Saturday, June 13, 2026

Goldie’s Total Blackout Cake #recipe from Molly MacRae

 

 

This recipe was featured during the presentation of Overboard, starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, on TBS’s Dinner & a Movie sometime in the late 90s.

My husband, boys, and I loved watching Dinner & a Movie on Friday nights back in the late 90s. Three of the recipes the hosts made during breaks in the week’s featured movie are still among our favorites. This one for Goldie’s Total Blackout Cake is so wicked we only make it very, very occasionally. Lucky for you, though, I made it this week for a special birthday request.

Be forewarned: this is the kind of amazingly rich, chocolaty chocolate cake that calls for almost no flour but lots of eggs, butter, and a whopping 10 ounces of chocolate (plus 8 more ounces of chocolate for the frosting).

 

You’ll find a free, downloadable, printable pdf of the recipe below the cooking directions.


Goldie's Total Blackout Cake


Ingredients

For the cake:

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened

8 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (or bar, chopped)

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

5 eggs

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 tablespoon almond flour

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

For the frosting:

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

1/3 cup cream

1 tablespoon butter

 

Directions

For the cake:

Melt the butter and chocolate in a small, heavy bottomed saucepan over a low heat, stirring often. The low heat is important because when chocolate gets too hot it becomes grainy. When the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth, set aside to cool.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut a piece of parchment or wax paper to fit the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Line the bottom of the pan with the paper, then butter the paper and the sides of the pan. Dust the bottom and sides of the pan with flour, tapping out any excess.

Separate the eggs into two large mixing bowls (yolks in one, whites in the other). Add the sugars and vanilla to the yolks and beat until smooth, about three minutes.

Stir the cooled chocolate mixture into the yolk mixture, then stir in the almond flour and all-purpose flour.



Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and beat them until soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until well blended. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. 



Bake in the center of the oven for about 45 minutes. (The original recipe says 30 minutes, so you might start checking yours at that point. It took mine the full 45 minutes.) The cake will still be slightly soft at the center and fully set around the edges.

Allow to cool before turning out onto a serving plate and removing the parchment from what is now the top of the cake.

For the frosting:

Combine the frosting ingredients in another small, heavy bottomed saucepan (or the first one). Heat over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Allow to cool and thicken before spreading over the cake.


Options: serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder or studded with chopped crystalized ginger. 


 

🌻 click here for a free, downloadable, printable pdf of this recipe 🌻

 

 


Now available for pre-order – All Shell Breaks Loose

book 3 in the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries!

 


On North Carolina’s Ocracoke Island, Maureen Nash sells exquisite seashells to locals and tourists—with Bonny the shop cat and the ghost of a Welsh pirate for company. And when needed, she steps in to help the police solve a murder . . .

Dr. Irving Allred is boasting around town that he’s about to get his hands on an authentic haunted sword. But minutes after Maureen hears the story, a woman walks into the Moon Shell, sword in hand. She found it while walking her bulldog on the beach—and its blade is stained with what looks like blood. Looks like it’s time to call the sheriff’s department.

Allred is furious that his prize is now in police custody—and even more agitated that an unknown buyer was trying to outbid him. He’s convinced the sword will lead him straight to the ghosts he’s been hunting. He’s not the only one on the Outer Banks who’s been searching for spirits, though. An odd visitor also showed up at Maureen’s shop claiming the ability to sense them . . . though somehow she didn’t seem to notice Maureen’s spectral friend hanging about.

When a man who’d been camping nearby is found cut down along the shore, Maureen starts providing some unofficial assistance to Captain Rob Tate by digging into the island’s maritime history. But it’s not the only mystery she’s facing—because the shop’s resident ghost is seeing ghosts himself . . .

 

 





Happy reading!

  

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries, the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries, and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Instagram or Bluesky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, June 12, 2026

Carrot Cake @MaddieDayAuthor #BirthdayCake

MADDIE DAY here. Today is my older son's 40th birthday! I hope you'll join me in wishing Allan a happy birthday. 



All my recent pictures of him also include his daughter, Ida Rose, whose face isn't allowed on social media, so here's one of my boy and me at his wedding eight years ago.




I happen to know Allan loves carrot cake. I'm also trying to finish a first draft of RUTHIE DREW CLEANS UP, my first Ruthie Drew mystery. 

So, I hope you'll forgive me for rerunning a recipe I posted here in March of 2020. Yes, THAT March, when like many others I was stress-baking. We'll be celebrating Allan's birthday with the whole family and family-adjacent loved ones tomorrow, so I'll be baking this again, plus candles!

Carrot Cake

I adapted this recipe from the Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash.  

Ingredients



Cake Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached white flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground mace

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 sticks softened butter

4 local eggs

3 cups finely grated carrots (about five-seven medium)

2 teaspoons finely minced lemon zest

Butter and flour for greasing

 

Frosting Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese

6 tablespoons softened butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-2 ½ cups powdered sugar

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grate carrots and set aside. Grease two cake pans and dust with flour.

In a mixer, beat sugar and oil, then beat in eggs one at a time.


In a large measuring cup, combine flour, baking powder and baking soda, salt, and spices.

Stir in dry ingredients and carrots and beat.


Pour batter into prepared pan and tab on counter to release any air bubbles.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for fifteen minutes. Invert and remove from pan. Cool. 


Frosting

Combine ingredients and beat until smooth and creamy. Frost lower cake layer then second set on top. Frost top and sides.

Combine frosting ingredients and beat until smooth and creamy. Frost top of one cake layer then set second on top. 



Frost top and sides.

 


Enjoy a piece!



Readers: How do you like your cake? what are you celebrating this June?

🥕🎂🥕

A Poisonous Pour is out and available wherever books are sold!



Next up is Murder at the Toy Soldier, Cozy Capers Book Group #8, which releases in late August.



My most recent releases are Murder at Cape Costumers,




Scone Cold Dead, #13 in the Country Store Mysteries,








Check out all my writing.




We hope you'll visit Maddie and her Agatha Award-winning alter ego Edith Maxwell on our web site, sign up for our monthly newsletter, visit us on social media, and check our all our books and short stories.


Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell) is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning and bestselling author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau and sweet cat Martin north of Boston, where she’s currently working on her next mystery when she isn’t cooking up something delectable in the kitchen.


Thursday, June 11, 2026

DRY RUB CHICKEN WINGS #recipe @vmburns

 VMBURNS: I had a taste for chicken wings and wasn't in the mood to wait for delivery. So, what's a blogger to do? Make my own rub. This dry rub was a work in progress and the ingredients in the list don't match the picture perfectly (it took me a few tries). The chili Powder and Cayenne pepper aren't in the picture. After the first batch, I tweaked. The cayenne pepper is optional. Use it if you want heat. The cornstarch is to help the wings stay crispy. I haven't mastered my air fryer, yet. So, my first batch was in the air fryer, and the second batch were in oven. 





DRY WING RUB



INGREDIENTS

  • 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
  • 1 Teaspoon Salt
  • 2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
  • 2-2 1/2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar (I like it sweet)
  • 1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika
  • 1 Tablespoons Onion Powder
  • 2 Teaspoons Ground Mustard
  • 1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
  • 2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
  • 1 Teaspoons Black Pepper
  • 1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (Optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl.

  2. Pat the wings with a paper towel to make sure they are dry, then pat the rub into the chicken wings. 

  3. Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F. Place the wings in the air fryer basket Try not to crowd the wings. Cook for 15 minutes. Flip halfway.




  • READERS: The air fryer is relatively new for me. Do you have one? Do you like it? What tips do you have for a newbie air fryer user?   Let me know in the comments below. 



ICING ON THE MURDER

Influencer-turned-bakery-owner Maddy Montgomery has sold plenty of wedding cakes before, but before she turns one out for her and her fiancé’s wedding, she’ll have to solve a little case of murder . . .

Aunt Octavia would be so proud! Maddy has turned Baby Cakes Bakery—named for her 250-pound English Mastiff, Baby—into a runaway success,
and she’s marrying the love of her life, veterinarian Michael Portman. #DreamWedding! Plus the timing couldn’t be better: the country’s biggest bridal expo has come to New Bison, Michigan, and Maddy has secured a spot for Baby Cakes to showcase their cakes. She’s also entered a contest for an all-expenses-paid wedding extravaganza offered by world-renowned wedding planner Serafina.

Unfortunately, supremely nasty Serafina truly takes the cake—she makes the worst bridezilla seem like a shy flower girl. But there’s one thing the wedding planner didn’t plan on—being impaled by one of the skewers Baby Cakes uses on their tiered wedding cakes.

While Maid of Honor Sheriff April Johnson rounds up suspects at the expo, Maddy and her aunt’s friends, the Baker Street Irregulars, and even Baby join forces to unveil a killer hiding in plain sight . . . before wedding bells start to chime.

BUY LINK


Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Gochujang Sugar Cookies #recipe by @LeslieKarst

 

Today I present another delicious recipe featured in my new Orchid Isle mystery, Murder, Local Style: gochujang sugar cookies. And I'm guessing they'll become part of your regular rotation once you taste them.

 


These cookies were first conceived of by Eric Kim of the New York Times, and then quickly became an internet sensation. What makes them so delightful is the addition of gochujang, a fermented red chili paste popular in Korea, whose combination of sweet, savory, and spicy-hot provides the cookies with a delicious and intriguing kick. They’re simple to make and, served with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream, would make for a terrific dessert for any dinner party—sure to be a big hit with your guests.


Be careful not to over-mix when adding the gochujang mixture (to ensure that the cookies have distinct streaks of orange-red) and to not over-bake, so they retain their chewy centers. (Gochujang paste can be found in the Asian food aisle of most supermarkets, or purchased online.)

 


Gochujang Sugar Cookies

(makes 8 large or 24 small cookies)



Ingredients


8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup white sugar

1 large egg at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

1½ cups flour

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon gochujang paste




Directions


Preheat oven to 350° F.


Place 7 tablespoons of the butter into a large bowl (saving the 1 remaining tablespoon for the gochujang mixture). Add the sugar, egg, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt, and mix by hand until smooth. 

 




Stir in the baking soda and then the flour, making sure that no dry bits of either remain. A flexible spatula will work well for this task.





Place the bowl in the refrigerator to chill for 15-20 minutes. (Don’t leave it in the fridge for longer than 20 minutes, or it will become too stiff to work the guchujang mixture into it.)


In a small bowl, mix until smooth the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, the brown sugar, and the gochujang paste. Set on the counter at room temperature until ready to use.






Line two large sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone sheet liners.



After 15 minutes, remove the bowl from the refrigerator and spoon all of the gochujang mixture into 3 or 4 separate patches on top of the dough. Using the handle end of a wooden spoon or similar tool, swirl the mixture carefully into the dough, just long enough to see wide, distinctive red streaks throughout. (Over-mixing will cause the cookies to lose some of their visual charm, but they will taste marvelous, nevertheless. So sorry that I failed to get a photo of the batter with the paste mixed in.)



For 8 large cookies, use a scoop that is equivalent to approximately ¼ cup by volume. For 24 small cookies, scoop with a tablespoon. The cookies do spread when baked, so keep about 3 inches between the bigger ones and 2 inches between the smaller ones.




The large cookies should take about 11 to 13 minutes to bake, and the smaller ones a few minutes less. Rotating the pans from the top to bottom rack half way through will give you an opportunity to assess doneness as well as ensure even baking. The cookies are ready when they’re a light golden-brown at the edges and just set in the center. Remove from the oven and leave on the pans until cool. Don’t over-bake: Because of carry-over heat from the pans, the cookies will finish the last bit of cooking once out of the oven.

 



The cookies will keep 2 or 3 days in a sealed container—if there are any left that long. Alternatively, they can be frozen for up to 3 months, wrapped tightly in plastic.


🌱  🍋 🌿

 

Just Released!

Orchid Isle Mystery  #3

MURDER, LOCAL STYLE

Available for purchase here.

 

"The beauties and customs of Hawai‘i provide a striking backdrop for a murder with an unexpected motive."

Kirkus Reviews 

 


 🍍 🌴 🍹

 

Out now in paperback!

Orchid Isle Mystery  #2

WATERS OF DESTRUCTION

Buy link here

 

2026 Lefty and Agatha Award Finalist

for Best Mystery/Contemporary Mystery!

 

"Immerse yourself in Hawaiian lore and savor the portrayal of the stunning landscapes
while enjoying the entertaining mystery."

Kirkus Reviews

 



Also available

in paperback!

MOLTEN DEATH

Orchid Isle Mystery  #1

Buy link here

 

2025 Lefty Award Finalist

for Best Mystery!

 

“Karst’s first Orchid Isle novel is part murder mystery, part vividly evocative, colorful sketch of Hawaii and its history, geography, tradition, culture, food, language, and people. Armchair travelers and mystery aficionados alike will find it entertaining.”

Booklist

 


This first book in my brand-new Orchid Isle mystery series features retired caterer Valerie Corbin and her wife Kristen who, on a trip to the Big Island of Hawai‘i, swap surfing lessons for sleuthing sessions when a hike to an active lava flow turns deadly. 

 

Praise for MOLTEN DEATH:


“a compelling read that will enlighten, engage, and entertain, leaving readers longing for their next trip to the Orchid Isle.”

--New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay




“a terrific debut to a series that will go on my must read list!”

--USA Today bestselling author Deborah Crombie

 

 

A SENSE FOR MURDER

2024 Lefty Award Finalist

for Best Humorous Mystery!

This newest Sally Solari mystery

is available for purchase here !

 

Praise for A SENSE FOR MURDER:

 

“[Sally is] sassy, irresistible company... Culinary cozy fans will be in heaven.”

 --Publishers Weekly

 

“An enjoyable read for mystery mavens and foodies alike.”

--Kirkus Reviews




Justice is Served:  A Tale of Scallops,

the Law, and Cooking for RBG

is the 2024 Silver Medal Winner for both the

IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award

and the IPPY Award!


Buy link here



 

 
 
Praise for Justice is Served:
 
"a suspenseful, exhilarating memoir; Karst relays her determination to serve the 'perfect' meal to RBG alongside an uplifting, enlightening portrayal of one of the most admired justices in the history of the Supreme Court." 
 

-Foreword Reviews (starred review)

 

"[This] book is a romp from cover to cover—and, just like a great meal, left me ready for more."

-Karen Shimizu, executive editor, Food & Wine-



All of the Sally Solari Mysteries (as well as my other books) are available through AmazonBarnes and Noble, and Bookshop.