It’s Mardi Gras in Key West. As expected there are food trucks, parties, parades and a King and Queen. While riding a bicycle in a parade, Haley encounters a member of the royal party has gone down for good. The death puts a heavy burden on Hayley as her friend Danielle is under suspicion. Time for a light and fluffy treat to lift the mood and the recipe for Strawberry Cake with a whipped cream frosting is perfect.
This is book #7 in the Key West Food Critic series. Set in Key West, Florida, Hayley has the enviable joy of reviewing restaurants and festivals on Key West. She works for a small publication alongside the suspect of the murder. Is the Mardi Gras queen a killer queen?
Killer Takeout by Lucy Burdette
Strawberry Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting
from a cozy mystery:
Killer Takeout
by Lucy Burdette
Book Outline and Tone:
Hayley is practical, dependable, and not prone to wild activities, but she is convinced to dress up and participate in the Mardi Gras Zombie bicycle parade. Even though this takes place in Key West and not New Orleans, the Mardi Gras activities still get a bit wild. The bicycle parade sounds like a fun and wild time to me! This event is no exception. Right in the middle of the parade Hayley hears someone cry “Zombie Down!” Of course Hayley had to stop riding and offer help. The lady turns out to be one of the finalists for Queen of the festivities. Hayley soon realizes she is too late to help and soon goes into investigator mode.
While Hayley’s fun ends, the trouble for Danielle has just begun. Danielle is the winner of the fund raising contest and so is the Queen. She works for the same publication as Hayley and she is the winner of the queen contest. So why would she want to kill her rival? As seen in the quote below, there doesn’t seem to be any good suspect. Danielle and the victim Caryn were seen fighting. So that event puts Danielle in the hot seat.
The Best Quote:
“With a big sigh, I forced myself to focus on Danielle’s problem, the case of her dead rival. As far as I could see, the main reason that would point to cops in her direction was a lack of other suspects.”
Point of View:
First person: Hayley
The Author: Lucy Burdette
Like so many cozy mystery authors, Lucy Burdette is a pen name for Roberta Isleib; she is a clinical psychologist and author of three book series. She has written 12 books in the Key West Food Critic series and book 13 is due to be released in 2023. She is also the author of a Golf Mystery Series and the Advice Column Mysteries. Many of her books have been on the short lists for awards and The Key Lime Crime won a bronze medal in the Florida Book Awards. She is active on many social platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. She also has an active Pinterest account. On Goodreads, she does a great job answering questions. Be sure to reach out to her on some platform to let her know you enjoyed her book.
What is not to like?:
Hayley’s personal relationship with detective Nathan Bransford seems a bit awkward. After a couple attempts of together and apart, they are together, but Hayley’s mom does not like him and quite frankly, I don’t blame her. Bransford will need to get it together to win me over!
The verdict:
Hayley is a wonderful main character. She is so strong, clever, independent, and relatable all at the same time. I love this series. The Strawberry Cake is moist and delicious and the whipped cream frosting is refreshing. The overall flavor was not strongly strawberry. Perhaps add more strawberries to the batter.
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).
Strawberry Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting
Assemble the Ingredients
Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan, and heat the oven to 350°F.
Using an electric mixer or food processor, beat the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat the eggs in one at a time.
Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla extract.
Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl.
Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with adding the buttermilk. (I used a cup of milk with one tablespoon of cider vinegar instead of buttermilk.)
Easy to read measure marks on inside of cup. Dishwasher safe.
Pulse in the chopped strawberries until they are small pieces and the batter begins to look pink.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out dry. Cool the cake on a wire rack.
Assemble the Ingredients for the Frosting
Beat the cream cheese with the strawberries until mostly smooth.
Add the vanilla and half the sugar; beat those in.
Whip the cream with the remaining sugar until thick.
Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese/strawberry mixture.
Good Grips, no slip when mixing. Each bowl has a spout for easy pouring. Dishwasher safe.
Spread the icing on the cooled cake and refrigerate until serving. Decorate with strawberries if desired.
Strawberry Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2½ cups flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk with 1 TBSP cider vinegar added, let sit for 10 minutes)
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh strawberries
Whipped Cream Frosting
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup chopped strawberries
- ½ tsp vanilla
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
For Cake Batter
- Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan, and heat the oven to 350°F.
- Using an electric mixer or food processor, beat the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat the eggs in one at a time.
- Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla extract.
- Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl.
- Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with adding the buttermilk. (I used a cup of milk with one tablespoon of cider vinegar instead of buttermilk.)
- Pulse in the chopped strawberries until they are small pieces and the batter begins to look pink.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out dry.
- Cool the cake on a wire rack.
For the Frosting
- Beat the cream cheese with the strawberries until mostly smooth.
- Add the vanilla and half the sugar; beat those in.
- Whip the cream with the remaining sugar until thick.
- Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese/strawberry mixture.
- Spread the icing on the cooled cake and refrigerate until serving.
- Decorate with strawberries if desired.
What would I do differently next time?
The cake is light fluffy and moist, but next time I will add more strawberries. I would add more to the cake and to the frosting.
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