Melting Jane
Lissa Matthews
Graham Hall is a twenty-six year old Texan with the job of his dreams. He's just finished his latest travel article and has earned some personal down time. With six months left on his cabin lease in the Colorado Rockies, Graham chooses to stick around and soon finds himself set up with a feisty, down on her luck in the love department candy maker named Jane. Jane hates driving in the mountains in winter and isn't used to being outside the kitchen, but when she arrives at the small isolated cabin and gets a look at it's tenant, she quickly forgets all about that. Jane is tongue-tied and ticked off. She's been tricked. Confrontations, slamming doors, and an extra cheese pizza later, Graham is caught up in Jane's tart tongue and curvy body. She denies her desire for him more times than she can count, and when she finally gives in, she is rewarded with scorching hot sex and a bliss she couldn't have imagined for herself. Graham's persistence and unrelenting pursuit leads Jane to believe that maybe life doesn't have to revolve around chocolate truffles, but rather should revolve around a delicious, well traveled, sexy younger man.
Red Velvet Cake Truffles
By Lissa Matthews
Being from the South, I've heard it's sacrilegious that I've never had Red Velvet Cake. Honestly, even though I've read several recipes for it over the years, I've never really thought it sounded all that special. Of course, the cake itself is incredibly gorgeous with it's deep red color and it's white cream cheese frosting.
However, while I was in Cincinnati this year at the Lori Foster Reader and Author Get Together, I was sitting around a table with several other authors and when I brought up the fact that I'd never had so much as bite of Red Velvet Cake, wide eyes stared back at me, followed by the very serious suggestions that I MUST try it.I haven't yet had a chance to make it, until now, though instead of keeping it as a cake, I decided that bite-sized balls of cake and frosting might be a little more fun. Besides, if I happened to not like it, I won't have to dispose of a whole cake. To be perfectly honest with y'all, they are delicious! With or without the white chocolate coating, they are...yummy! It's a bit messy, time consuming, but wonderful and worth it. Bite-sized bits of happiness. Truffles come in all sorts of flavors and the concentrated sweetness in such small packages are a heavenly way to satisfy a sweet tooth. I know, I can't handle more than one at a time, two if I'm really suffering with need...grins. Such is the nature of Jane and Edward's truffle business in my book, Melting Jane. So, how about I share with you the recipe for Red Velvet Truffles I found at one of my favorite food blogs, The Baker Chick.
Red Velvet Truffles
1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
2 cups cream cheese frosting (recipe below)
1 package white chocolate bars or melting chocolate
1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (I used a tablespoon to measure the amount and then rounded it into a ball.)
4. Chill for several hours. (I froze mine for an hour or so and that was fine.)
5. Melt chocolate in a metal bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. (don't let the water touch the bowl.)
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)
7. When the first layer has hardened, you can drizzle a little more over the top for decor. Or- you could drizzle a different color of chocolate. Put any sprinkles or decorations on when chocolate is still wet, use more as "glue" if needed.
8. I made these early and refrigerated them overnight and they were great!
Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 3 cups. I know you only need 2 for the recipe, so try really really hard to find a way to use the rest :)
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions: In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store leftover frosting in the fridge.
I believe I am going to be making more and more Red Velvet treats. Cupcakes, cake, cheesecake, whoopie pies, cookies, etc... I am so glad I took the suggestions to try it.
I will be giving away a copy of Melting Jane to one commentor who answers the question... What is your favorite cake?
Thank you for having me and letting me share a yummy recipe with you. If you wish to find out more about me, please visit me in one or all of the following places:
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads
About the Author....
Living in North Carolina, talented, multi-published author, Lissa Matthews, has many loves in her life: Family, friends, NASCAR, football, music of all kinds, cooking, BDSM, and last, but not least, coffee. She loves it so much, in fact, she and those who know her are surprised she hasn’t floated away on a caffeine-induced cloud while giving life to feisty heroines and hunky heroes.
