made from cream, which is whipped with a little sugar and a natural flavouring or extract.
To stabilise the frosting and give it the perfect piping consistency, I added some full fat greek yoghurt. There are a number of ways to stabilise whipped frosting, but this one is my favourite.
It’s vegetarian for starters, when other options like gelatin aren’t. It’s also no extra effort, which is ideal. Things like cornflour require cooking before adding to the cream, and the end effect isn’t always worth the extra time and labour.
As expected, the addition of the yoghurt gives the whipped frosting a very slight tangy flavour, but this is mostly mitigated by the extract you choose – especially if it’s citrus.
You can make the frosting without the yoghurt in it to stabilise, it would just be more like a whipped cream that you’d get on the top of a hot chocolate.
It also means that it is far less likely to hold its shape after piping.
Issues like melting and separating/weeping at room temperature are also more likely if you top the cupcakes with an unstable whipped frosting. Yoghurt is the easiest veggie-friendly option to stabilise.
To finish these Game of Thrones cupcakes off: “ice” shards made from melted (and then hardened) clear sweets (aka hard candies).
I did a similar thing to create a broken glass effect in my Only Murders in the Building cake; the end result is so effective considering it’s so simple to do!
Top Tips
- Weigh out your eggs in the shells and aim to get the weight as close to 200g as possible, allowing for 20g each way. Then, weigh out the rest of your ingredients to the exact weight of your eggs. This gives you the best sponge cake texture!
- To change the flavour, simply choose your favourite extract or natural flavouring. I went with lemon, partly because it’s delicious, but also because it goes well with the whipped frosting.
- For chocolate sponges, simply add 150g self-raising flour and 50g cocoa powder instead of the full 200g self-raising flour.
- Sprinkle some grains of uncooked rice in each section of the tray before sitting your cupcakes in them – this will help soak up the grease so you don’t have greasy cupcake bottoms.
- You can still make the whipped frosting without using Greek yoghurt as a stabiliser, it’s just more unlikely to hold shape at room temperature (especially on a warm day!).
- Other stabilisers that you can use instead of Greek yoghurt include cornflour and gelatin. This post on Sugarologie is a great exploration of the different stabilisers you can use.
- If you prefer to decorate your Game of Thrones cupcakes with American buttercream, 200g unsalted butter with 400g icing sugar should make plenty. Add your chosen flavouring or natural extract as normal. For chocolate frosting, do 350g icing sugar and 50g cocoa powder with 200g unsalted butter instead.
- If you’re making the cupcakes ahead of time, add the shards at the last minute (these can be melted and stored ahead of time as well) as they have a tendency to soften in the fridge!
My Game of Thrones cupcakes make a delicious addition to any Game of Thrones party. Though white walkers inspired these cupcakes, the cakes themselves aren’t nearly as scary or threatening. Enjoy!
Happy baking, happy eating!
The YouTube Video
The Recipe
Ingredients
Game of Thrones cupcakes:
- 200g [7 oz] unsalted butter room temperature
- 200g [1 cup] caster sugar
- 200g (4 medium or 3 large) eggs
- 200g [1¼ cup] self-raising flour
- 1 tsp extract or natural flavouring of your choice
Whipped frosting:
- 300ml [1¼ cup] double [heavy whipping] cream fridge-cold
- 130g [5 oz] full fat Greek yoghurt fridge-cold
- 75g [½ cup] icing [powdered] sugar
- 1 tsp extract or natural flavouring of your choice
Ice shards:
- 100g [around 20 individual] clear mints / hard candy pieces
- Liquid blue food colouring
Serves: 12
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 18 – 20 minutes
Decorating time: 20 minutes
Method
Game of Thrones cupcakes:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C [350°F] or 160°C fan and line a muffin tray with 12 cupcake cases. Alternatively, place 12 sturdy cupcake cases that are designed to maintain their shape (e.g. these ones – no affiliation) on a baking tray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating in until fully incorporated.
- Beat in your chosen flavouring or extract.
- Sift in the flour and mix in until you no longer see any flour in the batter. Be mindful not to overmix here.
- Divide the mixture equally into your cupcake cases. Bake on the middle shelf for 18 – 20 minutes or until golden, well risen and baked through. Your cupcakes will be baked when the surface of the cakes springs back when gently pressed on; a cocktail stick or skewer comes out clean when tested, and you hear little to no bubbling/crackling sound when you listen to your cakes (if able).
- Once your cupcakes are baked, leave to cool for around 10 minutes in the tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Blue shards:
- While your cakes are cooling, prepare your decoration.
- Place a large mixing bowl and your electric whisk attachment in the fridge to make sure both are cool, ready to make your whipped frosting.
- Turn the oven up to 200°C [390°F] or 180°C fan and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper/baking parchment.
- Unwrap your boiled sweets and place them within an inch of each other on the baking tray. Melt in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the sweets are completely melted together and bubbles are visible. Once melted, leave to cool and harden completely on the tray (this doesn’t take long!).
Whipped frosting:
- Retrieve your bowl and whisk attachment from the fridge, both of which should be nice and cool now.
- Pour the fridge-cold cream into the cool bowl. Add the Greek yoghurt and whisk both together on a medium-high speed, until thick.
- Add in your chosen extract or flavouring and icing sugar. Whisk on a medium – high speed until you have achieved stiff peaks.
Decoration:
- Your cupcakes should be cool enough to decorate now.
- Fill a piping bag with a closed star piping tip attached with the whipped frosting.
- Pipe a swirl of whipped frosting on each cupcake.
- Using a blunt tool like a rolling pin, break the hardened sweets into small shards. Arrange these shards by inserting them into the whipped frosting so that they stick out. Do this at the last minute if making the cupcakes ahead.
- Smudge or drip blue food colouring over each of the shards for a pop of icy colour.
These Game of Thrones inspired cupcakes are a simple treat to make, but create a really cool effect. They make a perfect addition to any Game of Thrones party! Devour them on the day, otherwise store them in the fridge (due to the whipped frosting) for up to 2 days in an airtight container. Enjoy!
The TV Show
I was late to the party with Game of Thrones. Looking back, I remember how much the people around me talked about; books and TV show alike.
It wasn’t until the show was… maybe five seasons in before I finally decided to invest the time into catching up. It didn’t take long, and watching GoT turned into a thing I looked forward to after days at college.
I’m still a little surprised that it took so long for me to get involved. Fantasy, dragons, complex storytelling. Right up my street.
Nevertheless, better late than never, as they say.
Based on George R.R. Martin’s book series, Game of Thrones gives us the story of nine noble families all battling to take control of Westeros.
Beef between noble families is just the beginning, too. While they’re all at each other’s throats (often in literal terms), an enemy from ancient times makes a terrifying reappearance.
I don’t have to tell you who that enemy is…
HBO’s adaptation took off like a rocket and is still one of the biggest TV shows in history. It proves that television can be just as epic as cinema, changing the game entirely.
House of the Dragon – a fictional precursor to Game of Thrones – is also high quality, gripping stuff.
Big names led the cast, while the show gave a platform for emerging performers to go stratospheric.
Well-known names like Sean Bean, Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Jason Momoa, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Charles Dance, Jerome Flynn and Liam Cunningham became the pillars of the show’s initial attraction (aside from fans of the books, of course).
Whilst some of these incredibly talented actors remained pillars (Peter Dinklage led the way for sure), Game of Thrones shot a number of names into the limelight.
Kit Harrington, Rose Leslie, Gwendoline Christie, Emilia Clarke, John Bradley, Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Natalie Emmanuel, and so many more had breakthroughs as a result of being in the show.
The show ran from 2011 – 2019 for eight seasons.
David Benoiff is responsible for creating this adaptation, as the lead creator and writer for television. A whole host of writers and directors worked alongside him over the years, too.
I have to give a specific mention to the crews that worked on the hair & makeup, wardrobe, set design, and prop design. All of which was next level. The same goes for the visual effects and stunts teams! Seriously excellent.
Putting this piece together has actually reignited my desire to rewatch Game of Thrones. Why not?
Recipe Card
White Walker Inspired Game of Thrones Cupcakes
Ingredients
Game of Thrones cupcakes:
- 200 g [7 oz] unsalted butter room temperature
- 200 g [1 cup] caster sugar
- 200 g 4 medium or 3 large eggs
- 200 g [1¼ cup] self-raising flour
- 1 tsp extract or natural flavouring of your choice
Whipped frosting:
- 300 ml [1¼ cup] double [heavy whipping] cream fridge-cold
- 130 g [5 oz] full fat Greek yoghurt fridge-cold
- 75 g [½ cup] icing [powdered] sugar
- 1 tsp extract or natural flavouring of your choice
Ice shards:
- 100 g [around 20 individual] clear mints / hard candy pieces
- Liquid blue food colouring
Instructions
Game of Thrones cupcakes:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C [350°F] or 160°C fan and line a muffin tray with 12 cupcake cases. Alternatively, place 12 sturdy cupcake cases that are designed to maintain their shape (e.g. these ones – no affiliation) on a baking tray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating in until fully incorporated.
- Beat in your chosen flavouring or extract.
- Sift in the flour and mix in until you no longer see any flour in the batter. Be mindful not to overmix here.
- Divide the mixture equally into your cupcake cases. Bake on the middle shelf for 18 – 20 minutes or until golden, well risen and baked through. Your cupcakes will be baked when the surface of the cakes springs back when gently pressed on; a cocktail stick or skewer comes out clean when tested, and you hear little to no bubbling/crackling sound when you listen to your cakes (if able).
- Once your cupcakes are baked, leave to cool for around 10 minutes in the tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Blue shards:
- While your cakes are cooling, prepare your decoration.
- Place a large mixing bowl and your electric whisk attachment in the fridge to make sure both are cool, ready to make your whipped frosting.
- Turn the oven up to 200°C [390°F] or 180°C fan and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper/baking parchment.
- Unwrap your boiled sweets and place them within an inch of each other on the baking tray. Melt in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the sweets are completely melted together and bubbles are visible. Once melted, leave to cool and harden completely on the tray (this doesn’t take long!).
Whipped frosting:
- Retrieve your bowl and whisk attachment from the fridge, both of which should be nice and cool now.
- Pour the fridge-cold cream into the cool bowl. Add the Greek yoghurt and whisk both together on a medium-high speed, until thick.
- Add in your chosen extract or flavouring and icing sugar. Whisk on a medium – high speed until you have achieved stiff peaks.
Decoration:
- Your cupcakes should be cool enough to decorate now.
- Fill a piping bag with a closed star piping tip attached with the whipped frosting.
- Pipe a swirl of whipped frosting on each cupcake.
- Using a blunt tool like a rolling pin, break the hardened sweets into small shards. Arrange these shards by inserting them into the whipped frosting so that they stick out.
- Smudge or drip blue food colouring over each of the shards for a pop of icy colour.
Notes
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