This post features an Old-Fashioned Pound Cake and a new-socially active main character. The pound cake is rich and wonderful served with berries and whipped cream. Main character, Maddy, uses her social media prowess to build up her new bakery and her new life in New Bison, MI.

Book number 3 in the Baker Street Mystery series is another success. Maddy finds out who her real friends are and what her boyfriend really thinks about her. At the same time she is a person of interest in not one but 2 murders!

A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death by Valerie Burns

Old-Fashioned Pound Cake

from a cozy mystery novel:

A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death

by Valerie Burns

Book Outline and Tone:

Maddy came to New Bison when her personal life was in dire straits. Left at the altar for another woman left Maddy embarrassed and the talk of her friends on social media. But then she inherited her Great-Aunt Octavia’s bakery in New Bison, MI.

You can take the girl out of California, but you can’t take the California out of the girl! Even in this small town, Maddy is fashion focused and feels like she doesn’t quite fit in. Then the girl her fiance left her for begins to troll Maddy on social media. What’s worse, this troll, Brandy, comes to New Bison.

This cozy mystery does a fantastic job of incorporating Maddy’s personal life and the search for the person responsible for 2 murders. Maddy is not a typical bakery owner as seen in many cozy mysteries. She doesn’t know how to bake. What she knows is how to bring in business using social media. The hashtags and references to posts that Maddy makes is an enjoyable unique feature to this series.

The Best Quotes:

“I suppose the original point of social media was networking and interacting with friends and family, but that was before. Now, it’s morphed into something different. People use social media for all types of reasons. Some use it to engage with friends. Others use it for marketing. Then there are internet trolls.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to know who killed him. I don’t want to catch the killer. Hey, Big revelation here: Killers are mean! I’ve nearly died–twice! I don’t want to go through that again. That’s what the police are for. I want to stay here. Learn to bake. Live my life. I do not want to find myself in a situation where someone who has already killed two people is looking for me to be a third.”

Point of View:

First person told by Maddy, a young lady who inherited a bake shop..

The Author: Valerie Burns

Valerie (V. M.) Burns is the author of 3 other mystery series as well as the author of the new Baker Street Mysteries. She is not only an acclaimed author but also an adjunct professor at Seton Hall University as part of the Writing Popular Fiction Program. She is also a member of Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Color, and International Thriller Writers organizations, to name a few. Ms. Burns can be contacted on her website. As well as social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. You can find a more extensive biography on Goodreads.

What is not to like?:

Are you good with names? Sometimes I’m not. A few times a character’s name came up and I had to stop and refresh my memory to think how they were connected. I sure wish more author’s posted a cast of character pages in their books.

The verdict:

First of all, the Old-Fashioned Pound Cake is a must! So rich and perfect with berries and whipped cream. Second, the novel is great fun. I recommend reading and looking forward to the next book in the series too!

Disclaimer: In the name of full transparency, please be aware that this blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost for you).

Old-Fashioned Pound Cake Recipe

Assemble the Ingredients

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a Bundt pan. I used a silicone Bundt pan and sprayed nonstick spray. It came out perfectly. Because there is a high level of sugar in the mix, spraying some nonstick spray is important.

Beat butter until soft.

Gradually add in the sugar and beat until light and fluffy

Add the eggs one at a time and beat well.

I like to crack eggs into a measuring cup and then it is easy to pour out one egg at a time and I don’t have to worry about accidental egg shells.

Now it’s time to make cake flour. I only keep on hand all-purpose flour, so I easily made cake flour with that.

Baking Tip: Make cake flour

Whisk together 3/4 cup and 2 TBSP all-purpose flour and 2 tablespoons cornstarch. This makes 1 cup of cake flour.

Add the flour 1 cup at a time and alternate with heavy cream and beat at low until just blended.

Add the vanilla and mix.

Pour into the greased and floured Bundt pan.

I was worried it would rise and spill out, so I baked it on a cookie sheet. However, it is a dense cake and did not rise much.

Bake on the center rack until golden brown, approximately 1-11/2 hours.

Remove from oven and allow the cake to cool.

Old-Fashioned Pound Cake

This is great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries, and whipped cream!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1 30

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Ingredients

4 sticks butter, softened
3 cups sugar
3 cups cake flour
8 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup heavy cream
2 TBSP vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a Bundt pan.
Beat butter until soft. Gradually add in the sugar and beat until light and fluffy
Add the eggs one at a time and beat well.
Add the flour 1 cup at a time and alternate with heavy cream and beat at low until just blended.
Add the vanilla and mix.
Pour into the greased and floured Bundt pan.
Bake on the center rack until golden brown, approximately 1-11/2 hours.
Remove from oven and allow the cake to cool.
Loosen the edges of the cake with a sharp knife.