Of Books and Baking…

This month, I have something special in store for my November blog post and newsletter! The spotlight is on a wonderful friend I have been privileged to meet on Instagram – the amazing, talented, and beautiful author, Jennifer Moorman. We’ve collaborated on a few projects in the past, but this time has to be my favourite. Jennifer has a monthly feature brilliantly titled Cooking Through Fiction, where she creates an original recipe inspired by her novel of choice. And this month, I was humbled and honoured that she chose to feature my book Sea of Forgetfulness, creating the most decadent dessert to go along with it – mini chocolate tortes! Her post is included below, but first I wanted to share a little about Jennifer and her upcoming release, The Baker’s Man.

Jennifer Moorman is a bestselling author, a Southern baker, founder of This Inspired Life Magazine, and self-proclaimed eternal dreamer. Her books are in the genre of magical realism. Visit her website to see all she has to offer. The site is simply gorgeous… you’ll find the experience magical. https://www.jennifermoorman.com/

I’m excited to announce that she has a book coming out on Valentine’s Day, February 14th, 2023 called The Baker’s Man. Here’s a caption to give you a hint of what it’s all about.

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Caption for The Baker’s Man:

This enchanting and whimsical tale of friendship, love, and the power of baking dreams into life will open readers’ eyes to the magic all around them.

When Anna tries out a recipe left behind by her grandmother – “how to create the perfect man” – a gorgeous stranger suddenly appears. What happens when you create a man out of dough?

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Doesn’t that sound amazing? I already ordered my copy! Preorders are available on Amazon and other fine bookstores! Here’s the Amazon link.

The Baker’s Man

And now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for… the Cooking Through Fiction post by Jennifer Moorman featuring my book, Sea of Forgetfulness, and the recipe for mini chocolate tortes! Enjoy!

Cooking Through Fiction by Jennifer Moorman

SEA OF FORGETFULNESS by @laniemores is the story of Dani who was abandoned as a baby and grew up clueless that she had the potential for supernatural abilities until a tragic highway accident causes her powers to manifest.

Afraid of harming her adoptive parents, Dani embarks on a quest to find her blood relatives so they can teach her to control her gift. Along the way, she meets an amnesiac boy, Jonathan, who quickly becomes her bestie and together they battle pirates, zombies, and deformed mutants, but nothing can prepare her for the true monsters she must face—her family.

To prepare yourself for this epic journey, how about you whip up these mini chocolate tortes inspired by Lanie’s novel!

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

⅔ cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

Pinch of Kosher salt

1.5 teaspoons espresso powder

3 eggs

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

Optional: chocolate buttercream, chocolate shavings, confectioners’ sugar

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F, and spray mini muffin tins with cooking oil. In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt butter and chocolate. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir, repeating until the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the sugar, vanilla, salt, and coffee. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until smooth and glossy. Finally, sift in cocoa, and whisk until smooth. Divide the batter into the muffin tins. Bake until the cakes rise and are slightly firm to the touch. This should be between 8–10 minutes. It’s normally for cakes to “sink” in the middle as they cool. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then invert the pan to gently remove cakes. Finish cooling on a wire rack. Yields ~24 mini tortes.

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I’m going to whip myself up a batch of these goodies. In the meantime, don’t forget to keep reading!

💋 Lanie Mores