Vanishing Into the 100% Dark (Bean to Bar Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Setting
Japan
Publisher
Golden Tip Press (March 4, 2025)
Print length
324 pages
Digital ASIN
0DT2DW97B
Bean to chocolate maker Felicity Koerber has been invited to be part of a chocolate festival in Tokyo. It’s a big deal for a Texas gal with a chocolate shop on Galveston’s historic Strand, so a whole group of her friends come along to support her. It’s intimidating enough to be giving a class on chocolate making with the help of a translator – she also stumbles across the scene of a murder, where a quirky group of international actors and stunt performers are making a monster movie. Felicity has already solved half a dozen murders back in Texas, so at this point her friends basically expect her to get involved – even before the young media influencer in Felicity’s group becomes the main suspect. Felicity has taken on the role of chaperone for Chloe, so she can’t imagine how she could explain what went wrong to the girl’s mother. Which gives her even more motivation to figure out the real killer.
In the meantime, things get complicated at the chocolate festival when a rival chocolate maker tries to get her disqualified from the awards competition – and claims that her amateur sleuth status is bringing undesirables into the festival. And things are even more complicated as the stress of being in an unfamiliar place brings out secrets about Felicity’s friends – and her fiancé.
In Vanishing into the 100% Dark, my protagonist Felicity meets a YouTuber with a baking channel. Felicity is a bean to bar chocolate maker with a shop in Galveston, Texas. In this book, she has been invited to a chocolate festival in Tokyo. She’s left Carmen, her shop’s pastry chef, in charge back home.
Carmen has written The Greetings and Felicitations Cookbook. Annabelle the Baker has heard about the book because Felicity is also famous as a real-life amateur sleuth. True crime fans sometimes descend on the shop, and there has even been a viral Death by Chocolate Challenge, where people eat an entire bar of Felicity’s 100% dark chocolate.
Felicity arranges for Carmen and Annabelle to do a video together for cross-marketing. One of the recipes they make is white chocolate matcha tres leches cake.
Here's my take on it.
Cake:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. ceremonial grade matcha
¼ tsp. salt
5 large eggs, separated
1 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. white chocolate chips
Milk Mixture:
12 oz. can evaporated milk
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c. whole milk
Whipped Topping:
1 pint heavy whipping cream
3 Tbsp. powdered sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, the baking powder, the matcha and the salt.
Place the egg yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high until yolks turn pale yellow. Add the ⅓ cup milk and the vanilla. Mix on medium until well combined. Pour the egg yolk mixture over the dry ingredients and stir gently just until combined.
Clean and completely dry the stand mixer bowl. Change to the whisk attachment. Place the egg whites in the bowl of the stand mixer. Beat on high speed until the egg whites fluff and form stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter, just until combined.
Pour the batter evenly into an un-greased 11”x17” pan. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack.
Allow cake to cool completely. Meanwhile, combine the evaporated milk, the sweetened condensed milk, and the whole milk in a small bowl.
Once the cake has cooled completely, use a fork to poke holes all over the surface of the cake. Slowly pour the milk mixture over the cake, making sure to soak the edges.
Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour.
In the meantime, whip the heavy cream, sugar, matcha and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Pour the whipped cream over the top of the cake. Smooth into an even layer. Serve cold and refrigerate any leftovers.
About Amber Royer
Amber Royer writes the Chocoverse comic telenovela-style foodie-inspired space opera series, and the Bean to Bar Mysteries. She also teaches creative writing and is an author coach. Her workbook/textbook Story Like a Journalist and her Thoughtful Journal series allow her to connect with writers.
Amber and her husband live in the DFW Area, where you can often find them at local coffee shops or taking landscape/architecture/wildlife photographs. They both love to travel, and Amber records her adventures on Instagram – along with pics of her pair of tuxedo cats.
If you are very nice to Amber, she might make you cupcakes.
Chocolate cupcakes, of course! Amber blogs about creative writing technique and all things chocolate at www.amberroyer.com.
Author Links
Website
Blog
https://www.instagram.com/amberroyerauthor/
https://www.facebook.com/Amber.Royer.Author/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoA_29HV2nPmRnox9LPVanw
https://twitter.com/amber_royer
Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/Amber-Royer/e/B00PFV4CGM
Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8144619.Amber_Royer
Purchase Links:
Recipe
In Vanishing into the 100% Dark,my protagonist Felicity meets a YouTuber with a baking
channel. Felicity is a bean to bar chocolate maker with a
shop in Galveston, Texas.
In this book, she has been invited to a chocolate festival
in Tokyo.
She’s left Carmen, her shop’s pastry chef, in charge back home.
Carmen has written The Greetings and Felicitations
Cookbook. Annabelle the Baker has heard about the book
because Felici is also famous as a real-life amateur sleuth.
True crime fan sometimes descend on the shop, and there has
even been a viral Death by Chocolate Challenge, where people
eat an entire bar of Felicity’s 100% dark chocolate. Felicity
arrangesfor Carmen and Annabelle to do a video together for cross-
marketing.
One of the recipes they make is white chocolate matcha tres leches cake.
Here's my take on it.
Cake:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. ceremonial grade matcha
¼ tsp. salt
5 large eggs, separated
1 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. white chocolate chips
Milk Mixture:
12 oz. can evaporated milk
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c. whole milk
Whipped Topping:
1 pint heavy whipping cream
3 Tbsp. powdered sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, the baking powder,
the matcha and the salt.
Place the egg yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Beat on high until yolks turn pale yellow.
Add the ⅓ cup milk and the vanilla.
Mix on medium until well combined.
Pour the egg yolk mixture over the dry ingredients
and stir gently just until combined.
Clean and completely dry the stand mixer bowl.
Change to the whisk attachment.
Place the egg whites in the bowl of the stand mixer.
Beat on high speed until the egg whites fluff and form
stiff peaks. Gently fold the
egg whites into the batter, just until combined.
Pour the batter evenly into an un-greased 11”x17” pan.
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted
in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from
the oven and set on a cooling rack.
Allow cake to cool completely. Meanwhile, combine the
evaporated milk, the sweetened condensed milk, and
the whole milk in a small bowl.
Once the cake has cooled completely, use a fork to poke
holes all over the surface of the cake. Slowly pour the
milk mixture over the cake, making sure to soak the edges.
Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour.
In the meantime, whip the heavy cream, sugar,
matcha and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
Remove the cake from the refrigerator.
Pour the whipped cream over the top of the cake.
Smooth into an even layer. Serve cold and
refrigerate any leftovers.
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