Sunday, September 6, 2020

Blueberry Cake with guest Allison Brook -- #giveaway

LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  One of the great pleasures of mystery writing is meeting authors and readers at mystery conventions. Our guest today is Marilyn Levinson who also writes as Allison Brook. I first met Marilyn at Malice Domestic, the convention celebrating the traditional mystery, and it's always a delight to see her.

Allison's fourth Haunted Library mystery, CHECKED OUT FOR MURDER, is coming this Tuesday, September 8! So let's all celebrate with a slice of cake!

MARILYN:  My sleuth in the Haunted Library Mystery series is Carrie Singleton. She is the head of programs and events at the Clover Ridge Library in Connecticut. She solves murder mysteries with the assistance of Evelyn Havers, the library ghost. I got the idea to have a librarian as a sleuth when I was at an event in the large park-like area adjacent to my library. The librarian who had Carrie’s position in real life at the time was introducing a drummer to the audience. I thought she would make a great protagonist for my mystery series—a librarian in a small town with friends and colleagues and with the opportunity to meet new people all the time when she hires them to present a program or event. And that’s how Carrie Singleton was born!

Carrie loves to eat out. One of her favorites is eggplant rollatini. Another is Indian food. She bakes—double chocolate brownies. And I know she’d love this blueberry cake.

I got this delicious and easy recipe from a neighbor, Sally Minchenberg. I make it often during blueberry season. The following includes the few additions I add, like chocolate and sunflower seeds.

Leave a comment below for a chance to win a signed ARC of CHECKED OUT FOR MURDER!


Blueberry Cake

1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar (I use Sugar in the Raw)
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt
handful of dark chocolate chips (optional) (about ¼ cup)
handful of sunflower seeds (optional) (about ¼ cup)
1 pint blueberries

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9" by 9" pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Include chocolate chips and seeds, if desired.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and add the blueberries on top. Spread evenly.

Bake 40-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy with a good book!



 




Your favorite cake? Ever seen a ghost? Leave a comment below, with your email address, for a chance to win a signed ARC of CHECKED OUT FOR MURDER! (US addresses only. Winner will be announced Wednesday, Sept. 9th.) 

CHECKED OUT FOR MURDER, the fourth book in the Haunted Library series written as Allison Brook, releases Tuesday, September 8th.

From the cover: Carrie Singleton and Evelyn the ghost sleuth the slayings of a starlet and a star-crossed psychic in Agatha Award nominee Allison Brook's fourth Haunted Library mystery.

Daphne Marriott strolls into Clover Ridge and informs librarian Carrie Singleton that she's a psychic. But had she foreseen what fate awaited her, Daphne would have steered clear of the quaint Connecticut town. Evelyn, the library ghost, tells Carrie that there's more to Daphne than she lets on.


A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries, romantic suspense, and novels for kids. Her books have received many accolades. As Allison Brook she writes the Haunted Library series. DEATH OVERDUE, the first in the series, was an Agatha nominee for Best Contemporary Novel in 2018. Other mysteries include the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club series and the Twin Lakes series. Marilyn lives on Long Island, where many of her books take place.

Visit Marilyn's website for more about books by both her and Allison.

And that's Sammy the cat!

104 comments:

  1. I love red velvet cake.
    Kitten143 (at) Verizon (dot) net

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yum! You can't go wrong with blueberries!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oops. Left out contact info. auxbooks(at)gmail(dot)com

      Delete
    2. So true! And this recipe is very easy.

      Delete
  3. I love gingerbread.
    jtcgc at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  4. German chocolate is my favorite. suefoster109 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  5. My favorite cake is chocolate. I've never seen a ghost. Your cat is so cute. Thanks for this recipe. Looks easy and yummy. ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love chocolate, too. My cat's name is Sammy. Alas, I lost him in June. He was 15 years old.

      Delete
    2. Aw, I'm sorry to hear that Sammy has moved on. That's always so hard.

      Delete
  6. My favorite cake is lemon pound cake. Thank you for the recipe, looks delicious. Also the book sounds great.
    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Leslie,
    Thank you for having me on Mystery Lovers' Kitchen. I'm happy to be here today to share my blueberry cake recipe, which is easy to make and delicious to eat, and to celebrate my new book, CHECKED OUT FOR MURDER.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This sounds great. My favorite is black forest cake.
    kozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Cake looks great! Book sounds wonderful !! Thank you for a chance to win.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love chocolate cake. And I have seen ghosts. Have had a lot of experience with the paranormal.

    Meljprincess AT aol DOT com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have never seen a ghost, but I find the paranormal fascinating.

      Delete
  11. I have several favorite cakes that I make. Chocolate Sheet Cake, Carrot Cake, Pineapple Cake with cream cheese frosting, Apple Cake with Vanilla Sauce and Pumpkin Bars! I have never seen a ghost. Thanks for the chance! almaj80(at)suddenlink(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sounds like a great series! Thanks for the chance to win.
    In case you need it email is
    Rebekah_trammell06(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love fresh apple cake with whipped cream on top. Been my favorite since I was a kid.
    laurie(dot)anismom2(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's nothing like good apple cake. My mom used to make it. I like it better than apple pie.

      Delete
  14. I love spice cake the best psychology _ chick @ yahoo . com

    ReplyDelete
  15. Welcome, Allison/Marilyn. Lovely to have you join us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Daryl. I'm happy to be visiting here again.

      Delete
  16. My favorite cake is just yellow cake. And yes I’ve seen ghosts. I work in a haunted building and have had a few encounter.
    bmedrano34@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. I felt like I saw a ghost in my early years. This recipe looks easy to fix. kfowler 4827 @ gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. My favorite cake is my mother-in-law's crema. She is about to celebrate her 93rd birthday. The daughter of immigrants, she learned to cook from her Italian mother. The cake is soaked in rum and then covered in a delicious cream.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I love this series! I may need to make some kind of cake in honor of the holiday weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  20. My favorite cake is an ice cream one from Cold Stone Creamery! Yes, I've seen many ghosts during my life!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's most interesting! Were you frightened when you saw the ghosts?

      Delete
  21. Hi this is Anita. Would love to try this series. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I love devil's food cake with cream cheese icing. Haven't run into any ghosts. margie.hager@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  23. Sammy looks like a good companion.
    Blueberry cake! Lovely. And the addition of chocolate chips and sunflower seeds is intriguing.
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

    ReplyDelete
  24. I like the Pistachio Pudding Pound Cake from Jello. Also anything with cannolli (sp) filling. Haven't seen a ghost but would love to. Need to go out now and get blueberries! bobntoni@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  25. I love my mom's pound cake. No one can make it as good as her.
    turtle6422 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  26. I love a good dark chocolate cake, I have one recipe I've used for many years. I also love blueberries, so I'll have to try this recipe! Oh, and I love the Haunted Library series, I've been borrowing them from my public library, where I work. Yes, I'm a librarian, and I love library-related mysteries! teenlibn(at)hotmail(dot)com.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I’ve got tons of blueberries that I picked in the freezer! Looks like I know where I’m gonna use some soon!! Thanks 😻

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't picked my own blueberries in many years. This is a good use for them indeed!

      Delete
  28. I am going to try this recipe 👍🏻

    ReplyDelete
  29. I love my homemade carrot cake! As far as a ghost, when I was a child I saw an elderly lady in a rocking chair in my door mirror. She had a bun with her nylon socks rolled down around her ankles. I screamed and she went away. Mom rushed in and I told her what I saw. She said I described my great-grandmother whom I never met. Thanks. NancyTimm(at)charter(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  30. The blueberry cakes sounds wonderful!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Linda, remember to leave your email address to enter the drawing!

      Delete
  31. Fruit cake!!

    kpbarnett1941(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  32. Blueberry Cake sounds and looks delicious! I LOVE blueberries and don't have the patience to make a pie(getting the crust just right..etc). So this recipe is perfect for me. So easy! Allison Brook is a new author to me. The book sounds like a great read! Thanks for the chance to win. ladyofshalott03(at)yahoo(dot)com.

    ReplyDelete
  33. We've never been big cake eaters, but this year -- ohmygosh! I've already shared recipes here for Carrot Graham Cake, Flourless Chocolate Torte, and Angel Food Cake. And everyone is a new favorite!

    Thanks for joining us, Marilyn, and for sharing YOUR favorite cake!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So many cakes, so little time to eat them!! Thanks for having me, Leslie. It's been fun.

      Delete
  34. my fav cake is italian ricotta cake. I feel i have seen a ghost! thanks for the chance to win! amandasmother(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  35. My favorite cakes are chocolate, angelfood, coconut, carrot and lemon pound. Yes, I've seen a few ghosts several times in my life. Your recipe looks yummy, Marilyn! lola777_22 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  36. I like either Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake or Chocolate Cake with Ganache Icing.

    Nancy
    allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  37. The picture of the cake has made me hungry! But, I rarely bake in the summer - it makes the house too hot. Another reason the love fall. Lemon pound cake and white cake with chocolate icing are two of my favorites - I have pretty simple tastes. cindystamps(at)juno(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  38. Yellow cake with chocolate icing. cheetahthecat1986ATgmailDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
  39. That cake looks delicious! I like to experiment with new recipes. tiger_of_mu@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  40. that cake looks good! i've never seen a ghost.
    wskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  41. chocolate cake with cream cheese chocolate icing. thanks for the chance. jlb12563@sbcglobal.net

    ReplyDelete
  42. I like carrot cake w/ cream cheese frosting and black forest cake


    kimberlysfb@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  43. I love this series. My favorite cake is chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. I've never seen a ghost, but I believe they exist.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  44. I like lemon cake! This recipe looks yummy and easy. Thanks! Thanks too for a chance to win! ljbonkoski @yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  45. Thank you for sharing the recipe, and this chance to win. My favorite cake is 7 Layer Cake, and yes, we have a harmless ghost in our house that visits late at night. areewekidding(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  46. The cake looks yummy. Love blueberries.

    ReplyDelete
  47. I am not a big cake eater, but that one looks great. I do not believe in ghosts. I would have to see one first for me to believe. Would love to read. Thanks for the chance.

    ReplyDelete
  48. I love carrot cake and I have never seen a ghost! tWarner419@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  49. My favorite cake is Boston Cream Pie, which - despite the name - is a cake! I've never seen a ghost, but our previous house had some sort of spirit living there because things fell off of shelves when no one was in the room and spigots in the bathroom got turned partially on and we didn't do it!!! cwr@withdispatch.com

    ReplyDelete
  50. My first foster mother came from Australia and she made the best carrot cake well when she passed I looked high and low for the recipe card so I could make it for the other foster kids and never found it. Have made several carrot cakes but not like the taste of hers, Hubby went to farmers market and my friend there sells a zuchinni bread well he came home and said you are just going to love this it is not only zuchinni bread but it has blueberries in it. Well I had to cut it right away and wow it is so good. Yes i do believe in ghosts at the apartment we lived in here in eastern Iowa we had just moved all my things from ca to ia and my hubby had to go out of town leaving his son with me well one night there was this strange feeling and then I was sitting on the couch reading and when i got up i felt this weird cold feeling and i passed out. From that night on I have believed in ghosts as I swear that was one. It was a different feeling then i had ever felt. I love to read and review books and yours sounds so good and thank you for giving away a print copy. peggy clayton ptclayton2 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  51. My favorite cake is chocolate but I love the blueberry recipe! Thanks for the chance!
    Jess
    maceoindo(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  52. I love chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and nuts on top! lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  53. I know I would love both of the cakes blueberry and chocolate! My two favorite flavors. Chocolate cake is my favorite cake. I do believe in ghosts. I felt my grandmother put her hand on my shoulder at my wedding. My email address is: quilting527@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  54. I love a good chocolate cake but your cake looks so good! And I love your books! Would love to win this one!
    meeshpsych@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  55. Yummy recipe! And the book looks great. Legallyblonde1961@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  56. I love chocolate cake! I keep thinking maybe one day I will see a ghost! Thanks so much for the this recipe. It sounds delicious!
    jstomalis1053 (at) comcast (dot) net

    ReplyDelete
  57. I love Mandarin Orange Cake. Since it stores in the fridge it is a great summer dessert, nice and cool to eat!

    ReplyDelete
  58. I like a plain white cake with white frosting. lkish77123 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  59. That recipe looks awesome! I must try to make it low carb and sugar free! Thanks for the chance at the giveaway 😁🤞 jenandalana(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  60. I think my family favourite cake would probably be Victoria Soonge.
    Carsonsmum@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  61. I'm fond of carrot cake and German chocolate with pecan caramel frosting. My mother was the best baker of German Chocolate from scratch all the way. My mother-in-law's was carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. robeader53(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  62. That looks delicious! I make a very yummy banana cake, which everyone likes a lot.
    JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  63. This cake sounds scrumptious! I'm so excited about another book in this series. Hsim3691(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  64. I love chocolate cake! Yum! Your cake looks so good!

    jarjm1980@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  65. My mother and my sister loved blueberries, wish they were still here, I’d cook this recipe for them.

    ReplyDelete
  66. I love my aunts swedish almond cake - but any cake will do- this recipe looks delicious with dark chocolate and blueberries! Thanks for sharing it!

    ReplyDelete