See You At Sir Bean – Day 6 | Spooktacular 2022

BySarra Cannon

I can’t believe we’re almost a week into this year’s Spooktacular! We have so much more fun to go, and today is no exception. Watch today’s welcome video and let’s talk about one of the greatest gifts and fun times of my writing career – the creation of The Witch’s Key and Sir Bean.

Moondust Cupcake Recipes To Try

If you don’t know what “moondust cupcakes” are yet, you’re in for a treat. Read The Witch’s Key (which you can grab the ebook totally FREE during the Spooktacular here), and find out!

One of my incredible fans, Pamela Batalla, was so inspired by the cupcakes at Sir Bean that she created some amazing cupcake recipes based on the ones in the book! I’m posting them here with thanks to her, in case you want to give them a try. If you do, please post pictures! Tag me on Instagram or post on social media! (Photos and recipes below are all from Pamela!)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cupcakes
Level: beginners
Yield: 14 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

Chocolate cupcakes
Peanut butter frosting
Pretzels or chocolate covered pretzels
Ganache (optional)

Chocolate cupcakes
Yield: 14 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
7 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
½ cup sour cream (buttermilk or milk are good substitutions)
½ cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ hot coffee (or hot water)

Procedure:
In a mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl combine with a whisk egg, sour cream, oil and vanilla extract.
Add the egg and sour cream mixture to the flour mixture and mix until well combined.
Add hot coffee or water a little at a time and mix until batter is smooth.
Line cupcake pan with liners. Spoon the batter equally into 14 or a little more than half way.
Pre-heat the oven to 350F or 180C.
Bake them for 12-17 minutes until they feel spongy to the touch or when a tooth pick is inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let them cool completely before decorating. If you decorate them when they are warm the frosting will melt.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, soft
½ cup peanut butter (if you are going to pipe the frosting use smooth peanut butter)
1 ½ cups powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
2 Tablespoons of milk (if needed)

Procedure:
Place in a mixing bowl butter, peanut butter and half of the powdered sugar.
Using the paddle attachment of the mixer, combine until smooth. Add remaining powdered sugar and milk if the frosting is to stiff.

Note: if you don’t have a mixer you can use a spoon or spatula. Just make sure the butter is soft.

Ganache (optional)

Ingredients:
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate (bittersweet is fine)
½ cup heavy cream

Procedure:
Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place it in a bowl.
Heat the cream either in a small sauce pan or in the microwave and add it to the chocolate.
Still the mixture until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. You can use a whip if necessary.

To finish the cupcakes

Place peanut butter frosting on pastry bag with a star tip and pipe on the cooled cupcakes. If you don’t have a pastry bag or pastry tip you can use a spoon or knife and spoon some frosting on top of the cupcake.
Decorate the cupcakes with either chocolate covered pretzels, plain pretzels or crushed pretzels and drizzle some ganache on top.

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
Level: Advanced
Yield: 12 cupcakes

Lemon Cupcake

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
Zest of 1-2 lemons
2 eggs
1 teaspon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ cup milk

Procedure:
Place sugar, butter and lemon zest on the bowl of the mixer and with the paddle attachment cream until light and fluffy.
Add egg one at a time (wait until one is incorporated in order to add the next).
Add vanilla
Sift together flour and baking powder.
Add half the flour to the batter and mix until barely combined.
Add the milk
Add the remaining flour. Just mix the batter until it is combined. Do not over mix the batter.
Line cupcake pan with liners. Spoon the batter equally into 12 or a little more than half way.
Pre-heat the oven to 350F or 180C.
Bake them for 12-17 minutes until they feel spongy to the touch or when a tooth pick is inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let them cool completely before decorating. If you decorate them when they are warm the frosting will melt.

Lemon Filling

Ingredients:
1 can condensed milk
Zest of 2 lemons
½ to ¾ cup of lemon juice (depending how intense you want the flavor to be)
4 egg yolks
2 gelatin sheets

Procedure:
On a heat proof bowl place all ingredients EXCEPT the gelatin.
Combine all ingredients with a whisk and place on a bain marie, water bath or double broiler (see note below if you don’t know what this is)
Cook for 15 – 20 minutes, stirring ocationally.
When the mixture is done, place the gelatin sheets on cold water to bloom for a couple of minutes. When it is soft, add it to the lemon mixture, and combine it well.
Let it cool a little and them place it on the fridge for 30 – 45 minutes until it has thicken a little. (if it completely sets you can rewarm it again)

Note – What is a Bain-marie:
A bain marie is made using a small sauce pan with high sides filled with about 3 inches of water. You will place the mixing bowl (pyrex or stainless steel) over it, making sure the bowl is not touching the water.
Place the sauce pan over medium heat making sure the water is not boiling.

Meringue

Ingredients:
2 egg whites
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water

Procedure:
Place sugar and water over high heat with a candy thermometer.
Meanwhile place the whites on the mixer with the whisk attachment and whip at medium speed until frothy.
When the thermometer reaches 240F or 120 C. Slowly add the syrup to the whites and beat until it feels cool to the touch.
Place immediately in a piping bag with star tip and decorate cupcakes.

To assemble the cupcakes

With a paring knife make a hole in the center of the cupcake and fill it with the lemon filling.
Pipe the meringue on top of the cupcake using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.
Use a blow torch to caramelize the top of the meringue.

The Witch’s Key on YouTube

Don’t forget that you can still watch those original videos of me reading The Witch’s Key as I was writing it! There is a full playlist of The Witch’s Key live readings here on YouTube.

And you can still grab the ebook of The Witch’s Key throughout the Spooktacular for FREE as a gift from me. Just head over to Bookfunnel here.

Today’s Giveaway

Today’s giveaway is your choice of item from the Sir Bean merch shop (or Peachville High merch, if you prefer)! We don’t have a ton of items in this store, but one of my goals for 2023 is to add more Shadow Demons merch, Eternal Sorrows character merch, and more of The Witch’s Key!

For now, browse the store and choose something you love! One lucky winner will get to choose one item from the store of your choice.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Scavenger Hunt: Clue #6

Here is your sixth clue:

Book – Demons Forever

Chapter – “My Sister”

17th paragraph

19th word

GOOD LUCK!!

Don’t forget to keep track of your daily words. At first, they’ll just look like random words, but once you have all 13 words, you’ll be able to unscramble the secret message! On the final day of Spooktacular, October 31st, I’ll post a google form to fill out where you can enter the message and win an exclusive digital prize from me!

Don’t forget, too, that we have Zoom Party Invites going out in my Facebook Group and on the Discord server every day. Also, head back to the Day 1 post and enter to win The Grand Prize of 15 signed paperbacks if you haven’t yet (You can enter once a day!).

Coming Up Tomorrow

I am excited to share my brand new gaming room in the new house. I spent so much time setting this up and even building my own computer! We’ll have a PREMIERE on YouTube to watch the setup video at Noon eastern. Hope to see you there!

In the meantime, don’t forget to browse the past few days for giveaways that are still open!

65 Comments

  1. Thank you for the recipes! I’m definitely going to try both of them because peanut butter and chocolate is just yummmm and lemon is my favorite.

    Sir Bean is adorable but I’m alllll about the water bottles.

    2. My favorite coffee is the iced pumpkin special with whip cream from Starbucks. It is good and so refreshing.

  3. My favorite cupcake is Chocolate Chocolate from a little shop called Sugar Darlings. The cupcakes are amazing!

  4. My favorite coffee is a raspberry white chocolate mocha hot, or a chia latte with pumpkin cream cold foam and cinnamon powder

  5. My favorite drink would be a mocha frappe chino from a coffee shop but I’m mainly more of a at home coffee drink with caramel macchiato creamer. And I loved the witches key and would love an item from the store!!

  7. Anything coffee!!! I love hot peppermint mocha’s with oatmilk, or cold caramel machiato’s with oatmilk.

  9. My favourite drink would be my mother’s handmade Mango Shake
    Give me gallon of it and it won’t take me more than a minute to swipe it clean

  11. I’m not a coffee drinker but Iove herbal tea. My favourites are Pukka’s Peace tea, Joy tea, and Turmeric Gold tea.

  12. I don’t drink coffee! Hot chocolate and apple cider for me. I make an apple pie-ish dish in the crock pot. Big hit with hubby and the kids.

  13. I don’t have a favorite coffee shop since I drink flavored coffee from my Keurig machine. I don’t add anything in it since I love the aroma. Honey Madagascar Vanilla coffee is good as well as caramel apple. Those are my two favorite types of coffee.

  14. I love chocolate peanut butter!!! My favorite cupcake ever though has to be the strawberry cupcakes with real strawberries.
    And I love the sweatshirts!!!

  16. My most favorite coffee drink is the sugar cookie latte from Starbucks. It stinks they only have it once a year. My fave sweet treat is hands down cannolis. I absolutely love them with coffee.

  18. I love anything chocolate. I drink a lot of hot chocolate, cappuccino’s, and lattes. I like all the merch but if I had to choose it would be a demons t-shirt. I love the reading and enjoying excitement. Thank you!!!

  22. Right now my favorite is peppermint mocha latte. You can’t beat chocolate and peppermint together!

  24. I started drinking sugar free vanilla lattes when I was pregnant. I kind of love them now, and chai tea is my favorite. Those cupcakes look amazing!! I think my favorite cupcake of all time is white cake with mocha frosting. This Spooktacular rocks Sarra! I know you’re writing all the things but I am so excited about the Witches Key 2. Thanks for the freebies as always. You da best.

  26. I’m definitely a hot chocolate person or I could be a tea or chai taster! and those recipes look so great! holy moley! 🙂

  28. I’d love a Sir Bean mug. I don’t drink coffee, haha, but it would be perfect for tea. I’m looking forward to more Sarra Cannon merch next year. A vinyl sticker with your logo would be amazing!!

  31. My favorite drink is a hot chocolate with raspberry, not as hot as they usually make it, from Kaladi Brothers. And I’d totally get that Peachville cheerleading hoodie I think!

  34. I have been wanting to read this book for a while. After your reading on the channel, I am even more excited. Heading over to download it know 🙂

  36. Since I don’t drink coffee too late in the day, whenever I do go to a coffee place I like to try their different teas!

  38. These cupcakes were great! The whole Witch’s Key experience was amazing and such a help during a rough time.

    My local coffee shop has a a killer chai latte but also 1/4 lb fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. They are insane.

  41. I love americano or peppermint tea! I’m 90% coffee most days and need the peppermint to calm me down

  42. My favourite drink from a coffee shop is Earl Grey tea. I can’t stand coffee!! I will always buy a cake from Greggs as well though

  43. I am a lover of both coffee and tea! Tonight is a coffee night as I am settling in to do some writing sprints! Going to think about making some of those cupcakes too!

  44. I want to get the hoodie. I never knew there was a store for those items. I always thought it was just giveaways.

  45. Those cupcakes look delicious!! Lemon meringue pie, macarons and dark chocolate are my favorites.

  47. My favorite drink is known as a Kona Eclipse in Hawaii, where I first had it officially, though I’ve been doing it at home for years. It’s a cold brew coffee with two shots of espresso and a small pour of half and half. I also love a good London Fog latte over ice.

  52. I’m just ordinary. Lol. My favorite cupcake will probably always be plain vanilla with whipped icing

  53. I love business names that tie in cleverly to the community!
    Those cupcake recipes look fabulous.

  55. My favorite drink at a coffee shop is hot chocolate. But it has to be rich, creamy and thiccc with three Cs

  60. My daughter made—all by herself—Witch’s Brew Stew (beef stew), Magical Popovers, and Cauldron Cakes. I was so impressed! She’s only 10. The recipes were from the Raddish for Kids cooking subscription box that she gets. All the recipes came out perfectly and were so good! I’m so proud of her! I wish I could share the pictures here!

  61. I love coffee….legit its the nectar of the gods BUT…..I am allergic to it. Yes, the worst thing ever to be allergic to. So….hot chocolate or tea for me.

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