Alison Sweeney’s Carrot Cake Recipe Is a Must-Have for Fans’ ‘A Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery’ Viewing Party (2024)

FAQs

Does Alison Sweeney really bake? ›

Alison Sweeney is not only a brilliant baker onscreen — but the Hallmark actress has created a tasty carrot cake recipe just for Us!

In fact, her Hannah Swensen Mystery series – which has survived for eight movies and even through a name change (RIP Murder She Baked) – is going to put fans through the ringer with another change: a brand new leading man.

Carrot cake is oil-based, rather than butter-based. This keeps it moist and helps it last for days. Unfortunately, it also means you lose the leavening power that creaming butter and sugar would bring. (Creaming, or beating together the two ingredients on high speed, aerates the butter.)

Stars Alison Sweeney. Bakery owner Hannah Swensen just can't keep her hands out of the batter when murder stirs things up in Lake Eden, Minnesota, leaving the sheriff… dead, a deputy accused, and a killer on the loose.

In 1999, Sweeney decided she'd had enough. She ditched fads like cabbage soup and grapefruit diets, made healthy changes like cutting out sugary sodas and started exercising at boot camp–style gym classes. The result? She dropped close to 30 pounds.

Sweeney was a US dress size 12 (UK dress size 16), not obese by medical standards, but still larger than her television peers, so it became an issue.

In the latest movie, One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, Hannah Swensen fans will learn that Mike has left town. Yes, that means Mike and Hannah have called off their engagement, adding even more fuel to the fire as to why Cameron was no longer part of the series.

Cameron Mathison has left Hallmark for Great American Family, or GAC, and Victor Webster will replace him in the Hannah Swensen Mysteries, a favorite of ours. Good move, I've liked Webster since Continuum and I like his work with Hallmark. Question: Is Cameron more active at GAF (GACK!!) than he was with Hallmark?

Sensing some despair from TVLine commenters caught off guard by Mathison/Mike's absence, we reached out to Hallmark and were told that a decision was made to “stay true to the book series” on which the Hannah Swensen movies are based — and in which (BOOKS SPOILER ALERT?) Hannah and Mike do not end up together.

Carrots contain pigments that are sensitive to changes in pH balance. When the shreds of carrot come into contact with the alkaline baking soda, a chemical reaction takes place that causes the pigments to change color.

Why does my carrot cake not taste like carrot? ›

The key to getting an intense carrot flavor in my cake is using two types of carrots: a caramelized carrot puree and finely shredded carrots. Roasted and pureed carrots make this cake intensely carrot flavored. Carrots are a natural source of sugar, and roasting them at a high temperature caramelizes the sugars within.

The ratio of wet to dry ingredients determines a cake's moisture level. If there's simply too much flour and not enough butter, a cake will taste dry. On the other hand, if there's too much milk and not enough flour, a cake will taste too wet. Finding the right balance between wet and dry ingredients is key.

At the end of the book, when the story skips ahead to after the Elections and the celebration, Mike admits to Hannah that he was ready for marriage again and proposes. Before Hannah answers Mike, Norman has Mike paged and while he is gone proposes to Hannah, too. She tells them both that she has to think about it.

After the filming wraps up, he continues to send her gifts and call her, to "keep the passion" going. In Double Fudge Brownie Murder Ross sweeps Hannah off of her feet and proposes, which she accepts. But they do not live happily ever after.

In a surprise twist of events, fans will be thrilled to learn that a new Hannah Swensen movie is on the way — and sooner than they would expect! In an exclusive announcement with People on February 29, Alison revealed the next film in the franchise will be called One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery.

The two have been featured in dozens of Hallmark movies, which has made their friendship stronger. “We were friends beforehand but to spend all that time on set together, we really bonded. After work, we would have a glass of wine to talk about the movies and work and being moms,” said Sweeney.

He's a retired cop

Sanov was a California Highway Patrol officer for 27 years, according to Sweeney's Instagram, and retired from the force in the fall of 2022. Earlier that same year, she showed her appreciation for Sanov and his career on social media.

Keeping it real! Curious Caterer costars Nikki DeLoach and Andrew Walker are still team Hallmark after some of the network's stars moved in 2021 and 2022 to Great American Media.

She has been working at PEOPLE since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on BuzzFeed, Entertainment Weekly, and LittleThings. Alison Sweeney's son is all grown up!