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SOMETHING READ, SOMETHING DEAD is the fifth book in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series by Eva Gates (aka Vicki Delany) and I’m so happy that this series has continued to flourish with its new publisher. The protagonist, Lucy Richardson, lives and works in the coolest spot imaginable: a lighthouse turned library! This Outer Banks setting in Nags Head, North Carolina is brought to life by the author, who weaves a tale of murder, stalking, and a disintegrating lighthouse into wedding celebrations. The backdrop is set amidst unpleasant out-of-town family descending upon the town to sow their discord. The drama that ensues is enough to make the bride, Josie, want to follow through on her wishes to elope, or hide out until the disagreeable guests have left town. Ms. Gates has created well-developed characters and allowed her protagonist to shine in the face of adversity as Lucy supports her cousin/best friend, Josie. Some of the out-of-town guests are nasty people and it wasn’t hard to think that someone, or even many people, would want to do away with one of them.

Ms. Gates also weaves in a few subplots that effectively kept me guessing about who the culprit was with a unique twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. The entire town is also pulled into the drama when a huge crack is discovered at the lighthouse library and the safety of the building is questionable. It provided an uplifting way to showcase the small-town spirit and the heartwarming conclusion left me cheering for Lucy and her friends and counting down the days until the next book!

While there aren’t any recipes in this series, the bride-to-be, Josie, owns a bakery while her fiancé owns Jake’s Seafood Bar. There are so many yummy mentions of food and Ms. Gates has kindly shared her recipe for Gluten-Free Banana Cupcakes as served at Josie’s bridal shower held at the lighthouse. These moist cupcakes rely more on the bananas for their richness and flavor instead of being heavy on butter or oil, which I truly appreciate. I left a few cupcakes unfrosted and served them as breakfast cupcakes (aka muffins) which was a hit with my granddaughters. Note: If you don’t have to eat a gluten-free diet, feel free to substitute regular all-purpose flour. But if you must eat gluten-free, you’ll feel spoiled when you bite into one of these delectable mini cakes!

Amazon Synopsis

Dark deeds in the Lighthouse Library threaten to send Lucy Richardson’s soon-to-be-wed cousin Josie to an early ‘til-death-do-us-part.

Winter falls on North Carolina’s Outer Banks as Lucy Richardson and her friends joyfully help her favorite cousin, Josie O’Malley, plan her wedding. The owner and head baker of Josie’s Cozy Bakery and her fiancé, chef Jake Greenblatt, want a small, simple wedding.

But to their horror, Josie’s imperious grandmother, Gloria, descends with the “Louisiana Mafia”: a gaggle of aunts and cousins who intend to take control of the wedding plans. Gloria doesn’t do small and simple, and cousin Mirabelle has her own ideas for Josie’s wedding, something grand and lavish—and paid for by Josie’s parents, of course—that will kickstart her fledgling event planning business and get her work shown on the covers of wedding magazines. To make matters worse, Mirabelle focuses her full Southern charm on the prospective groom…and Jake doesn’t seem entirely adverse to her attentions.

To smooth the waters, Lucy hosts a bridal shower at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library. But it turns deadly when Mirabelle collapses—soon after eating the gluten-free treats Josie prepared specifically for her. Now, to save her favorite cousin from prison, Lucy will have to bring a crook to book in this fifth festive Lighthouse Library mystery from national bestselling author Eva Gates.

A special thanks to Eva Gates for providing a winner with a hardcover copy of SOMETHING READ SOMETHING DEAD. Contest ends Sunday, March 17, 2019 at 11:59 pm PST and is limited to U.S. and Canadian residents. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below to enter. The 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!) 

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Gluten-Free Banana Cupcakes

Its January in the Outer Banks, and Lucy Richardson and her friends are joyfully helping her favorite cousin, Josie O'Malley, plan her wedding in Something Read Something Dead. Lucy and Josie’s mother throw a shower at the Lighthouse Library, and Josie, being Josie, insists on doing the baking herself. Two of the desserts she makes are gluten-free, including these tasty cupcakes.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (6 tablespoons total)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 medium overripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, mashed banana, and buttermilk and continue to beat until combined.
4. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just till combined.
5. Divide the batter evenly among the liners, filling 2/3 full (about 1/4 cup of batter per cupcake).
6. Bake for 23-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

7. Cool completely before frosting with your favorite frosting. 

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A PINCH OF MURDER is the second book in the newly revised and re-released Frosted Love Cozy Mystery series by Summer Prescott. The protagonist, Missy Gladstone, is a cupcake bakery owner and is heading to Las Vegas for a national bake-off contest. Missy is a sweet, kind woman who has poured her life into her bakery. You can’t help but like her and cheer her accomplishments, despite how her long-ago nemesis makes her feel about her talents when Missy runs into her in Vegas. When she’s accused of murdering her nemesis and the police seem determined to pin the crime on her, Missy reaches out to Detective Chas Beckett from her hometown. He quickly rushes to town to help Missy out and I enjoyed their budding friendship and the reader hopes that perhaps romance will blossom between the two.

The plot flowed with enough suspects to keep me interested and the threads of the clues were wrapped up at the exciting conclusion. This is a quick read and while it is not a complex story, it’s entertaining with room for the characters to grow and develop in future installments.

With the re-release, Ms. Prescott has included a delectable recipe for Casino Caramel Royale Cupcakes. Dark brown sugar brings caramel notes to both the cupcakes and the frosting. My taste testers enjoyed the cupcakes, which were moist and substantial. The frosting was extremely tasty but (and maybe it was my error) no matter how long I beat it, the brown sugar was still a bit grainy. However, the majority of my tasters really enjoyed it and it didn’t keep anyone from gobbling these up. I appreciated the ease of mixing up the cupcakes and they baked up beautifully providing a delicious base for the frosting. I did add some extra powdered sugar to make a stiffer frosting since I knew the cupcakes would be sitting out in summer’s heat. They held up quite nicely and were an elegant addition to the picnic table.

Amazon Synopsis

Cupcake baker, Missy Gladstone, decided to leave her cozy little hometown in LaChance, Louisiana, for the bright lights of Vegas, to compete in a national cupcake bake-off with a Grand Prize of $50,000.00. The prize money would go a long way toward Missy’s dreams of expansion, and a trip to Vegas would provide the busy gal with a much-needed vacation, making the trip seem like a win/win.

Dismayed to encounter a former hometown rival in attendance, Missy soon learns that there were ulterior motives attached to her invitation to the event. A sticky proposal pits the two of them against one another again, and Missy stands to lose more than the competition if she doesn’t make some very tough choices.

Alone, far from home, and suspected of murder, Missy reaches out to the only ally who might be able to help her – the dashing Detective Chas Beckett.

A special thanks to Summer Prescott for providing a winner with an e-book copy of A PINCH OF MURDER. Contest ends Sunday, August 19, 2018 at 11:59 pm PST. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below to enter. The 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!)  

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Casino Caramel Royal Cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter at room temperature
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup whole milk (or buttermilk)
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Salted Caramel Icing

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 - 3 cups powdered sugar
• Additional pinch of salt as needed

Instructions

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Beat brown sugar, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and milk (or buttermilk) together.

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

4. Sift the dry ingredients into the liquid ingredients. Stir until dry ingredients are all incorporated.

5. Pour batter to fill 2/3 of the cupcake liner. Bake cupcakes for 15 - 17 minutes and check with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, then the cupcakes are done.

Salted Caramel Icing

1. Beat butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, salt, and powdered sugar together until smooth.

2. Frost cupcakes once they are cool.

3. Use salted caramel chocolate candies for decoration, if desired.

Notes

Makes 18 - 24 cupcakes

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WEDDING CAKE CRUMBLE, the tenth book in the Cupcake Bakery Mysteries by Jenn McKinlay is a delightful addition to her very entertaining series! I’ve been waiting on pins and needles from her release last year to find out what new escapades protagonist, Mel (Melanie) Cooper and her best friend, Angie DeLaura find themselves in. Ms. McKinlay does not disappoint and I was glued to the pages, even forgetting to take notes for my review! The story picks up with Angie getting ready to marry their friend, Tate, who is also co-owner of their Fairy Tale Cupcake Shop in Scottsdale, Arizona. But of course the wedding plans aren’t going smoothly, especially when the two women find Angie’s photographer murdered seven days before the wedding.

As Mel and Angie start looking into the murder (because they just can’t help themselves) the author throws in several twists. Could it be that Angie is actually the target? I love the cast of characters working at Fairy Tale Cupcake, especially octogenarian Marty. Mel and Angie have taken him in and made him one of “their people”. The friendship between Mel, Angie, Tate and the crew is admirable and heartwarming, bringing a sentimental note to the story. As the plot progresses many suspects come to light while the body count starts rising and more twists are thrown in. The ending wraps up the threads nicely while leaving the reader waiting to see what new adventure awaits the gang at the Fairy Tale Cupcake Shop!

Reading about the cupcake shop will leave you craving some sweet treats. Luckily for the reader, Ms. McKinlay provides several delectable cupcake recipes at the back of the book. All sound amazing and it was very difficult to choose just one to try for this blog post. In the end I decided on Black Forest Cupcakes, which Jenn has graciously allowed me to share with you. The rich, dark chocolate cupcakes are supremely moist but the surprise is the cherry filling hiding beneath mounds of fluffy vanilla buttercream. One bite and you’ll think you’ve stepped foot into the delightfully yummy Fairy Tale Cupcake Shop!   

Amazon Synopsis

With Angie and Tate’s wedding just around the corner, it’s a happy time for Melanie Cooper and the bakery crew. Not only are they finessing the last minute details of the big day, but their bakery, Fairy Tale Cupcakes, has just been hired to bake cupcakes for the blockbuster book signing of a controversial author who wrote a steamy bestseller filled with juicy local gossip.

But one by one, the people Angie has hired to work at the wedding begin turning up dead. As the body count rises, the bestselling author is the next to bite the dust. Mel quickly realizes she needs to figure out how the murders are connected and why–before the killer brings the entire cupcake crew crumbling down. After all, Angie and Tate deserve their sweet happily ever after.

A special thanks to Jenn McKinlay for providing a print copy of WEDDING CAKE CRUMBLE plus fun measuring spoons for one lucky winner. Contest is limited to U.S. residents only and ends Sunday, April 8, 2018 at 11:59 pm PST. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below to enter. The 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!) 

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Black Forest Cupcakes

A rich chocolate cupcake with cherry filling and vanilla cream frosting.

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 1-1/3 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teapoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk

Filling

• 1 can cherry pie filling

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk

Garnish

• Chocolate shavings
• 12 fresh cherries with stems (if unavailable substitute maraschino cherries)

Instructions

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Line cupcake pan with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, adding eggs one at a time. Mix in the vanilla.

4. Add in the flour mixture alternately with the milk until well blended.

5. Fill paper liners two-thirds full. Bake 18 - 22 minutes. Remove to wire rack and cool completely.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and vanilla. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed and adding milk as needed. Scrape sides of bowl often. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Makes 3 cups of icing.

Assembling the cupcakes

1. Using a melon baller, scoop out the center of the cooled cupcakes no more than halfway down. Spoon in the cherry pie filling. Using a pastry bag, pipe the vanilla buttercream over the top of the cupcake. Garnish with chocolate shavings and a fresh cherry on top. 

Notes

Makes 12 cupcakes. 

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I have so enjoyed reading each book as they released in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series by Vicki Delaney and have been waiting in anticipation for THE CAT OF THE BASKERVILLES! This third book in the series doesn’t disappoint and kept me glued to the pages as I caught up with protagonist Gemma Doyle. Gemma is such a refreshing, unique heroine. She lives in her own carefully organized world and doesn’t quite understand people who aren’t attuned to details like she is. Especially people like the police whose job it is to see details and solve crimes. This brings plenty of conflict with the investigating detectives when she finds herself in the midst of the murder of a famous actor in town to play the lead role in The Hound of the Baskervilles. With the town gearing up for the West London Theater Festival, the pressure is on to solve the case. And when all clues point to Gemma’s best friend’s mother, Leslie, Gemma ignores the detectives’ warnings to not get involved.

Jayne, Gemma’s best friend, runs Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room which is adjacent to Gemma’s shop, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium. Jayne is darling and just a bit ditzy but a steadfast sidekick to Gemma’s intellectual investigations. They work well together and their interaction provides humorous fun to the book. Ms. Delaney writes witty banter and her descriptive use of language makes the reader feel and see everything that happens on the page. I loved Gemma’s use of British expressions (she’s a transplant from England) and the comparisons between U.S. English and British English words. It’s quite humorous! The mystery is well thought out with a nice pace while the conclusion was quite surprising. I never even considered the suspect!

While the book does not contain recipes, Vicki has allowed me to share a recipe for Coconut Cupcakes that she created. In the book, Jayne made over 100 cupcakes for a festival fundraising event and even got non-culinary Gemma to frost them for her. Supremely moist and full of flavor, I loved that the shredded coconut is pulverized in a food processor before adding to the batter. I thought this gave it great flavor without making the texture stringy or tough. A quick swirl of your favorite buttercream and a sprinkle of coconut on top will make this a hit with your friends and family. 

Amazon Synopsis

When Jayne Wilson’s mother is accused of murder, Jayne and Gemma have to eliminate the impossible to reveal the true killer.

Legendary stage and movie star Sir Nigel Bellingham arrives on Cape Cod to star in a stage production of The Hound of the Baskervilles put on by the West London Theater Festival. When Sir Nigel, some of the cast, and the director visit the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop at 222 Baker Street, Gemma Doyle realizes that Sir Nigel is not at all suited to the role. He is long past his prime and an old drunk to boot.

The cast, in particular the much younger actor who previously had the role, are not happy, but the show must go on.

Before the play opens, Leslie Wilson, mother of Gemma’s best friend Jayne, arranges a fundraising afternoon tea to be catered by Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room. The tea is a huge success, but when it’s time to leave, Sir Nigel has gone missing―only to be found at the bottom of the rocky cliff, dead. Along with the dead body, Gemma finds evidence incriminating Leslie Wilson. When the police, in the presence of handsome detective Ryan Ashburton and suspicious detective Louise Estrada, focus their attention on Leslie despite the numerous other suspects, the game is once again afoot and it’s again up to the highly perceptive Gemma and the ever-confused but loyal Jayne to clear Jayne’s mother’s name.

 A special thanks to Vicki Delany for providing one winner with a hardcover copy of  THE CAT OF THE BASKERVILLES! Contest ends Monday, February 26, 2018 at 11:59 pm PST and is limited to U.S. and Canada residents only. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. The 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!) 

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Vicki Delany’s Coconut Cupcakes, as served in Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room

Ingredients

• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup packed sweetened shredded coconut
• 6 ounces (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1-1/3 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, plus 2 large egg whites
• 3/4 cup unsweetened full-fat canned coconut milk
• 1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1-1/3 cups large-flake unsweetened coconut

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.

   
   

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Pulse shredded coconut in a food processor until finely ground, and whisk into flour mixture.

   
   

3. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in whole eggs, whites and vanilla, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of coconut milk, and beating until combined after each.

   
   

4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling eat three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven; turn out cupcakes onto wire racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or freeze up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

   
   

5. To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread a generous dome of icing onto each cupcake, and, if desired, garnish with flaked coconut. Store at room temperature until ready to serve.

   
   

6. Icing: Use your favourite buttercream vanilla icing. I like to use a splash of coconut milk rather than plain milk. If you don’t normally add milk to your icing, you can cut down slightly on the butter and replace with coconut milk. 
   

Notes

An easy buttercream recipe: Whip 1/2 cup softened butter until creamy then mix in 2 cups confectioners' sugar. Add 1 tablespoon milk or coconut milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix and then add an additional 2 cups confectioners' sugar and whip. Add an additional tablespoon of milk or coconut milk. Whip another minute and add additional milk as necessary to achieve your desired consistency. I like my frosting on the stiff side for piping swirls. 

Here is a blurb from the book pertaining to Gemma’s attempt at frosting the cupcakes for the event. To clarify, Gemma is not an expert in the kitchen and typically leaves it all up to Jayne. I’ve personally found that a large star tip decorating tool is the quickest way to frost cupcakes. 

“Gemma, you’ll have to finish the cupcakes.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. They need frosting.” One hundred and twenty-five tiny, perfect coconut cupcakes were cooling on a high shelf. The kitchen, as I have said, is small. We were running out of room to put all the food. “The frosting’s made. All you have to do is use an ice cream scoop as a measure. One scoop on each cupcake. Don’t worry about covering the tops to the edges. When that’s done, give the frosting a little swirl with a knife to make it look pretty and sprinkle coconut on top.” While she talked, Jayne mixed the dough for the next batch of scones. I set about icing coconut cupcakes in the same assembly-line fashion I had with the sandwiches.

“A swirl, Gemma. Just a swirl,” Jayne said. “If you’re trying to make a work of art out of each one, you’ll be here all day.”

I studied the cupcake at hand. I hadn’t been trying to re-create the London office tower nicknamed the Gherkin in coconut icing, but it did bear a slight resemblance.

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I am so excited to be helping Ellie Alexander celebrate the release of DEATH ON TAP, the first book in her brand new Sloan Krause Mystery series! All I can say is, oh my, what an opening line… I loved it!! Sloan has a unique voice, a bit edgy at times and is often humorous. Being raised in the foster system has given her the feeling of being an outsider and maybe not quite fitting in. With the collapse of Sloan’s marriage, even though her mother-in-law and father-in-law are the only parents she’s ever had, she still feels like she doesn’t belong in the family any longer. At times her doubt about her self-worth to the family made me feel emotional and once or twice I got a bit teary. Sloan is the type of protagonist the reader wants to cheer for. I also liked that she is also a mom to a teenaged son. This gives added dimension to her character along with unique challenges to working full-time and trying to solve a crime.

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The town of Leavenworth is a quaint Bavarian-themed setting, perfect for the backdrop of murder by drowning in a brew tank. When suspicion falls on both Sloan’s cheating husband and her new boss, she realizes she needs to find some answers that will clear them both. Okay, she may have considered letting her husband take the blame, but for the sake of their son, decided he needed to be proven innocent. The murder mystery is woven around the theme of beer and I enjoyed the bits and pieces provided about the brewing process. I loved some of the very clever names the author provides for the various brews and wish I could sample some of Sloan’s concoctions! DEATH ON TAP is strong on character development and letting the reader get to know the town and area. I think it’s a good set up for future books in the series. There is also a mystery thread pertaining to Sloan’s life before the foster system that I believe will run through the subsequent books and I look forward to reading future books in this series!

While the book doesn’t contain recipes there are many dishes mentioned that use a variety of beers. Fortunately for us, Ellie loves to create in the kitchen and she came up with a recipe for Hoppy Cupcakes! With the unexpected addition of citrus IPA, these moist orange and lime flavored cupcakes are topped with decadent cream cheese frosting… which is one of the best frostings I’ve ever had! The cupcakes are delicious and my husband’s golf buddies devoured them, but across the board it was the frosting that stole the show. The next time I make Hoppy Cupcakes I might just add some additional powdered sugar to the frosting along with a tablespoon of the citrus IPA to add a bit more hoppy flavor. Either way, these were a hit! 

Amazon Synopsis

When Sloan Krause walks in on her husband, Mac, screwing the barmaid, she gives him the boot. Sloan has spent her life in Leavenworth, Washington becoming an expert in brewing craft beer, and she doesn’t have time to be held back by her soon-to-be ex-husband. She decides to strike out on her own, breaking away from the Krause family brewery, and goes to work for Nitro, the hip new nano-brewery in the Bavarian-themed town. Nitro’s owner, brewmaster Garrett Strong, has the brew-world abuzz with his newest recipe, “Pucker-Up IPA.” This place is the new cool place in town, and Mac can’t help but be green with envy at their success.

But just as Sloan is settling in to her new gig, she finds one of Nitro’s competitors dead in the fermenting tub, clutching the secret recipe for the IPA. When Mac, is arrested, Sloan knows that her ex might be a cheater, but a murderer? No way. Danger is brewing in Beervaria and suddenly Sloan is on the case.

Thanks to the publisher, Minotaur Books, I have a hardcover copy of DEATH ON TAP for one lucky winner! Contest ends Saturday, October 14, 2017 at 11:59 pm PST and is open to U.S. residents only. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. The 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!) 

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Hoppy Cupcakes

Recipe yields 24 cupcakes.

Ingredients

Hoppy Cupcakes:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons Mexican vanilla
• One orange—grate peel into batter and squeeze in a tablespoon of juice. Reserve remaining juice for frosting
• 1/2 cup citrus IPA
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Citrus cream cheese frosting:

• 12 ounces cream cheese
• 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon each freshly squeezed orange and lime juice
• 1 teaspoon each orange and lime zest
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Hoppy Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line 24 muffin tins with cupcake liners. 

2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. 

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. 

4. Add eggs, beating after each addition then add the vanilla and zest. 

5. Combine sour cream and beer and alternatively add this mixture and the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture with the mixer on low speed, starting and ending with the flour.

6. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 18 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. 

7. When cupcakes are done, poke holes in the tops of the cupcakes with toothpicks or a fork and brush some beer on each while still warm.

Citrus cream cheese frosting:

1. Cream together the cream cheese and butter in an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes.

2. Add the citrus juice and zest and gradually add the powdered sugar until well-combined.

3. Beat until smooth for about 2 minutes. 

4. Load frosting in a piping bag fit with a large star tip and pipe cupcake tops once cooled.

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