In Deep Fried Death, Maddie Day’s latest Country Store Mystery, the charming town of South Lick, Indiana, becomes the scene of a crime during the eccentric Outhouse Race festivities. Pans ‘N Pancakes owner Robbie Jordan, entangled in a murder mystery with a cast-iron twist, must juggle business, a reappearing old lover, and the race against time to clear her name and unveil the secrets hidden in the quaint town. Enhance your reading experience by enjoying it alongside Strawberry Coffee Cake, a delectable treat Robbie bakes for her Pans ‘N Pancakes patrons in the book!
Robbie Jordan bakes this cake for her customers at Pans ’N Pancakes, and it’s a predictably popular treat! This is best when made with fresh local strawberries.
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, divided
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1½ cups sliced strawberries
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Line pan with parchment paper, letting excess hang over sides.
- In a large bowl, beat together room temperature butter and ½ cup granulated sugar with a mixer at high speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla extract until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, ½ teaspoon salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Slowly add to butter mixture, beating at low speed until just combined. Using a fork, stir in sour cream until batter barely comes together, being careful not to overmix. Spread batter evenly in pan. Top evenly with strawberries.
- In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, cinnamon, remaining ¾ cup flour, remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Drizzle melted butter over mixture. Using a fork, stir together until crumbs form. Sprinkle crumbs over strawberries.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 30 to 38 minutes. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.
In the latest Country Store Mystery by Agatha and Macavity Award–winning author Maddie Day, a killer strikes—with a cast iron skillet—during South Lick, Indiana’s, annual Outhouse Race festivities, landing Pans ‘N Pancakes owner Robbie Jordan on the suspect list.
Many residents of South Lick, Indiana, claim the Outhouse Race, in which competitors push old-timey outhouse replicas on wheels at the annual Abe Martin Festival on Memorial Day, is the best thing since indoor plumbing. Just because country store and restaurant owner Robbie Jordan has too much to do managing her new deep fryer as well as an old lover reappearing, she’s not going to miss out on the fun. Plus, it’s good for business.
But when a dead body and a cast-iron skillet tumble out of the Pans ’N Pancakes outhouse entry on the race route, it seems someone is trying to frame Robbie—in a most unconventional way. Now she’ll need to be privy to the townsfolks’ secrets as she races to flush out a killer.
Maddie Day is the Agatha Award–winning author of the Cozy Capers Book Club Mysteries, the Country Store Mysteries, the CeCe Barton Mysteries, and the Local Foods Mysteries as well as other series and short crime fiction written under the name Edith Maxwell. A member of Mystery Writers of America and a proud lifetime member of Sisters in Crime, she is a regular contributor at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen and belongs to the Wicked Authors, a group of best-selling authors who blog at WickedAuthors.com. Day lives with her beau and their cat Martin north of Boston, although she knows Indiana, California, and Cape Cod intimately. She is a wine enthusiast, talented amateur chef, and former farmer and can be found online at MaddieDayAuthor.com. Follow her on Instagram at @maddiedayauthor and on Facebook at facebook.com/MaddieDayandEdithMaxwell.
