Sprinkles of Suspicion
Page 22
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Muffins:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees (F).
Spritz a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or line with paper wrappers.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cayenne pepper.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and vegetable oil until completely blended.
Add the milk mixture to the cornmeal mixture and stir until incorporated. Be careful to not overmix.
Divide between the prepared muffin tin cups.
Bake for 15-17 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out mostly clean. A few moist crumbs attached to the skewer is fine.
Let cool for 5 minutes and then remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, spreading honey butter on muffins.
Honey Butter:
Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whip the butter until light and fluffy.
Add the honey in 4 increments, beating well after each addition.
Add in the vanilla extract and whip the mixture on high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Use immediately and store leftovers in the refrigerator. Before reusing, whip with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until texture is fluffy.
Cowgirl Quencher Cocktail
Serves 1
Ingredients
1 ounce coconut rum
1 ounce peach schnapps
3 ounces orange juice
3 ounces pineapple juice
Grenadine
Instructions
Place rum, schnapps, and orange and pineapple juices into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake until well chilled then strain into a margarita glass. Float a teaspoon of grenadine to the top of the cocktail and serve.
Cowgirl Quencher Mocktail
Serves 1
Ingredients
2 ounces peach nectar
3 ounces orange juice
3 ounces pineapple juice
2 drops coconut extract
Grenadine
Instructions
Place peach nectar and orange and pineapple juices and extract into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake until well chilled then strain into a tumbler or kid-friendly glass. Float a teaspoon of grenadine to the top of the mocktail and serve.
Cowgirl Quencher Cocktail Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
1 box yellow cake mix with pudding in the mix
1/3 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons coconut rum
3 tablespoons peach schnapps
3 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Glaze:
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons coconut rum
2 tablespoons peach schnapps
Frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
5 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1 tablespoon grenadine
1 tablespoon orange juice
1-1/2 tablespoons pineapple juice
1-1/2 tablespoons peach schnapps
Pink gel food coloring, optional
Garnish suggestions:
Pineapple or orange slices
Maraschino cherries
Decorative sprinkles
Decorative straws
Decorative paper umbrellas
Instructions
Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
Line cupcake tins with 16 paper or foil liners.
Place all the cupcake ingredients into a large mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer for 30 seconds on low speed. Increase speed to medium-high and beat an additional 2 minutes.
Divide the batter equally between the cupcake liners.
Bake 18-20 minutes, rotating cupcake tin(s) halfway through baking. A wooden skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake should come out mostly clean. A few moist crumbs clinging to the skewer is fine.
Cool cupcakes in the tin for 5 minutes then remove and place on a wire rack. Proceed with glaze while the cupcakes are still warm.
Glaze:
Place all the glaze ingredients into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir and heat for an additional 20 seconds, then stir until butter has melted. Use caution as the mixture can bubble over if overheated.
Prick the tops of the cupcakes with the tines of a fork, piercing at least halfway through the cupcake.
Brush the glaze over the top of each cupcake. Allow cupcakes to completely cool before proceeding with frosting.
Frosting:
In a small bowl, stir together the coconut extract, grenadine, orange juice, pineapple juice, peach schnapps, and 1-2 drops of pink food coloring if using. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the butter with the salt until creamy, on medium speed.
Reduce speed to low and gradually add half the confectioners’ sugar to the butter, beating until incorporated.
Slowly add half the liquid mixture to the sugar and butter mixture, beating well until incorporated.
Gradually add the remaining confectioners’ sugar, and once it’s been incorporated, add the remaining liquid.
Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat for 4 minutes, until the frosting is light and fluffy.
If the frosting is too thick, add additional orange or pineapple juice, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
Frost completely cooled cupcakes and garnish as desired.
Makes 16 cupcakes.
Cowgirl Quencher Mocktail Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
1 box yellow cake mix with pudding in the mix
1/3 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup peach nectar
1 teaspoon coconut extract
3 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Glaze:
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
2 tablespoons peach nectar
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
Frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
5 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1 tablespoon grenadine
1 tablespoon orange juice
1-1/2 tablespoons pineapple juice
1-1/2 tablespoons peach nectar
Pink gel food coloring, optional
Garnish suggestions:
Pineapple or orange slices
Maraschino cherries
Decorative sprinkles
Decorative straws
Decorative paper umbrellas
Instructions
Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
Line cupcake tins with 16 paper or foil liners.
Place all the cupcake ingredients into a large mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer for 30 seconds on low speed. Increase speed to medium-high and beat an additional 2 minutes.
Divide the batter equally between the cupcake liners.
Bake 18-20 minutes, rotating cupcake tin(s) halfway through baking. A wooden skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake should come out mostly clean. A few moist crumbs clinging to the skewer is fine.
Cool cupcakes in the tin for 5 minutes then remove and place on a wire rack. Proceed with glaze while the cupcakes are still warm.
Glaze:
Place all the glaze ingredients into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir and heat for an additional 20 seconds, then stir until butter has melted. Use caution
as the mixture can bubble over if overheated.
Prick the tops of the cupcakes with the tines of a fork, piercing at least halfway through the cupcake.
Brush the glaze over the top of each cupcake.
Frosting:
In a small bowl, stir together the coconut extract, grenadine, orange juice, pineapple juice, peach nectar, and 1-2 drops of food coloring if using. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the butter with the salt until creamy, on medium speed.
Reduce speed to low and gradually add half the confectioners’ sugar to the butter, beating until incorporated.
Slowly add half the liquid mixture to the sugar and butter mixture, beating well until incorporated.
Gradually add the remaining confectioners’ sugar, and once it’s been incorporated, add the remaining liquid.
Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat for 4 minutes, until the frosting is light and fluffy.
If the frosting is too thick, add additional orange juice, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
Frost completely cooled cupcakes and as desired.
Makes 16 cupcakes.
Gimlet Cocktail
Serves 1
Ingredients
2 ounces gin
2/3 ounce Rose’s lime juice
Garnish:
Lime twist
Instructions
Chill a cocktail glass and rim it with a lime wedge.
Add the gin and Rose’s lime juice to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake vigorously then strain into the cocktail glass.
Garnish with a lime twist.
Gimlet Cupcakes
This cupcake recipe has earned one of the highest ratings from my taste testers.
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
1-1/4 cups (161g) cake flour
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, room temperature
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup gin
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Zest from 1 lime
1/8 teaspoon pure lime oil (optional)
Glaze:
1/2 cup (64g) confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons gin
2 tablespoons lime juice
Zest from 1 lime
Frosting:
4 cups (506g) confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons gin
1/8 teaspoon pure lime oil, optional
1 drop mint green and 2 drops yellow gel food coloring (optional)
Garnish Suggestions:
Fresh lime wedges
Candied lime peel
Lime fruit gel candies
Instructions
Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
Line cupcake tins with paper liners.
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Whisk the gin, lime juice, and pure lime oil (if using) together. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, whisk the eggs on medium speed for 30 seconds.
Add the sugar and the lime zest and continue to whisk an additional minute.
With the mixer running on low, slowly add the vegetable oil. Increase mixer to medium and whisk an additional minute.
Reduce mixer speed back to low and add half the flour mixture to the sugar mixture. Beat on low until mostly incorporated.
Add half the gin mixture and stir to combine.
Repeat with remaining flour and gin mixture and beat until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Fill cupcake liners about 1/2 full and bake 12-14 minutes. Batter is quite thin, and I like to use 1/4 cup measuring cups for filling liners.
Remove from oven and allow to cool in the cupcake tin for 5 minutes.
Move the cupcakes to a wire rack and immediately proceed with glaze.
Glaze:
Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, gin, lime juice, and lime zest.
Pierce each warm cupcake 4 times with the tines of a fork.
Brush the glaze over the cupcakes, allowing the liquid to soak in before applying more. Be sure to use all the glaze.
Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before proceeding with the frosting.
Frosting:
Place butter and salt into the bowl of a standing mixer and whip until the butter is creamy, approximately 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed.
With the mixer running on low speed, add confectioners’ sugar a little at a time, mixing until sugar is coated with the butter.
Whisk the gin and lime juice together along with the pure lime oil and gel food coloring if using.
Once the butter and sugar mixture is creamy, slowly add the gin mixture.
Increase the speed to medium-high and whip for approximately 5 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Frost the cupcakes and garnish if desired.
Makes 15 cupcakes.
Dedication
For my husband, Dan, who gives me the support and encouragement to create and believe in myself.
And for my granddaughters, Jaidyn, who bravely fights the Rett Syndrome monster every day, and her sister, Emory, who is tenderhearted and caring of her sister. They both inspire me to find joy and laughter in the simple things in life.
Acknowledgments
It’s true that it takes a village to create a book. I’d like to thank my husband, Dan, for reading and editing my manuscript several times. Not only that, he also toted my pink cupcake carrier to his golf group on numerous occasions to collect a wide variety of comments and critiques on my cupcake recipes from his peers. And to all my taste testers, thank you for your suggestions and encouragement with each tweak I did on the recipes.
I also have to give a shout-out to Lisa Kelley of Lisa Ks Book Reviews for coming up with the title. I am in awe of her quick wit and way with puns! In addition, she kindly read an early version of my manuscript and provided several worthy suggestions. Dawn Dowdle, owner of Blue Ridge Literary Agency, deserves my gratitude for her suggestions which made my story so much better! She was also instrumental in fixing those pesky grammar and punctuation errors. And last but not least, thank you to my other beta readers, Janet Clause and Kathy Keith.
A huge thank you to Catherine Bruns, Linda Reilly, and Paige Shelton for reading my book and offering me their encouragement! I’m so grateful for the support and friendships of the cozy mystery writing community and feel blessed to be a part of of it both as an author and a reader.
I greatly appreciate the talents of cover designer Karen Phillips. She captured the spirit of my book and made it come alive.
A special thanks to all of the lovely people who follow my blog, Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder, and share in my love for delicious food and mysteries! You inspire me to create stories and recipes to share with family and friends.
About the Author
Kim Davis lives in Southern California with her husband. When not chasing her two granddaughters, she can be found at her computer writing or blogging at Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder, or in the kitchen baking up new treats to share.
Kim Davis is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America.
She has also published a suspense novel, A Game of Deceit, under K.A. Davis.
SPRINKLES OF SUSPICION
Cupcake Catering Mystery Series Book 1
Cinnamon & Sugar Press
All characters and events in this book are a work of fiction. Any similarities to anyone living or dead are purely coincidental. Kim Davis is identified as the sole author of this book.
All rights are reserved. No part of this publicati
on may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the author. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Copyright © 2020 Kim Davis
ISBN 978-0-9990688-2-3
ISBN 978-0-9990688-3-0
Cover Design by Karen Phillips
Edited by Red Adept Editing
Created with Vellum
One glass of cheap California chardonnay cost Emory Gosser Martinez her husband, her job, and her best friend. Unfortunately, that was only the beginning of her troubles.
Distraught after discovering the betrayal by her husband and best friend, Tori, cupcake caterer Emory Martinez allows her temper to flare. Several people witness her very public altercation with her ex-friend. To make matters worse, Tori exacts her revenge by posting a fake photo of Emory in a compromising situation, which goes viral on social media. When Tori is found murdered, all signs point to Emory being the prime suspect.
With the police investigation focused on gathering evidence to convict her, Emory must prove her innocence while whipping up batches of cupcakes and buttercream. Delving into the past of her murdered ex-friend, she finds other people had reasons to want Tori dead, including Emory’s own husband. Can she find the killer, or will the clues sprinkled around the investigation point the police back to her?