A Well-Read Tart

A Food and Book Lover’s Blog

Rose Honey Cake (Recipe Inspired by JERUSALEM MAIDEN)

This Rose Honey Cake turned out so gorgeous, I had a hard time slicing into it. Which is pretty frickin’ hilarious, considering how absolutely awful my first attempt at making this dessert went! If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll remember my post of the cake that flowed like molten lava up and over its baking dish and (thankfully!) onto the baking sheet below. Moral of that story? Don’t try to cram a cake meant for a 9” springform pan...

Parkin Cake (Recipe Inspired by THE LOST FOR WORDS BOOKSHOP

One of the most delightful things about reading The Lost for Words Bookshop was discovering what Parkin Cake is. I love books set in different places, and a large reason why is that they allow me to discover new cuisines. A “Parkin” is repeatedly mentioned in The Lost for Words Bookshop as something that Loveday and her mother would bake together for her father. Baking a Parkin carries supremely happy memories for our heroine before...

Blueberry Molasses Cake (Recipe Inspired by THE INVITED)

Blueberry Molasses Cake is on my short list for favorite cake of the year. It's mouthwateringly moist, packed with unique flavor, and downright delicious. I found the recipe for this cake a few years ago in Yankee Magazine; I was first attracted by its key ingredient of molasses. Although most people think molasses is reserved for the Christmas season, I happen to enjoy its distinct flavor year-round. It's hard finding a molasses-based dessert...

Mint Chocolate Cake (Reciped Inspired by THE MOTHER-IN-LAW)

I really should call this Mint Chocolate Cake the “Hot Mess Cake.” Because that's totally what it looks like until the cake comes out of the oven. It’s just a whole bunch o’ ingredients dumped unceremoniously into a food processor that magically becomes one of the most delicious, moist, and mouth-watering cakes you’ll ever taste. Even though The Mother-in-Law wasn't inspired by author Sally Hepworth's mother-in-law, my book-inspired...

Cardamom Banana Cake with Coconut Frosting

Do I really need to write a post about this Cardamom Banana Cake with Coconut Frosting? I mean, LOOK AT IT. A picture’s worth a thousand words, so I’m just gonna peace out for the rest of this post… KIDDING! Just kidding. I’ve been blogging for almost a whole year now; I know how all this works. I have to entice you to make this dessert through words and photos. Really, the best advertisement for this Cardamom Banana Cake is the fact...

Orange Walnut Bundt Cake

I lied. I said I wasn’t going to post anything new until January. But it’s December 31, so I almost made it. I just had to post this cake recipe because it's the PERFECT dessert for New Year’s Day. Christmas week is drawing to an end, and, even if you’re not one who celebrates that particular holiday, I’m sure it’s been hard to escape the tons of cookies, cakes, and other sugary treats popping up at parties, friends' homes, and...

Man Catcher Cake (Inspired by THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO)

This book-inspired recipe was kind of a no-brainer. Evelyn Hugo has seven husbands. Clearly, this woman is a knock-out and needs no help catching a man -- or a woman, for that matter. So, I figured it was only fitting that I should pair my review of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo with the Man Catcher Cake. Full disclosure: This is by no means an original CJ recipe. I’ve been making this cake for years after first discovering it in All Cakes...

Red Wine Chocolate Cake (Recipe Inspired by THE DARK DESCENT OF ELIZABETH FRANKENSTEIN)

When we first meet the titular character of The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, she is traveling through dreary Ingolstadt, Germany to find her friend Victor. Even though the adventure is shrouded in creepiness, author Kiersten White’s vivid description of the medieval city made me nostalgic for Germany – particularly, for its desserts, which I believe are some of the best in the world. Since the novel is mostly set in Germany and...

Coconut Cupcakes (Inspired by THE COINCIDENCE OF COCONUT CAKE)

Hands down, this is the BEST coconut cake recipe you will EVER come across. During my years upon this earth, I have made the important discovery that coconut is a very divisive flavor. As a coconut lover (some may say fanatic), I can't fathom how anyone could despise this magical ingredient. One of my favorite treats growing up was a coconut FrozFruit popsicle that I would get from the snack bar at the town lake. That cool, creamy taste and...

Daycation: This Blogger’s Birthday Feast

This daycation post is going to be different from my others. I didn't actually go anywhere for this daycation. Instead, I stayed at home (so, I guess it's a staycation) and gave myself permission to take a little break from the craziness of my usual life. "Usual life" means what you would probably expect -- errands to run, meal planning, cooking, cleaning up, laundry and other chores around the house, as well as browsing literary agencies and...