Tea Time Carrot Pound Cakes with ALAINA CLAIBORNE
Victoria Magazine has been a favorite in my house since I was a young girl, and several issues from the 80s and 90s still fill the shelves. These days, I'm most partial to their tea time issues filled with delicious recipes meant to entice one to enjoy a respite with tea and a tasty treat. And it works!
Tea Time with Carrot Pound Cakes
I recently tried their recipe for mini Carrot Pound Cakes, and wow are they good. Breakfast, tea, or dessert, there is no wrong time to enjoy them. Rich and moist, half a mini cake is quite satisfying.
Here they are garnished with lavender and served with lavender and chamomile tea.
Find the recipe for the Carrot Pound Cakes on Victoria Magazine's website.
Bits & Bobs about Alaina Claiborne
Gallagher's Pride may have been my first published book, but I started working on Alaina Claiborne more than a decade earlier (we won't go into how much earlier, and I've learned a lot since), writing a chapter here and there over the years. After the first two Gallagher books were published, I had planned to finish Gallagher's Choice. Instead, I decided to send Alaina Claiborne through rewrites and editing in honor of my younger sister who passed away, and who was my biggest cheerleader, and who thought Tristan was sexy.
For a long time I was obsessed with everything British, or at least my perception of it. Research later revealed that I harbored many misconceptions. This is in large part why I started writing this story. I started to drink tea from fancy teacups (still do), explored all the options I could in order to live over there (including going to culinary school in London), and learning how to speak with a British accent. (It turned out that Scotland is where my heart truly longed to be.)
The original title of the book was Claiborne Manor. I don't recall when or why I decided to change the title. I do remember thinking, "Alaina is such a strong heroine, why shouldn't she get a book named after her?"
Alaina Claiborne was going to be a stand-alone book. It wasn't until I'd finished writing the book, and fell in love with Charles and Devon, that I decided they, too, deserved their own stories. We'd already been through so much together; I didn't want it to end. A decade later and the fourth installment, The Ghost of Greyson Hall, will join the series in Oct 2023. I never tire of revisiting beloved characters, which is what makes writing a series so much fun.
From the Garden (for fun)
If you're anything like me, flowers make you smile. Enjoy!
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