#COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUEST AUTHOR CINDY SAMPLE AND APPLE HILL CAKE

Multi-award nominee Cindy Sample is a former corporate CEO who decided plotting murder was more entertaining than plodding through paperwork. Her national bestselling humorous mystery series features single soccer mom Laurel McKay and now includes five books. Learn more about her and her books at her website. 

Laurel McKay, the protagonist in my mystery series, is an addict. A donut addict. Or, as she prefers to phrase it, a donut aficionado. There is nothing Laurel likes better than biting into a melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon apple donut. Or a vanilla frosted apple donut. Or a…well, you get the idea.

Luckily, my protagonist and I both live near Apple Hill, located in the Gold Country of Northern California, and home to over fifty apple farms. During the season, which goes from Labor Day to Christmas Eve, over a million tourists visit this area to pick apples and savor their delicious donuts, fritters, strudel, and more. While researching my book, I toured one of the apple farm kitchens. I was amazed to learn they sell over 50,000 donuts a month.

My family is also included in those demographics. When my daughter flew here from Seattle one Thanksgiving, we drove sixty-five miles from the Sacramento airport directly to Apple Hill so she could savor her favorite glazed apple donuts. That’s when my sugar-fueled brain decided Dying for a Donut would be the next book in my series.

My protagonist is quite excited when her daughter, Jenna, lands a job at the Apple Tree Farm and Bakery. That is until Laurel stumbles over the owner of Apple Tree Farm covered from head to toe in powdered sugar. Did someone try to sweeten him up? Investigating his murder ends up being far more perilous than she first anticipates.

I should know. My research for this book proved to be my most dangerous yet. And now I am definitely dying for a diet!

Continuing with the theme of the story, I asked readers to contribute one of their favorite fall recipes. I chose twelve apple, pumpkin and pear-related recipes which are featured at the back of the book. Plus one recipe for Man Catcher Brownies. How could I not include that one!

Below is the recipe for the original Apple Hill cake. Since I’m better known for eating than baking, if I can make it, anyone can.

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

2 cups flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. baking soda

4 cups diced apples

Combine sugar, oil and eggs, then add diced apples. Sift together the flour, salt, spices, and baking soda. Add to apple mixture. Pour into a 9” x 13” greased cake pan and bake for one hour at 350 degrees. Serve warm or cold with your favorite topping.

Happy reading and eating.

Dying for a Donut

To Laurel McKay, there’s nothing better than spending an autumn afternoon munching on caramel apples and cinnamon donuts. It’s a good thing her daughter Jenna has landed a seasonal job at Apple Tree Farm and Bakery.

Then Laurel stumbles over the bakery owner coated in powdered sugar. Axel Thorson was a well-respected member of the community. Who wanted to sweeten him up? And who might benefit from his death?

Any number of business owners, friends and family it soon turns out.

When the police arrest the heartthrob grandson of the bakery manager, Jenna decides to help him by solving the case herself, a move that lands her in jail. With Laurel’s detective honey in another state, and her octogenarian grandmother threatening to chase down the culprit, what’s a soccer mom with a sweet tooth to do but go undercover?

Detecting among donuts should be a piece of cake, but not if Laurel discovers first-hand that sugar can kill you.

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COOKING WITH CLORIS - APPLE CAKE

It’s apple picking season, and that means lots of apple cakes, and crisps, and pies.

Apple Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1/4 cup wheat germ

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

4 cups peeled Granny Smith apples

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift together flour, wheat germ, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. 

Combine apples, nuts, and sugars. 

Whisk together oil, eggs, and vanilla. Pour over apple mixture. 

Add flour mixture to apple mixture, stirring gently until well blended. Pour into a 13” x 9” x 2” greased pan. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until cake pulls away from sides of pan. 

COOKING WITH CLORIS -- APPLE BUNDT CAKE

Cloris features on of my favorite versions of apple cake today. This is a great recipe for holiday entertaining. -- AP

APPLE BUNDT CAKE

Ingredients:

5 cooking apples

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2-1/4 cups sugar

1 cup butter

3 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup orange juice

4 eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract

confectioner’s sugar

Peel and slice apples. Place in bowl. Add cinnamon and 1/4 cup sugar. Mix to coat apples. Set aside. Cream the butter and remaining 2 cups of sugar. Mix all other dry ingredients together. Slowly add dry ingredients to butter/sugar mixture. Combine eggs, juice, vanilla, and almond extract. Slowly add to other ingredients as you continue to mix. Batter will be thick.

Grease and flour bundt pan. Place small amount of batter in bottom of pan. Add a layer of apples. Continue layering batter and apples, with batter as last layer.

Back at 350 degrees for 1-1/2 hours. Cool on wire rack 15-20 minutes. Remove cake from bundt pan. Dust with confectioner’s sugar.

The only problem with this cake is that you can’t stop eating it. What do you think, readers? Anyone going to try it? Post a comment to enter the drawing for a free book from our Book Club Friday guest author. -- AP

COOKING WITH CLORIS -- APPLE CAKE

There’s nothing like the smell of fresh baked goods on a cold winter’s day. Check out this scrumptious apple cake Cloris came up with for today’s blog post. -- AP

APPLE CAKE

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
4 cups peeled Granny Smith apples
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift together flour, wheat germ, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Combine apples, nuts, and sugars. Whisk together oil, eggs, and vanilla. Pour over apple mixture. Add flour mixture to apple mixture, stirring gently until well blended. Pour into a 13” x 9” x 2” greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until cake pulls away from sides of pan.

Now how’s that for helping get you through a cold, snowy March-comes-in-like-lion sort of day? Make it even more special by serving the cake warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Remember to post a comment to be entered into the drawing for a book from this week's Book Club Friday guest author. -- AP