I’m celebrating the release of
CATERING TO THE DEAD
this week with a giveaway package and a recipe!

What it’s about:

When cupcake caterer Emory Martinez takes on a lavish Día de los Muertos party, she’s drawn into a twenty-year-old family tragedy. With extravagant Day of the Dead costumes, drinks flowing, desserts galore, and a celebration in full swing, not all is as joyous as it may seem. When the festivities come to a close, Emory discovers a body, and evidence points to her being the prime suspect. To clear her name, she and her octogenarian soon-to-be grandmother-in-law, Tillie, must team up with their friends to navigate a web of blackmail, betrayal, and buried secrets. Will she survive confronting a killer who will do anything to protect their freedom and hide their web of deceit, or will her catering days come to an end?

To purchase ebook and print from Amazon, or read on Kindle Unlimited: CATERING TO THE DEAD

Paperback available at Barnes & Nobel: CATERING TO THE DEAD

Book includes recipes like this one for Horchata Cupcakes! Continue scrolling down for the printable recipe and see how to enter the giveaway package contest.

Horchata Cupcakes

Makes 12

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon horchata extract or substitute additional vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1-3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup horchata

Frosting:

4 ounces cream cheese softened (use the brick-style cream cheese, not whipped)
1/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon horchata extract or substitute vanilla
1 tablespoon horchata

Instructions

Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Line a cupcake tin with paper liners. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and sugar together and beat on medium speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes.
Beat in the eggs, then add the vanilla and horchata extracts. Mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until well combined.
Alternating the flour with the horchata in 3 additions, stir into the butter and sugar mixture. Avoid overmixing.
Divide between the prepared cupcake tin cups. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. A few moist crumbs clinging to the skewer are fine.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the cupcake tin then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until completely smooth and creamy on medium speed, about 3 minutes.
Lower the speed and slowly add the confectioners’ sugar. Mix until combined, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
Add the horchata, cinnamon, salt, and horchata extract and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large open-star tip. Pipe frosting onto completely cooled cupcakes.
Store in the refrigerator until an hour before serving.

Note:

Horchata is a rice-based drink that is typically made with rice and water, and flavored with cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla.

Enter for a chance to win a collection of Día de los Muertos items (including See’s Candy and Bath & Body Works products) plus a $10 Amazon gift card and some swag! Contest open to US residents only and ends November 7, 2025. Use the KingSumo box below to enter.

I’m delighted to be joining Daryl Wood Gerber at Book Carnival for an in-person event tomorrow (Saturday)! If you live in Southern California I hope to see you there! If you can’t join us, Book Carnival will have signed books in stock and can ship directly to you.

When: Saturday, November 1, 2025 at 2:00pm

Where: Book Carnival / 348 S. Tustin Street Orange, CA 92866

I’ve been struggling with a very difficult decision and have finally decided now is the time to end my Cinnamon & Sugar blog, aside from a Christmas cookie post I’ve already prepared for December 2nd. It’s been a terrific (almost) eleven years getting to know you and so many wonderful authors plus trying out so many new recipes! I’ll be keeping the website “live” for at least another four years (that’s how long I’ve paid all the necessary fees associated with the blog website host), so you’ll have access to the recipes and the book reviews. Plus it gives me the opportunity to reevaluate or put up an impromptu post should the muse strike. I’ll be keeping my Cinnamon & Sugar Facebook page live and will occasionally share news from my books and other authors on it.

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