The Hunger Games Series – District 12 Wedding Stack-Cake

So Mockingjay part II, the final film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games series, is finally out. I’ve yet to see it; that is certainly on my list of to-do’s this weekend. However, I have read the entire book series and wanted to put together a recipe that hasn’t already been done to death by the various fan cookbooks and food blogs already. I love lamb. The idea of it in stew with dried plums sounds delicious; but there’s not really much I can do with it that hasn’t already been done. Besides, it already sounds like my Doctor Who-inspired Last Centurion Lamb Stew based on a recipe from the Ancient Roman Apicius – which I wonder if Suzanne Collins used as reference when coming up with the food in the book since the Capital is supposed to parallel Rome.

So the first thought I had, since it was going to be featured in the film, was Finnick and Annie’s Wedding Cake. I ended nixing that thought pretty quickly because my skills in cake decorating at the moment are rather laughable (think Jackson Pollack’s fictional toddler nephew hyped up on sugar instead of Peeta Mellark), and the flavor agents available to Peeta in District 13 would be too limited for my tastes.  So I’m afraid for this post, unless you’ve read the books, I’m going to have to issue a

SPOILER ALERT

In the Epilogue for Mockingjay we discover that Katniss and Peeta eventually moved back to District 12, married, and had children. District 12 is based off of the Appalachia region of America and an interesting recipe I had found awhile back from that area was a Molasses Stack Cake. This cake is composed of several, pancake-like layers with a gingerbread consistency and spiced-apple filling in between each one.

Folk stories mention how each guest brought a layer of cake as a gift, sometimes in different flavors and varieties, and a bride’s popularity was often measured on how high and how many stacks of cake were at the wedding. Though we know that Peeta is very skilled at decorating cakes, Katniss has never been one for much fuss. More than likely he would want to make something simple to share with the few close friends still alive, and to commemorate those who have passed on.

So what I did was take a recipe for a standard stack cake and picked extra flavor ingredients to symbolize mutual friends who brought Katniss and Peeta together, and those who lost their lives to protect them. Cinnamon is obviously for Cinna, whose spice for fashion, and designs full of fire changed the nature of the game. Bourbon is for Haymitch, flavored like a virgin barrel of oak burned and ravaged for years by alcohol into something harsh, complex, but utterly rich in character.

Rosemary’s piney flavor recalls Joanna Mason’s life among the forests, as well as a works as symbol of remembrance in Western culture . Dried blueberries are for Rue, who used to forage for them in the meadows of District 11. Toasted nori (seaweed) is in remembrance of Finnick Odair, the trident king of District 4. Powdered sugar represents the delicate extravagance of Effie Trinket. Finally, the addition of goat cheese to the apple filling is in remembrance of Prim’s cooking and the apple and goat cheese tarts Peeta’s family made in their bakery.

END SPOILER ALERT

Fun fact – my roommate was a regular extra on Catching Fire as well as Mockingjay parts I and II. That rose garnish on top of the cake was one of the props used for President Snow on set. Peeta would probably think twice before putting it on the actual cake. But since no actual PTSD-suffering former Hunger Games tributes live in my house, we thought it would be pretty for this shoot. Don’t worry; it wasn’t poisoned.

A couple of things to keep in mind about this cake. You will need to pay attention to timing when baking the rounds so the next layer of cake is ready to go into the oven as soon as one comes out. I had three 9-inch diameter cake pans, so it was a little easier than if I had fewer. The dough will be sticky, so make sure that you flour your hands before handling it and pressing it into the pans. Make sure to let the cake sit 24 hours before serving to let the filling seep into the cake.

When serving I suggest warming each slice about thirty seconds in the microwave, spreading on a little butter or sprinkling some sea salt on top before adding a drizzle of honey.