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Chai Spice Cake

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A STEW TO A KILL, the fourth book in Callie’s Kitchen Cozy Mystery series by Jenny Kales, brings the reader to Crystal Bay, Wisconsin, just in time to get into the spirit of Halloween festivities. Protagonist Calliope “Callie” Costas owns Callie’s Kitchen, which is a Mediterranean-meets-Midwest eatery. She and her shop are actively (and very busily) supporting the town’s Halloween Walk and Gala, to raise both food and money for the local food pantry. I enjoyed the small-town dynamics between Callie, her employees and the other local downtown shops surrounding Callie’s Kitchen. Callie shows her caring personality by trying to help them be successful. When one of her friends finds an employee murdered in her shop, Tea for Two, Callie knows she needs to ask a few questions so her friend doesn’t lose any business. Callie is also drawn to helping find the real killer because her boyfriend, Detective Ian Sands, is in England and she’s not liking how the stand-in detective has their eye on her friend for the crime. The murder mystery plot is well-paced and Ms. Kales weaves in plenty of suspects and clues which kept me guessing. The exciting conclusion was a nail-biter and wrapped up the threads of the plot in a satisfying manner.

One of the things that keeps me anticipating and coming back to read this series is the character development. Callie has a wonderful family in her 11-year-old daughter, her widowed Greek father and his girlfriend. They are close knit and I’ve enjoyed seeing how they’ve grown from the first book through this fourth book. Ms. Kales also includes a bit of humor by including some Midwest personality and amusing references to the movie ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding.’ It gives the book a good feel of what Callie’s eatery is trying to accomplish with fun results. 

And speaking of Callie’s Kitchen, be prepared to drool as you read through the mouthwatering passages detailing Callie’s delectable treats coming out of her kitchen. Fortunately for the reader, Ms. Kales provides several recipes at the back of the book, with many being traditional Greek dishes. I was drawn to her recipe for Chai Spice Cake for several reasons. With autumn and the holidays here, warm spices seem to capture the season. Plus I really like that the recipe includes using individual spices to create the chai mix instead of having to track down and buy a specialty spice. And lastly, the cake is baked in a bundt cake pan which makes the cake seem festive with little effort. Ms. Kales includes a yummy cream cheese glaze for the Chai Spice Cake, but if pressed for time I think a sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar would be a simple alternative. I’ll definitely be adding this cake to my repertoire of “go-to” desserts for autumn-flavored sweets.     

 

Six spices combine to infuse Chai Spice Cake with delicious flavor. With a generous drizzle of Cream Cheese Glaze, this showstopper will wow your guests!

 

Amazon Synopsis

When a new employee at a neighboring business, Tea for Two, is found dead, Callie is drawn into a murky brew of motives and murder suspects. It turns out that the seemingly mild-mannered victim might have a few skeletons in his closet. What’s more, the timing of the murder, just a day before Crystal Bay’s first annual Halloween Walk, has threatened to derail the town’s festive fall events, including a Halloween Gala benefiting the local food pantry, one of Callie’s favorite causes.

Callie’s already full plate is set to overflowing with the return of an old boyfriend who has his eye on developing a mall that will compete with and possibly destroy Crystal Bay’s small business scene. Could there be a tie between the mall and the murder?

Somebody has been stewing. Will Callie help find the unsavory killer before things reach the boiling point?

 

 

 

 

A special thanks to Jenny Kales for providing winner’s choice of print or an e-book copy of A STEW TO A KILL. Print copy limited to U.S. residents only. Contest ends Thursday, October 25, 2018 at 11:59 pm PST. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below to enter. The 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!)  

 

 

 

 

 

Six spices combine to infuse Chai Spice Cake with delicious flavor. With a generous drizzle of Cream Cheese Glaze, this showstopper will wow your guests!

Print
Chai Spice Cake
Bring out your best Bundt pan for this one and you will have one impressive cake to share at a fall gathering or the holidays. I use my Vintage Star Bundt pan for this, but any Bundt or tube pan will work. With its warm blend of spices, this cake could even grace the table at a special brunch. An easy glaze recipe is included, but you could also dust this cake with powdered sugar for a simple decoration. Either way, this cake is full of scrumptious flavor.
Ingredients
Cake:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • Pinch salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chai spice mix:
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Pinch finely ground black pepper
Cream Cheese Glaze:
  • 1 tablespoon very soft cream cheese
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 - 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).

  2. Spray a Bundt pan or tube pan with Pam baking spray (with flour).
  3. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and chai spice in a medium bowl. Set aside.

  4. Beat butter and cream cheese with sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. 

  5. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until blended.

  6. Add flour mixture in thirds, alternating with sour cream. Do not overbeat. 

  7. Add the vanilla extract and mix until just blended.

  8. Pour batter into Bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake for 38-40 minutes. Check for doneness by testing the center with a toothpick; it should come out clean. Be careful not to overbake.

  9. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely on a wire rack. Let cool a little longer before slicing the cake. It is best served warm.

Cream Cheese Glaze:

  1. Whisk ingredients together until the glaze is smooth and pourable. Add a little more milk if the mixture is too stiff. Drizzle over top of cake.

 

Six spices combine to infuse Chai Spice Cake with delicious flavor. With a generous drizzle of Cream Cheese Glaze, this showstopper will wow your guests!

 

 

 

 

 

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Six spices combine to infuse Chai Spice Cake with delicious flavor. With a generous drizzle of Cream Cheese Glaze, this showstopper will wow your guests!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you receive my blog post via email you will need to visit my website to view the video.

 

I was provided an advance copy with the hopes I would review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

Six spices combine to infuse Chai Spice Cake with delicious flavor. With a generous drizzle of Cream Cheese Glaze, this showstopper will wow your guests!

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77 thoughts on “Chai Spice Cake”

  1. Yes I do decorate for fall and Halloween..Thanks so much for the interview, the cake is yummy!! I do love sour cream icing! Congrats on your book,,excited to read it..A print book please!!! nani_geplcs(at)yahoo(dot)com

  2. I do decorate some for fall/Halloween. However, with no little ones around my decorating isn’t as grand as it use to be. Still fun to put hints of the season in and around the house.

    The recipe for Chai Spice Cake sounds yummy and one I will be trying.

    Can’t wait for the opportunity to read “A STEW TO A KILL”.

  5. When my daughter was young, I used to really decorate for Halloween — now, not so much. I enjoy decorating for Autumn.

  8. We decorate for both. In September the fall decorations go up, in October the Halloween decorations get added and in November the Halloween get switched for Thanksgiving. Then the weekend after Thanksgiving it all transforms again!

  16. I don’t do much decorating for fall or Halloween. I do have several trees and flowers in the yard that turn pretty colors, so I let that be my decorating.

  17. I decorate some for fall/Halloween. It mostly involves putting a carved pumpkin on the porch, a wreath on the door, and getting out my fall themed dish towels. I do decorate a trunk for trunk or treat though.

  21. We decorate for fall mostly. We put up a couple Halloween decorations but leave the fall up through Thanksgiving, then into Christmas!

  25. Yes, I do decorate for fall and Halloween.Thanks so much for the interview. Would love to read this. If I could get the print, then I can share it. kckendler at gmail dot com

  27. We out a couple things in the window, but unfortunately we can’t put the big blow up things outside because we don’t have a electrical outlet that we could use. Our son has been asking for us to put out a big skeleton… He loves Halloween (it’s actually his birthday so he loves it a lot) and we try to make it extra special for him..
    Hopefully next year we can get some big thing outside for him. (But hopefully nothing too scary.. I am a big chicken ?)

  31. We are remodeling our home so decorating is out of the question this year. I like to decorate for Fall/Thanksgiving but not Halloween anymore. No kids around and my Halloween is reading Cozy Spooky books!

  33. I do decorate a little for Autumn, but since my son is no longer young, no need to do Halloween.

  34. I decorate a wee bit for Halloween—I have a few cute kitchen towels with a Halloween theme, and some ceramic pumpkins and a few candles. Not much, but enough to get in the spirit.

  38. We do decorate for Fall! Every year my mom, girls, and I make new fall crafts to display for the season. (we don’t have a lot of room for storage)

  39. I have 4 metal Halloween decorations that I put out in our front yard. I have two lighted Halloween decorations in my living room windows plus some garden flags I hang in the windows too.

  42. When we are at our place, yes! I have a Halloween village that I put up…and if great grand kids are around we decorate the ficus (George the Bush).. with Halloween lights, homemade chains and make decorations to Hang on It. Love holidays and decorating!

  44. I decorate some but not as much as when my children were younger. I enjoy handing out treats to the small ones
    at Halloween and am sad that it has gotten to the point you can’t give out homemade goodies for parent’s fear it
    might be laced with toxic stuff. Thanks so much for sharing Jenny Kale’s newest book and the delicious sounding
    recipe.

  45. I do not decorate for anything except Christmas. And I replace my American flag every year for Memorial Day weekend.

  47. I used to love decorating for fall and Halloween but I just dont do it any more…kinda sad really

  49. Not too much. I have a fall wreath on the front door and I have a very small pumpkin inside the house and my hustand has a Halloween village on the coffee table. We are in Florida so it’s hard to think about fall when it’s in the 90’s every day.

  53. In September I decorated for fall.
    October switched to Halloween.
    November is coming and it will be
    turkey day. Busy time for
    decorating.
    thanks
    txmlhl(at)yahoo(dot)com

  54. Falls brings so many holidays so close together. Our Thanksgiving is the second Monday in October, followed by Halloween on the 31 then Rememberance Day in November followed by Christmas. I like to decorate for each holiday and my house always has some sort of decorations around. My snow people go up November 1st and stay up till Valentine’s Day.

  60. I decorate for Fall and for Halloween ? Lots of autumn colors, Halloween lights, candles and spooky decor.

  61. I decorate for Fall and for Halloween ? Lots of autumn colors, Halloween lights, candles and spooky decor.
    The Spice Chai cake looks delicious!

  66. I don’t decorate anymore, but I still love to bake. Nothing is better than a cup of coffee and a warm slice of cake!

  67. Thanks for the chance! Usually by September first I start having my fall stuff out. Maybe some Halloween. Then closer to Oct I switch to full Halloween. After Halloween I put my fall stuff back out with the little Thanksgiving stuff I have. Fall is my favorite!

  70. I like to decorate for Autumn. You can keep decorations around longer that way. Love this series!!

  75. I decorate for all the holidays, clean house and redo valentine’s day, easter, may day, 4th july, summer theme, fall, halloween, thansgiving, and christmas. Makes it fun and pretty

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