Lemon Cornbread from a cozy mystery novel with recipes - Literary Baker (2024)

When the local bank president is murdered during Kindred’s annual Fire and Ice Festival, Suzanne has her hands full managing her café, keeping tabs on her impulsive friend Toni and trying to figure out why there was another murder just outside The Cackleberry Club.

This is book #4 in the Cackleberry Club series. Author Laura Childs sets this cozy mystery in rural Kindred, three friends run a café that also had a knitting nest and a reading nook. Things stay busy in this small town as another murder victim is found.

Stake and Eggs by Laura Childs

A Cozy Mystery Novel with Recipes

Book Review

Outline and Tone:

Opposites attract is just for intimate relationships, it can also apply to friends. Three friends, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra could not be more different from each other. What they do have in common is a close friendship. These three women run The Cackleberry Club, a breakfast and lunch café that also has a book nook and knitting nest. In this installment it is time for the annual Fire and Ice Festival. The ladies are excited to participate in events such as an ice sculpting contest as well as host an event at The Cackleberry Club on the last night. Of course things do not go as planned when the local bank president is killed in a gruesome way.

This is book number 4 in the series and the reader is gifted with more personal details about Suzanne and her relationship. I continue to scratch my head with Petra as this stoic character continues to be a mystery. She likes to cook and knit and her husband is unfortunately diagnosed with dementia, but we don’t know too much more about her. Toni is our comic relief with her on again off again relationship with Junior. I want to shout from the hilltop “You can do better than him!” We will just have to continue reading to see if she does.

The author:

Laura Childs is a pseudonym for Gerry Schmitt. She is a New York Times bestselling author writing Cozy Mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime. Eggs in Purgatory is part of her Cackleberry Club Mystery series. She also writes Tea Shop Mysteries and Scrapbook Mysteries. Her website boasts that TeaTime Magazine declared her one of the most influential people in the tea industry.

What is not to like?:

I just want more. More character development and more relationships. Don’t get me wrong, I like the characters, that is exactly why I want more. I will keep reading and I recommend you do too.

The verdict:

The murder mystery of this cozy mystery is worth the read. The list of subjects are all interesting characters and it is plausible that anyone could have done it. So will you be able to make the right guess?

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).

Perfect Cornbread to serve with Soups or Salads

Assemble the ingredients

This recipe is easy to stir by hand and does not require electric mixer or stand mixer. Combine the wet ingredients in a medium size bowl, use a larger bowl for the dry ingredients as you will pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with dry ingredients.

I love to use OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Mixing Bowl Set. They have a silicone bottom to help them stay in place, a grip and a pour spout.

Since you are mixing by hand, a firm silicone spatula help to stir it all together easily. OXO Good Grips Silicone Spatulas are my favorites.

In a large mixing bowl, sift in flour, then add baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir together and add in cornmeal.

Now pour the creamed mixture into a large bowl and stir until just combined.

Then add lemon juice and lemon zest and stir again.

Another handy tool is OXO 7-Piece Nesting Measuring Beaker Set. I used it for the oil, sour cream, and lemon juice. It was fantastic to have so many measuring pieces available to use when making this recipe.

Pour mixture into a greased 9 x 11-inch baking dish.

To grease the baking dish, use this recipe for Pan Coat. It is shelf stable and brushes on aluminum pans, glass, silicone and more. It never fails!

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Cut it into squares and serve warm or room temperature.

It was a great addition to Spring Chicken Pasta I made in my Instant Pot. Let me know it the comments if you would like me to post that recipe too.

What would I do differently next time?

I was completely surprised at how amazingly tasty this was. I had my doubts, but one bite and I immediately loved it! I would not do a single thing differently next time.

These desserts have fruit as a keynote flavor. Give the Lemon Tart from Death of a Cupcake Queen a try. If you like chocolate and fruit, try Chocolate Cherry Cola Sheet Cake from The Cherry Cola Book Club. Another great option are the Cherry Flip Flops from Batter Off Dead.

You can find even more Desserts with Fruit Here.