5 Desserts Inspired by Historical Dramas That Will Fill Your Heart and Soul, Quite Ardently

Historical dramas are a guilty pleasure for some of us and a means to escape the clutches of reality by indulging in peak delusional behavior. So why not also indulge in these desserts that are inspired by some of the most beloved historical dramas, ever?

Historical drama films have long transported audiences to bygone eras through sweeping stories of love, war, and political upheaval, wreaking havoc on our mental health and hormones. Some of the most beloved movies in this genre have become iconic pieces of cinema beloved for their ability to immerse viewers in vivid periods of the past.

While the lavish costumes and dramatic plots are enough to treat our eyes and hearts, these epic tales also inspire the imagination of other sensory delights. How about a Pride and Prejudice Tea Cake or a Simple Chocolate Cake reminiscing Little Women? We’ve got these and more on our list.

1. Gone With the Wind’s Peach Crisp

A thick book, bulkier than a brick, and an even longer movie that stretches to an eye-watering four hours, Gone With the Wind captures the tumultuous love life of a spoiled rich girl who navigates survival in a war-torn country. A peach crisp fits the movie quite well, peach being an iconic crop in Georgie where the film is set. Peach crisp is a homely, comforting dessert that can be made with simple ingredients. This parallels Scarlett's journey from the lavish world of her upbringing to relying on her resourcefulness to survive and rebuild. The crisp’s sweet, fruity filling of peaches reflects Scarlett's nostalgia for the gentility and traditions of her childhood home at Tara. But it's served with a crisp, crumbly topping rather than a soft pastry crust. The topping provides texture contrast to the soft fruit, just as Gone With the Wind balances nostalgia for the Old South with the harsh truths of war, defeat, and reconstruction, and how Scarlett had to adapt to and overcome with her grit and resilience.

2. Darcy’s Blueberry Tea Cakes

Celebrating teatime culture, blueberry tea cakes are perfect, more approachable, and a delight, unlike Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, at the start anyway. The blueberries in the teacakes represent Elizabeth Bennet's lively and spirited personality quite well, as does it capture the nobility of the Darcys and the crème de la crème of British aristocracy. Like Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, who go through misunderstandings and changes in opinion of each other, the flavors of blueberries and cake combine in an unexpected but pleasing way. The humble tea cake captures the unfolding plot of the story as the two characters shed their pride and prejudices to come to love each other, just like you will when you eat this cake while watching the Darcy-Bennett saga for the nth time.

3. Sense and Sensibility’s Strawberry Tart

Strawberries are often associated with romance and the film being centered around the romantic arcs of both Elinor and Marianne Dashwood and their relationships with Edward Ferrars and Colonel Brandon, makes a strawberry tart a perfect representation of their developing romances. Elinor represents "sense"—she is thoughtful, prudent and contains her emotions. But she still feels deeply for Edward. Marianne represents "sensibility"—she is passionate but can also act rashly at times. The strawberries capture this blend of sweet and tart. As individual tarts, they reflect how the sisters' stories are intertwined yet separate—Elinor has her own romantic journey as does Marianne. But they support each other through it all.

4. Portrait of a Lady on Fire’s Tiramisu

The layers of ladyfingers soaked in coffee liqueur and piled with a light mascarpone cream evoke the layering of intimacy and emotions beneath the surface in the film.

As one delicately works through the layers of tiramisu, enjoying the interplay of flavors, they mirror the experience of watching the relationship unfold slowly through subtle actions and developing trust between the two women. The coffee brings an element of stimulation and awakening to both palate and mind, as one discovers what lies beneath both the tiramisu and the film's narrative. It provokes thought and awakens the senses. Like the portrait artist's careful study of her subject, one must linger over each bite of tiramisu to fully appreciate the intertwining of textures between the crisp ladyfingers and rich cream.

5. Little Women’s Chocolate Cake

Little Women follows the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—as they come of age in Civil War-era New England. Through challenges faced together and as their lives diverge, the sisters remain bound by an unbreakable bond of sisterhood. A rich chocolate cake is a fitting dessert to symbolize the key themes in Little Women. Its rich, comforting flavor represents the emotional warmth of the March home that sees the sisters through difficult times. Though simple, it evokes the family's capacity to extract joy from little and endure challenges with optimism, hope, and perseverance—just as the sisters do through their faith in each other and the love of their community.