I’m always very happy when I hear that author H.Y. Hanna is coming out with a new release in her Oxford Tearoom Mystery series! I can always count on a great read and a tearoom worthy recipe that can be made at home. TILL DEATH DO US TART is the fourth book and every bit as enjoyable as the earlier releases!

Synopsis

Gemma Rose owns The Little Stables Tearoom in Meadow-on-Smythe, near Oxford. Her relationship with CID Devlin O’Connor is progressing nicely but she’s chafing with the need for independence, instead of living under her parents’ roof. Her mother, in particular, is driving her crazy…she’s against Gemma dating Devlin; she’s entered Gemma’s adorable tabby, Meuseli, in a purebred cat show, even though Meuseli is a “moggie”; and then her mother has taken up with the four Old Biddies who fancy themselves to be private investigators.

While attending the cat show with her mother, one of the other contestants, Dame Clare Eccleston, drops dead after eating her daughter’s Victoria Sponge Cake. Her ancient doctor rules it a heart attack and the police accept the diagnosis. The Old Biddies and Gemma’s mother are certain Dame Eccleston was poisoned, but Gemma is sure the cake was okay since she ate a piece as well. Undeterred, the Old Biddies start investigating and before Gemma knows it, she’s asking questions and finding some of the answers don’t add up. Can she convince Devlin to take the accusations seriously or will her suspicions drive a wedge between them? Can she find justice for the victim, even though she finds out Dame Eccleston was an obnoxious tyrant?

My Review

TILL DEATH DO US TART is a charming book on so many levels! I adore the cover with the cute kitty, Meuseli, and the story itself takes you into the quaintness of a small English village. I felt like this book gave you a more personal glimpse of who Gemma Rose is and how she’s developed and changed by her interaction with friends, family, and customers as well by the murders she keeps getting pulled in to. Gemma’s strong sense of justice is forefront in this book, despite the fact that the murdered woman was an unlovely woman who terrorized so many people around her. This satisfying mystery had plenty of suspects to keep me guessing until the end and the conclusion came as surprise.

The author also provides an insider’s look at a traditional English fête and village. She paints such a beautiful picture using words that I felt like I could be one of the many tourists wondering around, taking in the scenes, scents, and tastes offered. And Gemma’s tearoom provides all sorts of delectable, mouthwatering treats that make me want to visit and linger over a pot of tea. H.Y. Hanna shares her traditional Victoria Sponge Cake recipe in her book and I was thrilled when she asked me to give it a try!  Victoria Sponge Cake is a delicately flavored and textured cake layered with strawberry jam bursting with the flavor of summer and rich whipped cream. Instead of the usual sweet, sticky frosting, the top is dusted with confectioners’ sugar and garnished with fresh strawberries. A light, perfect dessert for an afternoon tea! Disclaimer: Most Victoria Sponge Cakes do not have so much jam oozing from the sides… my granddaughter helped me with this cake and got carried away by the jar of strawberry jam… however, the cake was absolutely delicious! Thank you, H.Y. Hanna, for allowing me to share your recipe! 

A very special thank you to H.Y. Hanna for providing the winner’s choice of a print copy or an e-book copy of TILL DEATH DO US TART. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. Contest ends Thursday, August 11, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST. Winners will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Victoria Sponge Cake

The most important thing to remember about the ingredients is to have the same weight of butter, caster sugar and self-raising flour as the eggs. So it would be best to weigh the eggs first (in their shells) and then to measure out the butter, sugar and flour accordingly. In the recipe below, I have assumed the eggs to be around 50g each but please check your own eggs and adjust accordingly.

Since the U.S. generally does not bake by weighing the ingredients, the U.S. measurements are listed below with the grams included in brackets. Be aware that results may vary since the recipe will not be as accurate as weighing the ingredients. 

The other key is to have all ingredients at room temperature, especially the eggs—this will help to prevent the mixture from splitting / curdling. 

Ingredients

Sponge Cake

4 large eggs of approximately 50g each, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature (plus some extra for greasing the cake tins)
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (200g caster) superfine sugar
1-3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (200g) self-rising flour (use the spoon and level method to measure)
1 teaspoon baking powder
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons milk (to loosen batter if necessary)

Filling

1 cup (250ml) heavy whipping cream
1 jar of good quality strawberry jam

Garnish

Fresh strawberries
Icing sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). (180C / 160 C fan / gas mark 4)

Add the butter and superfine sugar to a bowl (or mixer) and combine thoroughly taking your time. Keep mixing until the mixture is smooth and creamy and you cannot feel any of the sugar granules.

Do not rush this step—even if it takes five minutes—as it is the key to making your sponge cake light and fluffy. The longer you can mix the butter and sugar, the better your cake will be.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl and then add it to your butter and sugar mixture a little bit at a time, making sure to mix thoroughly after each addition before adding more.

Again, take the time to cream the mixture as much as possible—the smoother it is, the better the texture of the cake will be.

Finally add in the vanilla extract and mix well.

Sift the flour, along with the baking powder and salt, into the mixture, then fold very gently to combine, using a figure of 8 motion. This keeps as much air in the mixture as possible. (If using a mixer, keep it on the lowest, gentlest setting.) You must not overwork the batter otherwise the cake will come out tough and dense.

Keep mixing gently until the batter is smooth and passes the “dollop test”, i.e. when you lift some of it up with the spatula, it falls easily off in a dollop.

If it sticks to the spatula and is too dry, add a bit of milk to loosen it and mix gently again. Be careful not to add too much milk as you don’t want the batter to be runny.

Get two 8-inch round cake tins and lightly grease the insides, then lay a circle of parchment paper on the bottom.

Divide the batter evenly between the two tins, using the spatula to smooth the tops until they are flat. (Don’t worry if they are not perfectly even—they will melt and even out in the oven.)

Place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until the cakes are golden and have risen nicely. To check that they’re done, slide a sharp knife or skewer into the center and it should come out clean. The cake will also spring back when gently pressed and the edges should be shrinking slightly away from the sides of the tin.

Take the cakes out and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then remove from the tins. Peel off the parchment paper and cool on a wire rack, flat side down.

* It is important to allow the cakes to cool completely otherwise it will cause the cream in the filling to melt and will ruin the cake.

While the cakes are cooling, prepare the filling by whipping the cream until it forms soft peaks.

Take the “uglier” cake and use that as your base. Spread the top with a generous portion of strawberry jam.

Follow with a layer of fresh whipped cream, using a spatula to carefully spread it over the jam.

Finally, place the second cake gently on top to form the “sandwich”.

* Variation: some people may also like to include fresh sliced strawberries in the filling, between the jam and the cream.

Garnish the top of the cake with the fresh strawberries and then dust everything with icing sugar.

Enjoy!

Tip

Weigh the batter as you divide between the cake tins to have equally even cakes.

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FREE DOWNLOAD FROM H.Y. HANNA! 

Be sure to check out H.Y. Hanna’s just released prequel to the Oxford Tearoom Mysteries, ALL-BUTTER SHORTDEAD! Free for a limited time on Amazon! You can download at:

Amazon: http://www.hyhanna.com/butter-amazon

Amazon UK: http://www.hyhanna.com/butter-amazonuk

Gemma ditches her high-flying job and returns to Oxford to follow her dream: opening a traditional English tearoom serving warm buttery scones with jam and clotted cream… Only problem is–murder is the first thing on the menu and Gemma is the key suspect! And the only people Gemma can turn to for help are four nosy old ladies from her local Cotswolds village – not to mention a cheeky little tabby cat named Muesli. Who was the mysterious woman Gemma met on the flight back from Australia and why was she murdered? Now Gemma must find the killer, solve the mystery and clear her name if she’s to have her cake–and serve it too.

This PREQUEL to the OXFORD TEAROOM MYSTERIES includes BONUS CHAPTERS FROM “A SCONE TO DIE FOR” (BOOK 1). It is slightly shorter than the rest of the series – which are all full length novels – and can be read as a standalone, before or after any other book in the series.

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I have been a fan of the books written by Elizabeth Buzzelli (aka Elizabeth Lee) for some time. When she told me she was writing a new series and asked if I would be an early reader for A MOST CURIOUS MURDER: A Little Library Mystery, I jumped at the chance! Even though the book does not have recipes, Elizabeth created a special dessert, Topsy-Turvy Pineapple Torte, to celebrate the Alice in Wonderland theme of the book. The torte is a meringue-based cake, baked in a cast iron skillet which creates crispy edges. Brown sugar mixed with butter, crushed pineapple, and maraschino cherries provides an easy base to support the cake while baking. But when it’s turned upside down for serving, that’s when the magic happens. The sugar caramelizes with the pineapple, creating a rich contrast to the light cake. Even though my husband shouldn’t eat dairy, he couldn’t stop eating this delightful dessert and declared it was one of the best he’s ever had! Elizabeth has also included a yummy optional rum sauce to drizzle over the cake. While not necessary to use, it does add an additional level of decadence!

Synopsis

Jenny Westson has returned home to Bear Falls, Michigan after a bitter divorce and the loss of her job and friends. When she pulls up to her mother’s house in the early morning hour, she finds her mother’s Little Library broken into smithereens with the books destroyed. Sick at heart, her deceased father had built the Little Library as an anniversary gift just months before he was killed in a hit and run accident, Jenny tries to clean up the mess before her mother sees it.

She’s interrupted by her mom’s “little person” neighbor, Zoe Zola, who loves to quote Lewis Carroll. With her exhaustion and emotional heartache, Jenny doesn’t care for Zoe all that much, but despite her attitude, Zoe pitches in to clean up and help break the news to Jenny’s mom, Dora. When the police tell them it’s probably just a hit and run, Zoe points out all the evidence which indicated it was something much more malicious. She thinks it could be one of their neighbors, Adam Cane, who destroyed the Little Library since he hated it and her dog, Fida. When Fida disappears Zoe points the police in the direction of Adam again, but when he turns up dead in Zoe’s fairy garden, she’s suddenly suspected of murder.

Evidence is even more incriminating when Adam’s brother, Aaron, is found murdered with Zoe’s dog locked in his impoverished cabin. Jenny knows Zoe is innocent, despite her quirks, and decides she has to find the real killer before the small-town police railroad Zoe right into prison. With the madness of murders going on around her, Jenny must find the answers that they and the killer are looking for but time may be running out for another innocent victim.

My Review

I enjoy reading cozy mysteries for a variety of reasons: good character development, happy endings, and of course they are a source of wonderful entertainment. A MOST CURIOUS MURDER fits my criteria for what makes a book good, but then the author went a step further and made it great! This first book in her brand new series has a strong plot with plenty of twists, turns, and falls into the rabbit hole which kept me up late at night turning pages. But what made this book stand out in my mind is the intertwining of emotions in the subplots that pulled me in, made me relate, and made me think about the story and the characters long after I had finished the book. Ms. Buzzelli has a lyrical cadence to her writing which fit the theme of Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland and enhanced the settings so I felt like I was experiencing the book instead of just reading a story.

One of the quotes Zoe shares with Jenny that I thought was quite appropriate for my review is “….words and words and words – until the words sort themselves out and everything is clear, or it becomes completely unclear and it doesn’t matter anymore.” Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli’s words are perfectly clear and come together to make a delightful, thought provoking read. Well done!

A very special thank you to Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli for providing an autographed hardcover of A MOST CURIOUS MURDER! (U.S. residents only.) Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. Contest ends Monday, July 11, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST. Winners will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Topsy-Turvy Pineapple Torte

Ingredients

Cake

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 twenty-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained and patted dry (reserve juice for rum glaze)
10 Maraschino cherries, halved

4 eggs, separated
1 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Rum Sauce (optional)

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup dark rum
1/4 cup butter (optional)

Garnish

1/2 cup crushed walnuts
Whipped cream
Maraschino cherries

Instruction

Cake

Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F).

Warm a well-seasoned 9-inch cast iron skillet in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes. Don’t let it smoke.

Remove skillet from the oven and melt 1/2 cup butter in it, over low stovetop heat.

Remove from heat and sprinkle brown sugars evenly over the pan.

Sprinkle pineapple over the brown sugars, to cover bottom of the skillet.

Arrange halved cherries around pineapple.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites just until soft peaks form.

Gradually add the granulated sugar, beating well after each addition, then beat until medium-stiff peaks form.

In a small bowl, beat egg yolks at high speed until very thick and yellow, about 2 minutes.

Using a whisk, gently fold egg yolks and flour mixture into the egg whites until blended.

Fold in 1 tablespoon melted butter and vanilla.

Spread batter evenly over pineapple in skillet.

Bake until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertip and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

Loosen the edges of the cake with table knife.

Cool the cake for 5 minutes before inverting onto serving plate.

Flip the skillet and leave a few minutes before removing. The cake will release easier this way.

Rum Glaze

Add all the ingredients to a saucepan and boil for 3 minutes.

While the sauce is hot, pour over cake and garnish with crushed walnuts, whipped cream, and Maraschino cherries.

Tips

Separate the eggs while they are cold then allow them to come to room temperature while you collect the remaining ingredients. Cold eggs separate easier while room temperature eggs will whip up fluffier.

Make sure there is not even a speck of yolk in the whites and your bowl and beaters are grease-free or the egg whites won’t whip up fluffy.

The difference between light and dark brown sugar is simply the amount of molasses each contains. Dark brown sugar has a more assertive flavor but they can both be used interchangeably.

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I was provided a copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When I hear that a new release is coming in one of the series that I love to read, I do a happy dance! KILLER TAKEOUT by Lucy Burdette is releasing April 5th, and I was thrilled to get my hands on an early copy.

KILLER TAKEOUT takes us back to Key West in the ten days leading up to Halloween. Hoards of people are flooding into the tropical town to participate in Fantasy Fest and Hayley Snow, Food Critic for Key Zest magazine, has her hands full. Wanting to avoid the overcrowded restaurants, she researches reliable takeout food for an article along with covering some of the Fantasy Fest events such as Zombie Bike Ride and a pet masquerade contest. On top of that her mother, Janet Snow, is arriving in town with her fiance, Sam, to get married on the beach…and a huge tropical storm is heading their way.

Danielle Kamen, the receptionist for Key Zest, is crowned Queen of Fantasy Fest. When Hayley hears that Danielle is in a cat fight with one of the other contestants, she rushes to lend her support and it takes police intervention to break it up. Danielle insists it wasn’t her fault, that she was trying to get away from Caryn Druckman. The next day as Hayley is riding in the Zombie bike ride taking photos and video for her article, she sees Caryn collapse in the middle of the ride. Hayley stops to help her but it’s too late….she’s dead. The police suspect poisoning and set their sights on Danielle given the altercation the day before. Danielle begs Hayley to clear her name since she’s a nervous wreck and can barely function. As Hayley starts asking questions around town, she’s not so sure Danielle wants to know the truth. Could it be Danielle’s own ambitious mother and aunt who had a hand in doing away with the competition or one of the many other people Caryn had stepped on in her fight for the crown?

There were so many things to love about this story! Lucy’s imagery made me feel a part of the Fantasy Fest and facilitated several laugh out loud moments. Hayley is a loyal friend and the relationships she has with her mom, Danielle, and her geriatric houseboat roommate seem genuine which adds charm to the story. There’s still some conflict in her relationship with Detective Nathan Bransford but the author gives them both room to explore and grow with each passing book.

The food descriptions alone can contribute to gaining about five pounds while reading…so many drool-worthy dishes are mentioned and as usual, Lucy shares several recipes at the back of the book. As soon as she asked if I’d like to make her coconut cake I knew exactly how I’d like to present it. While you can stack the 2 layers of cake with lusciously rich cream cheese frosting and tropical coconut nestled in between, this time of year calls for a fun kids’ cake! I first made a bunny cake almost thirteen years ago when my granddaughter, Jaidyn, turned one. It was my VERY first attempt at doing anything creative with a cake and of course I used a boxed mix and canned frosting. Lucy’s coconut cake and coconut cream cheese frosting are a natural match for the design and made the adults go back for seconds for another nibble of this supremely moist, tropical tasting cake! I have included a video tutorial below showing how to assemble the bunny cake along with a PDF template for cutting the ears and bow tie.

As a bonus for my readers I’m giving away either a print copy or e-book copy of KILLER TAKEOUT for one lucky reader to win! Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. Contest ends Friday, March 25, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST. Non-U.S. residents will be awarded a digital copy. Prize will be sent out on the book’s release date of 4/5/16. Winners will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Eric’s Coconut Cake (Almost)

My friend Eric (the model for the psychologist character in the Key West mysteries) is famous for his coconut cake. And I’ve been looking for a recipe for coconut cake forever, so I begged for his. Of course, never able to quite leave a recipe alone, I did change things up a little from what he sent me. I used less of the cream of coconut and one block of cream cheese in the icing, instead of two. Oh, and unsweetened coconut instead of sweetened. It was delicious, if I say so myself. I think I will try this as a sheet cake next time I have to take something to a party…

Serves ten to twelve

Ingredients

Cake

1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-3/4 cup cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened but still cool, and cut into cubes
3 ounces Coco Lopez from an 8-ounce can (save the rest for icing)
4 eggs, room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Frosting

1 8-ounce block cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
5 ounces Coco Lopez (the rest of the can)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
About 1 and 1/2 cups – 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
7 – 8 ounces unsweetened flaked coconut (you can use sweetened flaked coconut too)

Easter Bunny Cake

Pink gel food coloring
Assorted candies

Click on the link: Easter Bunny PDF Template

Instructions

Cake

Heat oven to 350 degrees (F).

Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by buttering them well, lining with parchment, and then buttering the parchment too.

Mix all the dry cake ingredients in bowl of electric mixer or stand mixer at slow speed.

Add cool cubes of butter, a few at a time, along with the Coco Lopez, and continue beating on low for about 1-2 minutes.

Beat the eggs in one at a time, mixing well but minimally after each.

Mix the milk with the extracts.

Add 1/2 cup of milk mixture to flour mixture and beat until combined. Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat for about 1 minute.

Pour batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans.

Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and cake springs back when touched, in the neighborhood of 25 minutes. (Watch this because you don’t want to overcook…)

Cool the pans for ten minutes, then remove the cakes, one to a plate and the other to waxed paper, and allow them to cool to room temperature.

Frosting

Cream the butter and cream cheese together then add in the Coco Loco and vanilla extract.

Slowly add in the confectioners’ sugar and beat until creamy. Add in additional confectioners’ sugar until desired consistency and sweetness level is reached.

Ice the top of the first layer, then sprinkle with coconut. Add the second layer, ice the whole cake, sprinkle the coconut all over, patting as needed.

Easter Bunny Cake

Tint 3 tablespoons of the flaked coconut pink, using 2 drops of pink gel food coloring. Set aside.

Using the Easter Bunny PDF Template, slice one of the 9-inch cake rounds into a bow tie and 2 ears.

Place the intact 9-inch cake round onto a large cake board and position the bow tie and 2 ears to make a bunny.

Cover the cakes with frosting.

Apply the pink coconut to form the shape of the bunny’s inner ears.

Cover the remaining cake with white coconut, pressing the coconut into the sides of the cake to adhere.

Decorate the bunny with assorted candies as desired. I used licorice whips, Lifesaver gummies, jelly beans, M & M’s, and Sixlets. View my video tutorial below to see how I assembled cake.

Tips

My can of Coco Loco separated so I puréed using an immersion stick blender before using.

Use EvenBake Cake Strips around the cake pans while baking to keep the cake tops from doming.

For my cake board, I use colorful fabric (wash first!) on a 1/2-inch thick cut piece of plywood that I’ve covered with washable contact paper. Hot glue the edges of the fabric to the bottom of the board. When the “party” is over, remove the fabric and bits of cake and frosting and throw away. Clean the contact paper covered board as needed and it will be ready to reuse for your next cake!

Of course you can make this luscious tropical cake as a regular layer cake!

Photo courtesy of Google Images

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Last fall I read my first Candy Holliday Murder Mystery book, TOWN IN A PUMPKIN BASH, and got hooked. When I found out that the husband and wife team writing as B.B. Haywood, were coming out with a new release in the series last month, I was extremely happy…and their newest book, TOWN IN A CINNAMON TOAST, did not disappoint! 

Candy Holliday has quit her managing editor position with the local newspaper so that she can work side-by-side with her father, Doc, on their blueberry farm. Her best friend, Maggie Tremont, is getting married to the town’s baker, Herr Georg Wolfsburger. They are holding their wedding at Candy and Doc’s farm and the bridal couple host a pre-wedding planning dinner at a local restaurant. When the best man, Julius Seaburg, doesn’t show Candy goes looking for him. Julius is the town’s unofficial historian and spends a great deal of time at the English Point Lighthouse Museum researching. Candy finds him at the museum face down, dead. A bottle of the champagne Georg had purchased for the wedding is near his body and seems to be the murder weapon.

While waiting for the police to arrive, the museum’s director shows up. Owen Peabody disregards the crime scene and picks up books that have fallen to the floor. A note flutters from one of the books with several names of the town’s founding families written on it. Owen stuffs it into his pocket believing it to be inconsequential, but Candy thinks it could be a clue Julius wrote before he died. When the police begin investigating the Chief of Police makes it clear that he considers Candy a suspect since she had means to snatch the champagne while she was at the restaurant and then she was found alone with the murder victim. Plus he doesn’t like how she’s found victims and solved several murders over the past few years.

Maggie is distressed and considers postponing the wedding after finding the unconscious body of the waiter who was handling their champagne. Candy determines she needs to find the killer so her friend can have the wedding of her dreams. Herr Georg, although somewhat elderly, jumps into the investigation with Candy to keep his bride-to-be from being stressed out. And as he points out, the murderer made it personal when he killed his best man using a bottle of his champagne.

One of the things I love about this series is the historical mystery thread that is woven throughout. Even though this is the seventh book in the series, it is still easily read as a stand-alone. If you have followed Candy’s story, TOWN IN A CINNAMON TOAST has more clarity to the feud between some of the founding families from eons back that continues into modern times and impacts the entire town. The author also does a wonderful job creating close family and friend relationships with the central characters. Of course I have to mention the delicious recipes that B.B. Haywood provide with their book! They have included the Orange Wedding Cake recipe Herr Georg made from an old family recipe for his and Maggie’s reception….although this recipe is scaled down to make a regular sized cake. The cake itself is fat-free but still rich tasting and moist. The super flavorful Orange Buttercream frosting makes this the perfect cake for any special occasion, like Easter. A huge thank you to B.B. Haywood for allowing me to share this wonderful recipe! It was so yummy, several of my taste testers went back for seconds and one even went back for thirds! I have included a short video tutorial at the bottom of the page.

Thanks to B.B. Haywood for providing a copy of TOWN IN A CINNAMON TOAST for one lucky reader to win! Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. Contest ends Monday, March 21, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST and is open to U.S. residents only. Winners will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Maggie and Georg’s Orange Wedding Cake
with Orange Buttercream Frosting

(From an Old Wolfsburger family recipe)

Serves 12

Ingredients

Cake

Grated rind and juice of one large orange (about 1/3 cup orange juice)
5 eggs
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder

Orange Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter (2 sticks) softened
3 – 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted through a sieve or with a sifter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon orange extract
Up to 4 tablespoons of heavy cream

Instructions

Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour 2 round 9-inch cake pans or 1 9-inch-by-13-inch rectangular baking pan.

Into a large mixing bowl, squeeze the juice from 1 large orange.

Grate the rind of the same orange into the bowl, mix well with the juice.

Add eggs to the orange mixture and mix well.

Add powdered sugar, a little at a time, mixing well with a wire whisk for 10 minutes.

Add cold water.

Add flour and baking powder, a little at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Split batter between 2 pans or put it all in the 1 rectangular pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool cakes in pans for 20 minutes, then turn out cakes onto 2 sheets of wax paper until ready to frost.

When cakes are completely cooled, set one round cake on a cake plate.

Orange Buttercream Frosting

In a large bowl beat the softened butter.

Mix some of the powdered sugar with the butter in the bowl.

Add salt, orange extract, and cream. Mix for 3 minutes.

Add more powdered sugar or cream to get the consistency you like.

Frost the top of 1 layer; put the second layer on top.

Frost the sides, then the top.

For a wedding cake, this would be many tiers high and decorated with vines and flowers.

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Valentine’s Day is all about pinks and reds, sweets and special desserts! I also enjoy finding cozy mysteries that have a bit of holiday theme in them so I was happy when I started reading FATAL RESERVATIONS, the sixth book in they Key West Food Critic by Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta Isleib).  I’ve made several of Lucy’s luscious desserts in the past from other books in her series so knew my family was in for a treat when I saw her recipe for Raspberry Cake. And I knew that it would be the perfect Valentine’s Day cake with its gorgeous pink color thanks to the plentiful use of fresh raspberries and NO artificial food coloring.

Hayley Snow is a food critic for style magazine, Key Zest, in Key West, Florida. Putting up with a new boss who bought half interest in the magazine, juggling her “sort-of” relationship with her other boss, Wally, and keeping her elderly roommate, Miss Gloria, out of trouble keeps her more than busy. When Miss Gloria points out the police fishing a body out of the harbor, Hayley is glad she didn’t find it and isn’t involved in anyone’s death this time. That evening she attends the City Council’s meeting on behalf of her magazine to cover the controversy over the application to open a Japanese floating restaurant, For Goodness Sake. She puts the gruesome police activity out of her mind especially as tensions mount when several other restaurant owners in the area speak out against the proposed restaurant. As the agenda moves on to working out a solution for lease renewals for the street performers for the Sunset Celebration, the meeting turns violent when one of the street vendors tries to strangle Hayley’s tarot card reading friend, Lorenzo.

Not long after the meeting adjourns, Lorenzo calls Hayley and tells her that the police suspect he is the murderer of the flaming fork juggling performer, Bart Frontgate, the man pulled from the harbor that afternoon. Apparently Bart was involved in the controversial Sunset Celebration lease renewal issue, on the opposite side of Lorenzo, and they had been feuding for over a year. Hayley is certain that her friend is innocent and starts asking questions to clear his name. But when he disappears and she finds he’s been hiding secrets, Hayley’s loyalty is put to the test, especially when another murder takes place.

Lucy manages to capture the sights, sounds and flavors unique to Key West and makes you feel like you’re on a long vacation with Hayley. Her characters are quirky yet charming and I love to see how they grow and develop with each subsequent book. In addition to a great story, I thoroughly enjoyed the quotes beginning each chapter… with the one contributed by the author from her book, DEATH WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS, being my favorite: “Wally flashed a smile, tight as the rubber band around a bouquet of broccoli.” Lucy creates vivid pictures using words as her paint!

A huge thanks to Lucy for allowing me to share her very special Raspberry Cake recipe! I have included a video tutorial at the bottom of the page on how to make the cake as well, with a couple tips for decorating it. Be sure to take a look at the sneak peek of the newest book in “A Key West Food Critic Mystery” series, KILLER TAKEOUT, debuting April 5, 2016!

As a bonus for my readers I have a copy of FATAL RESERVATIONS to give to one lucky winner! Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe for a chance to win. Contest ends Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST. Winner will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!) Open to U.S. residents only.

Raspberry Cake

Hayley imagines this cake could seal the deal with Wally on Valentine’s Day. I think it would have, too – if only he’d tasted a bite before storming off the houseboat.

Serves 6 – 12, depending on the size of the slices.

Ingredients

Cake

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-3/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened but still cool, cut into cubes
4 eggs, room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Frosting

1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese
1 stick unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Confectioners’ sugar**
2 boxes fresh raspberries – about 30 for the frosting and 40 or so for decoration
3 – 4 tablespoons good-quality raspberry jam

Instructions

Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F).

Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by buttering them well, lining with parchment paper, and then buttering the parchment too.

Combine the flours, baking powder, sugar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix at low speed.

Add the butter, a few cubes at a time, and continue beating on low for 1 to 2 minutes.

Beat the eggs in, one at a time, mixing well but minimally after each.

Mix the milk with the extracts.

Add 1/2 cup of the milk mixture to the flour mixture and beat until combines.

Add the remaining 1/2 cup of the milk mixture and beat for 1 minute.

Pour the batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when touched, in the neighborhood of 25 minutes. Watch this because you don’t want to over-bake.

Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes.

Remove the cakes, one to a plate and the other to waxed or parchment paper, and allow them to cool to room temperature.

Frosting

Beat together the cream cheese and butter.

Add the vanilla and confectioners’ sugar to taste. (The author used about 1 cup of sugar.)**

Now gradually beat in about 30 raspberries until your desired pink color is achieved.

Spread the plated cooled cake with a layer of frosting, then a layer of jam.

Layer on the other cake. Frost the top and sides and decorate with remaining berries.

Refrigerate until serving.

Tips

**I used close to 8 cups of confectioners’ sugar for several reasons. 1) My family likes sweet frosting. 2) I knew I wanted to embellish using decorating tips so I needed extra frosting; 3) I wanted a dark pink frosting which meant I needed to use a lot more raspberries without resorting to artificial food coloring.

Here are my tips for getting the frosting just right since raspberries can greatly vary in size and juiciness factors.

• After beating the butter, cream cheese and 1 cup of sugar together, add the raspberries a few at a time and check the consistency before adding more. If you want a darker pink, add extra confectioners’ sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, alternating with adding a few raspberries to the frosting until you reach the desired shade and the desired consistency.
• If you are piping the frosting onto the cake you will want the consistency to be stiff which means extra confectioners’ sugar.

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Lucy Burdette’s next book, KILLER TAKEOUT, is releasing April 5, 2016! Here’s a sneak peek!

It’s Fantasy Fest at Key West, and food critic Hayley Snow is ready to celebrate. But a killer seems intent on crashing the party. . .

Every year, Key West’s weeklong Mardi Gras–style festival has tourists and locals alike lining up for costumed revelry and delicious eats. Key Zest magazine has assigned Hayley to write a piece on the fest’s grab-and-go food, so she’s planning on hitting up the mobile eateries while checking out the party preparations.

Hayley’s office mate, Danielle, recently elected Queen of Fantasy Fest, is also buzzing between festivities and fundraisers.  But when a former royal rival gets taken out, Hayley needs to put down her party hat and her pen and figure out who served up a side of murder—before Danielle gets crowned a killer. . .