The Scorpio Races is one of my all-time favorite books and not just because it features horses, or supernatural horses, rather. It is simply a beautifully told story with compelling characters that you come to love and relate to. Their hopes and dreams become yours. Author Maggie Stiefvater created two distinct voices in the protagonists, Puck and Sean, and you can’t help but be swept up in their world. And the delicious, sticky November cakes are a memorable part of that world!
November cakes are a yeast roll infused with an orange-flavored filling and covered with a honey-caramel glaze, topped by drizzled icing. Oh yeah. And after tempting readers with their description in the book (“it oozes honey and butter, rivulets of the creamy frosting joining the honey in the pit of my hand”), Maggie developed a recipe for her fictional cakes and generously provided it for fans.
Of course, I had to make them! And there’s only word that truly describes November cakes: sinful. Seriously. They are so incredibly yummy and rich and melt-in-your-mouth good. Perfect for a crisp fall morning! And while there are several steps to the recipe, the result is totally worth the time and effort. Instead of including it here, I have linked to the recipe on Maggie’s blog as it’s pretty long and she has it formatted so neatly there!
But I have included some photos of my endeavor at baking them. (They turned out great, if I do say so myself!) Here are some of the steps along the way:
Paperback editions of The Scorpio Races also include the recipe.
P.S. If you want to read something else by Maggie, I highly recommend checking out The Raven Boys series. It is seriously good. But no supernatural horses. Supernatural Welsh kings, though…well, maybe. And orange Camaros.
Photos by Judy L. Marchman