Liz Ireland serves up a double helping of mystery in Mrs. Claus and the Trouble with Turkeys, the newest addition to her Mrs. Claus Mystery series. Whip up this delicious Pumpkin Coffee Cake, pour a cup of tea, and settle in to read this festive and intriguing tale.
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, divided
- ½ cup granulated sugar, divided
- ½ cup packed brown sugar, divided
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, divided
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together ¼ cup flour, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut in butter until mixture has a fine, moist, sand-like consistency. Stir in pecans. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper, remaining 1½ cups flour, remaining 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, and remaining ½ teaspoon cinnamon.
- In another bowl, stir together pumpkin purée, eggs, molasses, melted butter, remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar, and remaining ¼ cup brown sugar. Gently fold in flour mixture until well combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing with an offset spatula. Sprinkle pecan mixture over batter to cover completely. (If there are any spots that look dry, then dot with a pat of butter.)
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm.
It’s year-round Christmas cheer in this creative and witty mystery series featuring a unique heroine, April Claus, who’s married to the real-life Santa and living in the North Pole. In Santaland, it’s beginning to look a lot like . . . Thanksgiving . . . and in between the festivities, April must track down a killer hiding amid a parade of suspects. At Castle Kringle, the elves are excitedly arranging their first-ever Thanksgiving Day feast. April’s husband, Nick, the real Santa, has some misgivings, since it’s tough to get ready for Christmas when everyone is obsessed with helium balloons and pie recipes. Chaos erupts when Gobbles, the live turkey imported for the castle feast, is birdnapped.
That crime is quickly overshadowed at a pre-Thanksgiving potluck when Nick’s cousin, Elspeth, face-plants into her mashed potatoes—dead. Someone poisoned Elspeth, and April believes Constable Crinkle is hauling the wrong suspect off to jail. An ominous message, written in what seems to be blood and urging April to stop investigating, only convinces her more. But who’s really to blame? Where is Gobbles the turkey? And can April solve a double helping of mystery in time for everyone to sit down to a non-deadly dinner together?
Liz Ireland is the author of many works of women’s fiction, romance, and mystery. She also writes under the names Elizabeth Bass and Liz Freeland. Like her character April Claus, Liz spends too much time in concert bands. Originally from the United States, she now lives on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. She’s currently working on the next Mrs. Claus mystery. Visit her website at lizireland.wordpress.com and follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/LizIrelandAuthor.
