Thursday, July 16, 2020

Death on the Menu Paperback Celebration @LucyBurdette #giveaway


LUCY BURDETTE: In the eighth Key West mystery, Hayley and her mother Janet are catering a Key West/Havana conference at the Truman Little White House. This is the dessert they serve for the final dinner. And it is the perfect recipe to celebrate the arrival of DEATH ON THE MENU, this time out in mass market paperback! (Read all the way to the bottom for information on today's giveaway!)


The basis of this recipe came from a cookbook called Cuba! – Recipes and Stories from the Cuban Kitchen. I love lime cake and yellow cake and whipped cream, so you can imagine that this recipe was irresistible. I know Mojitos require rum, and yet I am not a big fan of alcohol-flavored desserts. So I chose to leave the rum extract out of the cake, and instead add a teaspoon of rum. This gives it a little soupçon of flavor without overwhelming the cake. I also reduced the salt in the batter and the rum in the frosting. You can adjust the rum upward to a tablespoon if you choose.





Ingredients for the cake


3 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder (low-sodium works fine)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Two sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

Four eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons lime zest

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Half cup whole milk

1 teaspoon rum





For the lime mint syrup


1/4 cup water

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, tightly packed

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice


2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon dark rum





Thin slices of lime, or lime zest, or mint leaves, for decoration


Prepare two 9 inch cake pans by buttering them and lining with parchment paper. Butter the paper too. Preheat the oven to 350. Mix the dry ingredients for the cake together and set this aside. In your KitchenAid, food processor, or with an electric beater, beat the butter well with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the vanilla extract, the lime zest, and the rum. Fold in the dry ingredients, don't overmix. Stir in the milk.





Divide the batter into the two prepared pans and bake about 30 minutes until the cakes spring back when touched. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then remove them from the pans and cool completely.




For the lime mint syrup, heat the sugar and water in a small pan until the sugar is dissolved. Turn off the heat and stir in the mint leaves. Let them steep for 10 minutes, then strain them out and stir in the lime juice. Paint this glaze onto each layer of cake with a pastry brush.


 


Whip the cream and sugar until stiff, and stir in the rum. Drop half of the whipped cream onto the first layer. Place the second layer on top and spread the remainder of the cream over that. Decorate with thin slices of lime or mint leaves as desired.









My sister's version of the same cake--so pretty!


Death on the Menu, the 8th Key West food critic mystery in paperback, will hit bookstores on July 28. I will be giving away three copies of the paperback to celebrate!


The Key Lime Crime will be published on August 11--yay!

Photo by Liz Acar
And meanwhile, ebooks versions of DEATH ON THE MENU and A DEADLY FEAST are on sale for two weeks now--to help celebrate the upcoming THE KEY LIME CRIME! ($1.99 and 2.99)

55 comments:

  1. amy guillaume lindermanJuly 16, 2020 at 7:36 AM

    that looks so yummy to me!! the book looks great!! aelinderman (at) sbcglobal (dot) net

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  2. Me and my mom are going to try this recipe out this weekend.
    Kitten143 (at) Verizon (dot) net

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  3. The cake looks yummy. I want to bake it!! Looking forward to the new book.

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  4. The cake looks scrumptious! I always enjoy trying out the recipes in all the Key West Mysteries.

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  5. I LOVE your books! I can’t wait for your new book to come out!

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  6. I love key lime pie (and I was so thrilled to eat it every day while visiting Key West last year), and this cake sounds delicious! I would love to read Death in the Menu!
    Lisacobblestone(at)aol(dot)com

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  7. The cake is so enticing and beautiful. Perfect for summer. Your book would be greatly enjoyed. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  8. I would love to win. I think my niece would live the cake. suefoster109 at gmail dot com

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  9. Great looking cake and I can’t wait to read the next book! I love the Key West mysteries!

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  10. That looks so divine! Better yet, I think I have everything on hand to whip that up!

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  11. sounds yummy! thanks for the chance
    Jess
    maceoindo(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  12. What a delectable cake. Yummy and lovely. The book and cake are a great combo. elliotbencan(at)hotmail9dot)com

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  13. This cake looks & sounds so yummy!
    turtle6422 at gmail dot com

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  14. That cake looks delish! I'm going to have to try it out :-)
    roswita.hildebrandt (at) gmail (dot) com

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  15. Death on the Menu sounds like a terrific read and the cake is lovely!

    kpbarnett1941(at)aol(dot)com

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  16. Your cake sounds irresistible! While visiting Key West, my husband & I fell in love with the Cuban Foods we ate. My husband and I also tried to find our favorite Key Lime Pie, trying MANY locations, & each choosing different ones as favorites. :) Death on the Menu is a title reminding me of our wonderful times in Key West! Thank you!
    betsypz(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  17. Looks like a great book and even better cake!

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  18. Cakes sounds delicious - thanks for the recipe.

    jtcgc at yahoo dot com

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  19. The cake looks and sounds good! Can't wait for the Key Lime book!! Thanks for a chance to win! ljbonkoski@yahoo.com

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  20. Looks yummy! Thanks for the giveaway!

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  21. This sounds (and looks) delicious! And had me searching my recipes for "those lime cupcakes" I made from your recipe here a while ago. Found it, and turns out "a while" was a little over 7 years! Such yummy food and so many great stories with Hayley. I have read Key Lime Crime and it's as wonderful as the rest. (will post review before pub day :) )

    Looks like I'll be making a couple of desserts soon!
    sallycootie(at)gmail(dot)com

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  22. I might have to try and make the cake. Sounds like something my husband would love. Thank you for the chance.

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  23. Looking forward to reading "Death On The Menu". The cake looks like a great summer dessert.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

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  24. That looks wonderful! A perfect summer dessert.
    kozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  25. Yum! I’m up for anything with lime in it.
    patdupuy@yahoo.com

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  26. That cake looks delicious! My son is a pretty talented baker and cook, so I may be able to persuade him to make this.
    clugston.kathy@yahoo.com

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  27. Your cake would be a perfect summer treat. Time for me to get baking.
    marypopmom (at) yahoo (dot) com
    Maryann

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  28. The cake looks so refreshing and delicious! We'll definitely be trying it soon. lola777_22 at hotmail dot com

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  29. That cake looks so refreshing! It is hot and humid here in PA so a slice of that and a tall glass of iced tea would go perfect together! Thanks for the chance to win! ladyofshalott03(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  30. Sounds like a good book. Love the cover. Cake looks delicious.
    im2early4u(at)Gmail(dot)com

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  31. That cake looks so good, and so does your book.

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  32. The cake sounds yummy and the book sounds good. I guess I need both.
    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  33. Interesting cake. i'm more used to hearing about key lime pie.
    wskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  34. Thanks for the update about the book. And for the recipe. Looks so good. Perfect weather for giving it a try. Thank you. bessdeepotter84 at gmail dot com

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  35. I have never tried a mojito but the cake looks delicious!!

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  36. I will have to try it minus the rum. cheetahthecat1986ATgmailDOTcom

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  37. Looks yummy! Thanks for this opportunity and the recipe!
    Dm_richards (at) yahoo (dot) com

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  38. The recipe looks great. Thanks for offering the giveaway.
    browningterry(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  39. The cake looks mouthwateringly delicious! Can’t wait to read your latest! Live your books! Thank you for the pleasure! Lynn fitzpatrick.lynn@gmail.com

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  40. Love your books came out live your books! My typing!!!

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  41. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  42. Loved the book (ARC). Great story as always.
    Yummy sounding cake!!!

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  43. Cool giveaway and I love the recipe! Legallyblonde1961@yahoo.com

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  44. I would love to be one of your winners! lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com

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  45. The cake sounds delicious and the book looks like a great read. Thanks for your great generosity. lindamay4852@yahoo.com

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  46. I have been trying to figure out what cake I want to make for my bday next week and this one is in the running. Thank for the recipe and congrats on your new release.

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  47. That cake sounds yummy! Thanks for the chance! almaj80(at)suddenlink(dot)net

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  48. Yum recipe, Thanks so much! The book sounds like what I love to read. Congrats on the new book!! nani_geplcs(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    Replies
    1. Sheryl, you are a winner of Death on the Menu. Please send an email to raisleib at gmail dot com

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  49. This recipe looks like a winner. I will try it out 👍🏻

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  50. Book sounds good. I like the cover. thanks for the chance. Interesting recipe. jlb12563@sbcglobal.net

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  51. The book sounds fun and the cake looks delicious!
    I would be so excited to win the book! I’ve been looking for some new books & authors to read and this sounds like a great fit.
    mnbell93(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    Replies
    1. Nicole, you are a winner. Please send an email to raisleib at gmail dot com

      Delete
  52. The cake looks amazing! Book sounds great too! Congrats on the new book & thanks for giveaway opportunity.
    mnbell93 (at) gmail (dot) com

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