The last book in the April Harlequin series is: Want Ad Wedding by Cheryl St. John. If you would like to read the other two posts and enter those giveaways too go Here & Here.
Here is a recipe from the author
Bon Appetit and a Book
I have a passion for cake, and especially Bundt® cakes. This one is probably one of my very favorite recipes ever and my family tussles over the last crumbs. I've included tips at the bottom, because this type of cake bakes differently depending on the pan and your oven, so experiment a little and watch the baking process carefully.
If you make this cake, do let me know how it was. I dropped one off to a neighboring daycare, and the report was, "This cake is evil. It's the best I've ever had." I think that means it's a winner.
Glazed Citrus Bundt® Cake
¾ cup softened butter
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 Tbsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 - 2 tsp lemon extract
3 cups sifted flour
1 cup Sprite or Squirt
Preheat oven to 350°.
Grease and flour Bundt® pan well
Beat butter with hand mixer. Add sugar one cup at a time and mix until creamy.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing briefly after each.
Stir in lemon zest and extracts.
On medium speed alternate adding flour and Sprite. Don’t overbeat.
Pour batter into pan.
Baking time varies depending on your oven and your pan. I use my convection oven setting. My heavy NordicWare® pan bakes more quickly than my silicone pan. In the NordicWare® I bake this about 40 minutes, then cover with foil for another ten. Test and if a toothpick doesn’t come out clean, add more time. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack ten minutes. After ten minutes remove cake from pan and allow to cool.
Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp Rose’s sweetened lime juice (I find this in the liquor section)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Whisk until desired consistency and drizzle over cooled cake.
Bundt Cake Tips:
· There is a difference between a tube pan and a Bundt® pan. A tube pan is more shallow, while a Bundt® pan has higher sides. Each will hold a different amount and will bake the same batter differently.
· Cooking spray doesn’t cut it for a Bundt® cake. Grease with shortening and dust with flour to help the cake rise in the pan.
· Always sift the flour.
· Over mixing the batter gives cake a tough texture.
· When creaming sugar and butter, have the butter at room temperature, mix on medium and add the sugar gradually.
· Don’t overbeat eggs. Mix with a whisk or on low with the mixer, just until blended.
· After removing from the oven, cool the cake on a wire rack for ten minutes. Any longer and you risk the cake sticking to the pan. Finish cooling on a rack.
After years of being asked for recipes, Cheryl St.John spent a summer writing down ingredients and baking times, baking and asking for beta testers in order to put together this collection of mouthwatering recipes for Bundt cakes.. Cheryl's philosophy: Eat cake! It's someone's birthday somewhere.
- If you could travel to a top literary destination that you’ve never been to, where would you go?
Japan (Shogun)
Australia (Australia)
Pandora (Avatar)
And I’d love to be on set anywhere while a movie was being made. Behind the scenes is my thing.
- Out of all the books you’ve read, which one would you turn into a book to film adaptation, (if it has not been done before)?
With this super power I would first turn all of my own books into movies.
As for a book I’ve not written, I would choose Twice Loved by LaVyrle Spencer.
- List five adjectives to describe yourself.
optimistic
(discouraged) perfectionist
creative
tenacious
last-minute
4. What’s your favorite place for inspiration?
I may be old school in this respect, because I know a lot of authors write in coffee shops or on their decks in summer, but I’ve conditioned myself over many years to sit at my desk with a cup of coffee and create stories.
I brainstorm the stories differently, however. I gather a fresh binder, colored fine-point felt-tip pens, the character grids I use for plotting conflict, name books (and the cup of coffee) and spread out on the sofa, where I write down everything I know about the story, make a list of adjectives describing each character, decide the inciting incident that launches the story, change names until I find the ones that fit perfectly. Sometimes this takes a whole day, and from there I prepare the binder and go to my desk and write the synopsis.
It’s not a place that inspires me, but rather catching the excitement of the story in my head.
5. Do you have one thing that can completely motivate you while writing?
Without fail. A deadline.
For more information and to buy this book go here on Amazon.
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