This is book #23 of the Hannah Swensen cozy mystery series. In this novel the reader discovers how Hannah decided to open The Cookie Jar. We also learn that the murder of The Chocolate Chip Cookie murder was not the first crime that Hannah puzzled over.
This is the 23rd book in the addicting Hannah Swensen cozy mystery series. Author Joanne Fluke is on her game of surprising readers as this one is a prequel. How did Hannah, her 2 sisters, and her mom start down the path towards a successful bakery and an successful stint of solving murder mysteries.
Christmas Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Cozy Mystery Novel with Recipes Book Review
Outline and Tone:
The Hannah Swensen series is a long cozy mystery series. As of this post there are 31 books! Somehow Joanne Fluke keeps the story line going with enough changes in the characters’ personal lives to keep it interesting. The book before this one, Raspberry Danish Murder ended with a great cliff hanger. I was excited to read the next book and see how everything played out. But Ms. Fluke is smart. She delayed my anticipation with Christmas Cake Murder. This is a cute story with 2 interesting twists. Without revealing any spoilers, I can tell you that one twist is this novel contains the story of how Hannah came to open her bakery, The Cookie Jar. Of course this is not the only plot line of this novel, but it does give Ms. Fluke the ability to break away from the characters of book #22 Raspberry Danish Murder and provide a backstory.
The author:
Joanne Fluke published her first Hannah Swenson novel, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, in 2001. Since then she has been a New York Times bestselling author several times. She is a popular guest on her local television station and she always uploads her interview to her Youtube Channel. She even has many interviews organized by the book. Some of her books have been made into movies on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel. Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery can be found https://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/. Joanne Fluke will interact with fans on her Twitter and her Facebook accounts.
What is not to like?:
The only thing that I did not enjoy about this book was that it didn’t pick up with Raspberry Danish Murder left off. I want a resolution to the cliff hanger! So I guess that means I will need to soon pick up book #24 Chocolate Cream Pie Murder.
The verdict:
This book could be a complete stand alone, with the exception that there isn’t too much introduction to the characters. It would be a good introduction to cozy mysteries and the wonderful recipes that can be found in them.
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).
Assemble the Ingredients
Hannah has several notes to make these the best. I included all of her notes here. Anytime I have a note from me, Molly, I will put them in brackets.
Prepare your cake pan. The recipe gives you directions for using the traditional coat with cooking spray and flour, but I used Ms. Fluke’s directions for Pan Coat and it worked perfectly!
Crack the eggs into the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix them up on LOW speed until they’re a uniform color. Pour in the half-cup of vegetable oil and mix it in with the eggs on LOW speed. Add the half-cup of cold milk and mix it in on LOW speed. Scoop out the container of sour cream, and add the sour cream to your bowl. Mix that in on LOW speed.
I adore these OXO Good Grips 7-Piece Nesting Measuring Beaker Set
It is worth it to get the larger stand mixer. This is big enough to handle any recipe and most recipes when doubled!
When everything is well combined, open the box of dry cake mix and sprinkle it on top of the liquid ingredients in the bowl of the mixer. Mix that in on LOW speed. Add the package of instant butterscotch pudding and mix that in, again on LOW speed.
Finally, chop up the butterscotch chips in a food processor or blender and then sprinkle them into the mixer. Mix in the chips on LOW speed.
Use a rubber spatula to transfer the cake batter to the prepared Bundt pan. Smooth the top of your cake with the rubber spatula and place it in the oven.
Bake your Ultimate Butterscotch Bundt Cake at 350 degrees F. for 55 minutes.
Before you take your cake out of the oven, test it for doneness by inserting a cake tester, thin wooden skewer, or long toothpick midway between the sides of the circular ring.
Once your cake is done, take it out of the oven and set it on a cold stovetop burner or a wire
Rack. Let your cake cool for 20 minutes in the pan, but no longer than that.
Cover your Ultimate Butterscotch Bundt Cake loosely with foil and refrigerate it for at least one hour. Overnight is even better.
Frost your cake with Cool Whip Butterscotch
Place the cup of butterscotch chips in your food processor or blender. Chop them into smaller pieces so that they will melt faster.
Place the Cool Whip in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the chopped butterscotch chips to the
Bowl. Microwave the bowl on HIGH for 1 minute and then let it sit in the microwave for an additional minute.
Here is what mine looked like after cooking one minute, then 30 seconds more.
Not only are OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Mixing Bowls great because the rubber footing keeps them in place, they are also microwave (and dishwasher safe). These are my go-to mixing bowls.
OXO Good Grips 3- Piece Plastic Mixing Bowl Set LInk
Take the bowl out of the microwave and stir to see if the butterscotch chips have melted. If they haven’t, heat in 30-second intervals with 1-minute standing times until you succeed in melting the chips.
Take the bowl out of the microwave and let it sit on the countertop or on a cold stovetop burner for 15 minutes. This standing time will thicken the icing.
Return your cake to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before cutting it and serving to your guests. I love cake and ice cream. Here I served it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some caramel sauce.
Ultimate Butterscotch Bundt Cake from: Christmas Cake Murder
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup cold whole milk
- 8 oz sour cream
- 1 box white cake mix with or without pudding in the mix, the kind that makes a 9-inch cake or a 2-layer cake
- 5.1 oz package of instant butterscotch pudding mix
- 12 oz bag of butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Prepare your cake pan. Use Pan Coat [my recommendation] or follow these directions: You'll need a Bundt pan that has been sprayed with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray and then floured. To flour a pan, put some flour in the bottom, hold it over your kitchen wastebasket, and tap the pan to move the flour all over the inside of the pan. Continue this until all the inside surfaces of the pan, including the sides of the crater in the center of the pan, have been covered with a light coating of flour. Be sure to shake out the excess flour.
- Crack the eggs into the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix them up on LOW speed until they're a uniform color.
- Pour in the half-cup of vegetable oil and mix it in with the eggs on LOW speed.
- Add the half-cup of cold milk and mix it in on LOW speed.
- Scoop out the container of sour cream, and add the sour cream to your bowl. Mix that in on LOW speed.
- When everything is well combined, open the box of dry cake mix and sprinkle it on top of theliquid ingredients in the bowl of the mixer. Mix that in on LOW speed.
- Add the package of instant butterscotch pudding and mix that in, again on LOW speed.
- Finally, chop up the butterscotch chips in a food processor or blender and then sprinkle them into the mixer. Mix in the chips on LOW speed.
- Shut off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and give your batter a final stir by hand.
- Use a rubber spatula to transfer the cake batter to the prepared Bundt pan. Smooth the top of your cake with the rubber spatula and place it in the oven.
- Bake your Ultimate Butterscotch Bundt Cake at 350 degrees F. for 55 minutes.
- Before you take your cake out of the oven, test it for doneness by inserting a cake tester, thin wooden skewer, or long toothpick midway between the sides of the circular ring.If the tester comes out clean, your cake is done. If there is still unbaked batter clinging to the tester, shut the oven door and bake your cake in 5-minute increments until it tests done.
- Once your cake is done, take it out of the oven and set it on a cold stovetop burner or a wire rack. Let your cake cool for 20 minutes in the pan, but no longer than that.
- Tip the Bundt pan upside down on a platter and drop it gently on a towel on the kitchen counter. Do this until the cake falls out of the pan and rests on the platter.
- Cover your Ultimate Butterscotch Bundt Cake loosely with foil and refrigerate it for at least one hour. Overnight is even better.
- Frost your cake with Cool Whip Butterscotch (see below)
Frost your cake with Cool Whip Butterscotch Frosting.
Ingredients
- 6 oz bag of butterscotch chips (or measure one cup of chips which is roughly half of an 11-ounc bag by weight)
- 8 oz tub of FROZEN Cool Whip (Do NOT thaw!)
Instructions
- Hannah's 1st Note: Make sure you use the original Cool Whip, not the sugar free or the realwhipped cream type of Cool Whip.
- Place the cup of butterscotch chips in your food processor or blender. Chop them into smaller pieces so that they will melt faster.
- Place the Cool Whip in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the chopped butterscotch chips to theBowl. Microwave the bowl on HIGH for 1 minute and then let it sit in the microwave for an additional minute.
- Take the bowl out of the microwave and stir to see if the butterscotch chips have melted. Ifthey haven't, heat in 30-second intervals with 1-minute standing times until you succeed inmelting the chips.
- Take the bowl out of the microwave and let it sit on the countertop or on a cold stovetop burner for 15 minutes. This standing time will thicken the icing.
- When the time is up, give the bowl a stir and remove your cake from the refrigerator. Frostyour Ultimate Butterscotch Bundt Cake with the frosting and don't forget the crater in the middle.
- Return your cake to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before cutting it and servingto your guests.
What would I do differently next time?
This is the second time I’ve tried the Cool Whip frosting. Joanne Fluke uses it in many of her cake recipes and I just don’t think it suits me. As you can see in the pictures it is thin and not at all fluffy. Give me a good buttercream frosting any day! So next time, I will top with a vanilla frosting.
Want to try another Bundt cake? Try this Ultimate Fudgy Chocolate Bundt Cake.
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