Gandalf: “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”




Books can be such powerful things.




They carry us away to magical places.




They teach us to stand for courage and truth.




They comfort us, support us, and sometimes change us.




The Lord of the Rings is a one such book.




My uncle introduced me to Tolkien and the world of fantasy when I was a teenager. I loved it so much, I wanted to be an elf.




The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy did a fantastic job of bringing some our beloved characters to life.




I never tire of watching the movies. So last Saturday, when some friends had a Fellowship of the Ring viewing party, I wanted to make something special.




I scoured the internet only to be reminded (sadly) how basic my baking skills were.




I mean look at this.







And this.







Seriously? (those are cakes, by the way.)




But this one is my fav 🙂







I decided what I could do were Sauron’s eye cupcakes. For the uninitiated, Sauron is the evil force the protagonists must battle in The Lord of the Rings. For more, read this.




I used my basic vanilla cupcake recipe, but added a little buttermilk to the batter for extra softness. I divided the batter and then coloured half orange and the other yellow.







They came out of the oven looking beautiful.







Then I did some regular buttercream icing in yellow and orange, and ran a fork along the sides. It all came together with a streak of black down the centre.







If LOTR fans can’t see the resemblance, this may help.







Do you see it now? 🙂







I leave you with a rather unforgettable exchange.




Aragorn: Gentlemen, we do not stop ’til nightfall.
Pippin: What about breakfast?
Aragorn: You’ve already had it.
Pippin: We’ve had one, yes. What about second breakfast?
Merry: I don’t think he knows about second breakfast, Pip.
Pippin: What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, doesn’t he?
Merry: I wouldn’t count on it.