Lemon Cake by Shari Randall + #Giveaway

MAYA: Please welcome my friend, Shari Randall, an award-winning mystery writer. One of my favorite memories is of having afternoon tea with her at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto. Today's she's sharing a recipe for lemon tea cake and offering a book GIVEAWAY. Leave a comment at the end of this post to enter a drawing for one of her mysteries. You're up, Shari!

SHARI: Nothing says summer like the bright tang of lemons. Lemonade and lemon Italian ice are some of my favorite treats of summer, along with my favorite dessert, Lemon Tea Cake. There are many variations of this cake, and it goes by many names, such as Lemon Tea Cake or Lemon Pound Cake, but I think this version is perfection.

This cake bursts with lemon flavor thanks to a glaze of lemon juice and confectioner’s sugar added when the just-baked cake is pulled from the oven. The cake mixes up quickly and you can dress it up or down. Frost it if you wish (omit the glaze), serve with a simple side of fresh summer berries, or enjoy it as is. At my daughter’s suggestion, I decorated the cake with slices of candied lemon for a novel sweet-tart touch.

The recipe came to me from a friend’s mom who made my wedding cake. Thanks, Mrs. F! I hope you enjoy this taste of summer curled up in a shady spot with a good read. The cake tastes great accompanied by tea or coffee, hot or iced. Enjoy!

Ingredients

6 Tbsp butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup milk

1-1/2 cups flour

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

Freshly grated rind of one lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a loaf pan.

Cream butter and granulated sugar, then add lemon rind and eggs. 

Sift the dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture with the milk. Beat the batter until smooth. 

Pour batter into a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake 1 hour at 350. (Check at 55 minutes.)

To make the glaze, mix ½ cup powdered sugar with the juice of one lemon. Pour the mixture over the hot cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Once the cake is cooled, top it with candied lemons if desired.

Candied Lemon Slices

1 cup sugar

1 large lemon

Slice a lemon into 8-12 very thin slices – use a mandoline if you have one. Discard seeds and ends.

Prepare an ice bath (bowl of cold water with ice cubes) and set it aside.

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add the lemon slices. Stir until soft, about one minute. Drain and plunge them in the ice bath. Immediately drain. This step helps remove some of the bitterness of the lemon.

Bring the sugar and one cup of water to a boil in a medium sized skillet, stirring to dissolve the sugar. When the mixture is clear and bubbles, reduce heat to medium-low. Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer. Simmer until the rinds are translucent. Do not let boil.

Line a baking rack or tray with parchment paper. Transfer slices to parchment and let stand until ready to serve. You can keep the slices in an airtight container at room temperature for one day.

About the Author and the Giveaway

Shari Randall is the author of the Lobster Shack Mystery series. Nothing says summer in New England like a visit to a lobster shack. Set in the historic Connecticut village of Mystic, the books feature injured ballerina Allie Larkin, who works in her quirky Aunt Gully’s Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack while her broken ankle heals. When her aunt falls under suspicion of murder, Allie starts investigating and discovers she has a talent for sleuthing. The first book in the series, CURSES, BOILED AGAIN, won an Agatha Award for Best First Novel. 

You can keep up with Shari on social media, where she shares ice cream recipes, her mermaid and Nancy Drew obsessions, and pics of all things New England.

Facebook 

Facebook Group: Cozy Mystery Crew 

Instagram @sharirandallauthor

Shari will give a copy (your choice of paperback or ebook) of any one of the Lobster Shack Mysteries to one lucky commenter. (US Only for paperback). What’s your favorite summertime treat? Comment below to be entered to win.

One Pot Gingerbread

A warm winter welcome to Shari Randall! You seriously have to check out this recipe. I'm going to try it! Shari is giving away an e-copy of The Queen of Christmas, so be sure to enter at the bottom. Click where it says COMMENTS.

And don't miss the last picture. It's just precious!

By Shari Randall, who is wondering how it got to be December already!

This time of year is a feast for the senses. It brings the cozy warmth of a fluffy sweater; the sound of carols and church bells; and my favorite, the spicy aroma and taste of gingerbread.

It doesn’t seem right to bake gingerbread at any other time of the year. The scent wouldn’t marry well with spring’s flowers or summer sunscreen. Fall and winter are more appropriate since we’re turning to rich flavors like pumpkin spice, molasses, and cinnamon.

Gingerbread is also a holiday favorite because you get to play with it. What fun for children – or anyone! -  to cut out shapes and bake the spicy dough. After the cookies cool, the firm texture stands up well to the decorating efforts of little fingers.

When my girls were little they adored making gingerbread cookies and houses. I have dozens of cookie cutters to prove it. I also have one of the easiest gingerbread recipes around -- One Pot Gingerbread. You simply add all the ingredients to a large pot on the stovetop and stir. Chill the dough and then the cookie cutting party can commence.

I treated myself to some early gingerbread to get in the mood for writing my latest mystery, “The Queen of Christmas.” A magnificent gingerbread house plays a role in the story, which centers on Dagmar Smith, a formidable woman who runs a Festival of Trees fundraiser and dubs herself the Queen of Christmas, much to the annoyance of another character, who thinks she’s the Queen of Christmas. This short story is the perfect length to read on a cold winter’s evening, curled up with a hot drink and maybe a gingerbread cookie or two (or three!). Here’s a link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081J7WDT8

Tell me: What is your favorite holiday cookie?

I’ll gift a copy of this eBook to one lucky commenter.

Wishing you peaceful moments to enjoy some reading in the midst of the holiday bustle.

ONE POT GINGERBREAD

½ cup sugar

¾ cup unsulfured molasses

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

2/3 cup unsalted butter (1 stick plus 2-2/3 Tbsp), cut into pieces

½ tsp baking soda

3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 egg

Heat oven to 350. Lightly grease baking sheets.

In a large, heavy sauce pan or Dutch oven, combine sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and stir in butter pieces, let them melt completely, then add the baking soda.

Stir in egg and flour until well blended – add the flour a bit at a time. Refrigerate at least 3 hours. (At this point you could wrap the dough and freeze. Thaw in refrigerator before using.)

Roll out cold dough between two sheets of wax paper to about ¼” thick. If you like chewy cookies, roll out a bit thicker. Cut out cookies and reroll dough scraps. You may have to chill the scraps – it’s easier to work with cold dough.

Bake 12 minutes until puffed and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely before icing and decorating. Enjoy!

 

Shari Randall is the author of the Lobster Shack Mystery series. She loves travel, dancing, and all things mermaid. You can find her volunteering at her local library, walking in beautiful downtown Mystic, CT, or hunting for bargains at yard sales.

Website: http://www.sharirandallauthor.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sharirandallauthor

Instagram: sharirandallauthor

Don't forget to leave a comment with your email address to enter the giveaway!

Please Welcome Guest Shari Randall

Our guest today is Shari Randall, author of Curses, Boiled Again!  And she's talking lobster or "lobstah" (if you're from New England.)  Her tales had me drooling.  Oh, for a lobster roll right now! Alas lobsters are a little thin on the ground in Michigan! 

On the Lobster Roll Trail

By Shari Randall

I confess: I’m a fraud. For two reasons. 

Here I am on Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen, and trust me, I’m not a cook. I have more take out places on speed dial than I have cook books. When Peg Cochran asked me to visit, I jumped at the chance. In the same way I enjoy watching the mastery of cooks on Iron Chef, I enjoy the recipes cooked up by these talented authors.

Writing About Lobsters

I had to be reassured when my publisher asked me to write a mystery series set in a lobster shack. No recipes required. I’ve never even cooked a lobster! But my publisher wanted New England charm, a different kind of detective, and a suspenseful mystery. That I could do. But how could a non-cook get the lobster shack setting right?

Thank goodness I live in southeastern Connecticut, home to two lobster shacks that make “best of” lists every year. And being a former librarian, I did what any writer in my flip flops would do: research.

So, one morning last summer my husband and I set off on our lobster roll eating extravaganza, er, research tour.

Research

Research is the delight of procrastinating authors. I couldn’t have come up with a better way to avoid actual writing. We rolled north from Connecticut along roads as scenic as they come, dipping into quaint towns along the shore, checking out cedar shingled shacks covered with sun-faded lobster buoys and circled by hungry diners and thieving sea gulls. Did I learn anything beyond how nice it is to sit on a dock with a cold beverage and a hot lobster roll as the sun sets? You bet.

One of the biggest things I learned: Who knew there was an ongoing debate about the best way to make a lobster roll? Depending on where they grew up or where they had that first lobster roll, people fall into two camps: those who prefer the Maine style lobster roll and those who prefer Connecticut style.

Lobster Rolls--Connecticut style vs Maine Style 

 

They’re both delicious, right? They’re not that different, right? Perish the thought! Maine style adds a mayonnaise base to (perhaps appropriately) cold lobster meat, making a lobster salad, and usually adds a bit of greenery – shredded lettuce – as a starting point. From there chefs riff on many variations of salad, adding onion, celery, herbs, and spices to diners’ delight.

Connecticut style is hot lobster meat piled on a buttered and toasted hot dog bun, with melted butter accompaniment. Delectable fresh lobster meat, warm buttered roll, more butter…. You can see why many prefer this preparation. Unadorned, classic, elegant in its simplicity. In my book, CURSES, BOILED AGAIN, the lobster rolls are Connecticut style all the way, befitting a lobster shack in mythical Mystic Bay, Connecticut.

But of course, it’s all personal preference. As we traveled along the New England shore, taking in the lighthouse views and stopping for beach breaks, it was easy to appreciate the merits of both kinds of lobster roll. We swung back home to our two favorite shacks, Abbott’s and Ford’s in little Noank, CT, where we sat on the dock and watched the sailboats slide by, not a care in the world. Ah! Vacation and lobster roll nirvana.

Oh, the second reason I’m a fake? Well, as our lobster tour progressed, I had to face a tragic, hilarious, and inconvenient truth.

I’m allergic to lobster.

 

Welcome to the seaside hamlet of Mystic Bay, where the fish is always fresh, the folks are ever-friendly, and murder is on a roll….

Allie Larkin was living her dream as a ballet dancer when a bad fall put her out of business. Now she’s back home in Mystic Bay to heal a broken ankle while also helping her Aunt Gully get her Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack off the ground. Nothing would help Gully more than winning the local food festival’s Best Lobster Roll contest. The competition is sure to be killer- especially after one of the contest judges dies after eating a roll from one of Gully’s biggest rivals.

Soon, all eyes fall on Gully as the prime suspect. Allie may only have one good leg to stand on, but she’s not going to let her aunt go down for a crime she never could have cooked up. Can Allie, along with her devoted crew of friends, family, and customers, find a way to trap the killer and claw herself out of this hard-boiled murder case.

“Suspenseful and entertaining – left me longing to visit the Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack!” – Donna Andrews

“Delightful! A fun whodunit full of New England coastal charm and characters who feel like friends. Warm humor, a delectable plot, and clever sleuthing will keep you turning the pages." —Krista Davis

 

Shari Randall is the author of CURSES, BOILED AGAIN!, the first in the Lobster Shack mystery series. She’s a former librarian, military spouse, mother of two globe-trotting kids, and the Sisters in Crime Library Liaison. You can see what she’s up to on her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sharirandallauthor/

or author site: https://us.macmillan.com/author/sharirandall/

GIVEAWAY!!

Want to win a free copy of CURSES, BOILED AGAIN? Enter this Goodreads giveaway, through January 30.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34925254-curses-boiled-again