One of my favorite characters on Game of Thrones is Tyrion Lannister. How could you not like him?! He's witty and sassy...and one of the more moral characters on the show. And that's saying something!
For those of you who are unfamiliar, I'm sharing recipes you can make for the Game of Thrones premiere this coming weekend. So far, I've created a Red Wedding Cake, complete with dripping red cherry juice, and Targaryen Dragon Eggs, fudgy chocolate truffles.
House Lannister is extremely wealthy and their symbol is the lion. To be honest, they're pretty horrible people! Tyrion is the black sheep of the family because he is a dwarf and is blamed for killing his mother during child birth. I know, heavy - right?! He's a likable, sympathetic character.
What's more - Peter Dinklage, the man who plays Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones, is an animal lover and animal advocate!
Even if you don't watch the show, you can applaud the voice that Peter brings to animal rights issues.
These small cakes are bite-sized, perhaps something special Tyrion would have made for him at Kings Landing. I would say that he would enjoy these cakes with a mug of tea, but we all know that it wouldn't be true. His drink of choice would be wine. For sure.
So enjoy these petit fours with a glass of wine!
Tyrion Lannister's Petit Fours
Fondant recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
1 boozy pound cake, recipe here
4 c. vegan powdered sugar
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 c. pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/4 c. water
Directions
Using a sharp knife, slice your pound cake into bite-sized pieces. You want to make sure that they look uniform and are sturdy. I would start making them thicker and go from there, about 2 inches by 2 inches (approximate). Use your eyes to judge. The cleaner your slices are, the better the sides of each cake will look.
Next, you'll want to create a double boiler (if you don't have one): place a few inches of water in a small saucepan. Place a heat safe bowl, like Pyrex brand, on top, making sure the bowl is not touching the water. Heat the saucepan to medium heat.
Add these ingredients first: syrup, vanilla, almond, water, and cocoa powder. Stir as the liquid slowly heats. Add in the powdered sugar gradually, stirring regularly. Once everything is melted together and incorporated (and most importantly SMOOTH), remove the liquid fondant icing from the heat. Allow it to cool for about 8-10 minutes.
In the mean time, arrange your cut cakes on top of a cooling rack with a cookie sheet underneath. Tip: cover the baking sheet with foil or parchment - it helps with easy clean up!
When you're ready to pour, you can cover the cakes two ways: first, you can dunk each cake in the fondant by dipping it with a spoon. Or you can just pour it right on top. I did the latter method. I used a spoon to dollop the icing on each cake. Once you've put one layer on each cake, follow up with one more. This is especially important if you're using a light-colored icing.
Allow each cake to harden. The nice things about the fondant icing is that it locks in the cakes' freshness and flavor. When everything seems dry, transfer the cakes to wax paper or parchment, just so they don't stick to your baking rack.
Next, add any embellishments or decorations that you want. I made little L's on mine, but you can add some of my chocolate decorations too. I thought about making small lions on them, but I am not confident I could make them (and people would know what they are)!
Enjoy these fancy cakes that are fit for royalty :-)
Cheers!
-Aileen
PS - Check out my first recipe for petit fours. It has even more photos!