by Joanne Fluke
“Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes.”
“What’s the surprise?” Andrea asked, as Hannah went to the kitchen coffeepot and poured her sister a cup.
“You’ll have to figure it out for yourself. They come out of the oven in fifteen minutes and they have to cool for at least half that time before I can frost them.”
“I’ll taste one unfrosted,” Andrea offered quickly. “I was out of unflavored yogurt this morning, so I didn’t have any breakfast.”
Hannah worked hard not to look as disgusted as she felt. Unflavored yogurt was a fine ingredient in many recipes, but she couldn’t imagine eating it straight out of the carton.
“I’m glad you stopped by this morning,” Hannah said, sitting down across from her sister. “I have a little research project for you.”
“Does it involve Joe Smith’s identity?” Andrea asked eagerly.
“Yes. He was in for coffee this morning and he mentioned that the farm where he lived was in a township. I asked him if he remembered the name of the township and he said it was Lake Something or Something Lake, but he couldn’t remember anything more about it.”
“No problem,” Andrea said quickly, taking her cell phone out of her pocket and pressing some keys. “Lake-something or something-Lake. Is that right?”
“That’s what he said.”
Hannah watched as Andrea pressed more keys on her phone. For one brief moment, she wished that she had a newer cell phone, one that could connect with the internet, but then she thought better of it. She had trouble enough searching for things on her home computer. Learning another whole system that involved a new cell phone would take time and one-on-one instruction. Right now, in the midst of the Christmas rush, she didn’t have enough minutes to spare for either of those things.
“Uh-oh!” Andrea said, looking down at the screen on her phone.
“Uh-oh what?”
“There’s a ton of them!”
“Townships?”
“Yes. And a lot of them have Lake something or something Lake in their names.”
“So it’s not really a clue?”
Andrea sighed. “It is, but only if we can pair it with another variable. Then I can search for a name with both variables.”
Hannah opened her steno pad and paged through the list she’d made. “How about if Joe knew the name of the lake by his farm, the one he used to ride to on his bike to go swimming?”
“That might help.”
“Might?”
“Yes. Remember what you pointed out to me? Minnesota is the state with ten thousand lakes?”
“Yes. I didn’t mean to embarrass you by saying that, Andrea.”
“You did embarrass me, but only for a second. Then I realized how funny it was. Do you know the name of Joe’s lake?”
“I do. He remembered it the other day. It’s Long Lake. ”
It took a full minute for Andrea to respond, and then she sighed again. “I’ll try, but it could be a lost cause.”
“Why?”
“I’ll tell you in a few seconds.” Andrea clicked more keys on her phone and it beeped several times. Then she got up from her stool, walked around the table, and showed the screen to Hannah.
“Here’s why,” she said.
Hannah glanced down at the screen and gasped. “There are over one hundred fifty Long Lakes in Minnesota?!”
“Yes, it’s the second-most common lake name.”
“What’s the most common name?”
“Mud Lake. This website says there are over two hundred Mud Lakes.”
“Wonderful!” Hannah said sarcastically. “That’s the other lake name I wrote down. Joe said that Mud Lake was closer than Long Lake, but his mother wouldn’t let him go swimming there because of the leeches.”
Andrea laughed. “That’s another one.”
“What’s another one?”
“Leech Lake! That’s another common lake name. I think we’ll have to give up on the lake names until we can get more information from Joe.”
It was Hannah’s turn to sigh. “You’re right. We’re going to need more . . .” She stopped speaking as they heard a knock at the door. “That’s Mike,” she said.
“You recognized his knock?”
“Yes. It’s impatient and demanding. It’s like he’s saying, if you don’t get to this door fast, I’ll break it down.”
“Do you think he would?”
“No, at least not unless he was convinced there was something wrong. Then I’m sure he would.”
Andrea nodded. “Me too.”
“I’ll let Mike in, and then I’ll frost a couple of the cupcakes I just made. Will you get coffee for Mike?”
“Sure,” Andrea agreed, “but you’d better rethink that. ”
“Rethink what?”
“Frosting a couple of cupcakes. A couple won’t be enough for Mike.”
Hannah laughed. “You’re right, of course. I’ll frost as many as I can, while you get him settled at the work station.”
The frosting she’d made earlier was in a covered bowl on the counter and Hannah gave it a stir. It was the right consistency and that meant it was ready to use. She got out her favorite frosting knife, and frosted a half dozen cupcakes quickly. Andrea was still talking to Mike at the work station and she could hear their conversation.
“I’m hungry as a bear this morning,” Mike said to Andrea. “I went to work early, so I could use the computer before anyone else came in.”
“You mean Sheriff Grant?” Andrea asked him.
“Yeah. And I have to be a little careful around the new secretary that he just hired.”
Hungry as a bear this morning. Mike’s words alerted Hannah and she frosted a few more cupcakes. Then she put them on a plate, covered the bowl with the frosting, and headed for the work station to appease the hungry bear.
“Have a Chocolate Surprise Cupcake, Mike,” she invited, setting the plate on the table. “You too, Andrea.”
“These are new, aren’t they?” Mike asked.
“Yes. I just came up with the recipe this morning.”
“What’s the surprise?”
“You’ll find out,” Hannah told him. “The surprise is in the middle of the cupcake.”
“All right then. I’ll just have to bite into one,” Mike said, reaching for a cupcake, peeling off the paper, and taking a huge bite. He took a second bite and a surprised expression crossed his face. “Kmmmjpy,” he said unintelligibly.
“What?” Andrea asked, winking at Hannah to show that she was teasing Mike.
Mike swallowed. “Candy!” he said clearly. “And it’s got something in the middle . . . hold on.” Hannah and Andrea watched while Mike took another bite. “Chm-mmmphy,” he said.
Both Hannah and Andrea shook their heads.
Mike swallowed again and then he started to grin. “Chocolate-covered cherries,” he said.
“Absolutely right,” Hannah told him. “There’s a chocolate-covered cherry inside each cupcake.”
“Cute idea,” Mike pronounced, reaching for another cupcake. “And they’re good, too. I love that frosting, Hannah.”
“What is it?” Andrea asked, reaching for her own cupcake.
“Chocolate Fudge Frosting made with maraschino cherry juice instead of vanilla extract.”
Andrea bit into her cupcake and gave a sound of satisfaction. Unlike Mike, she swallowed before she tried to speak. “Really good!” she said. “The frosting is just like fudge.”
“It’s a little softer than fudge, but it’s almost the same,” Hannah told her.
“Have you made these for Mother yet?” Andrea asked.
“She hasn’t tasted these yet, but you know how crazy she is about Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies.”
Mike looked interested. “Have I tasted those?”
Hannah thought about it for a moment. “I’m not sure, but I think you must have. They’re a staple here at The Cookie Jar.”
“What do you do if you can’t get choco
late-covered cherries?” Andrea asked. “Florence doesn’t always carry them at the Red Owl, does she?”
“Not always, but she stocks them around the holidays. I guess you could use some other kind of candy and still call them Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes.”
“Peanut Butter Cups!” Mike suggested. “Or if those are too big, you could use Reese’s Pieces.”
“I think they make a miniature peanut butter cup, too,” Andrea told them. “I’ve seen it at CostMart.”
“That would work,” Hannah agreed. “And instead of putting the two Tablespoons of cherry juice in the frosting, you could use vanilla extract.”
“How about caramels?” Mike asked. “Most people love chocolate and caramel.”
“You’d have to be a little careful with that,” Hannah told him. “Hard caramels wouldn’t necessarily soften in the oven, but you could use something like a soft caramel coated with chocolate.”
“Those are called Rolo candies,” Andrea said quickly. “I think they’d work fine, Hannah. The next time I’m at CostMart, I’ll pick up some and you can try them.”
“I’ll taste-test those,” Mike offered quickly.
Andrea nodded. “So will I. I love Rolo candies.”
Hannah just stared at her perfect model-size sister and sighed. Andrea was another person who inhaled food and never had to diet. Why hadn’t she inherited that particular gene when both of her sisters had?
“Hey, Mike . . . I heard you say you went to work early this morning,” Hannah said, changing the subject. “Were you doing something on the computer for Joe?”
“Yes. I was checking the database again. I’m sorry, Hannah. I put in all the info I could think of, but nothing came up. And then I looked at all the photos.”
“Photos?” Andrea asked.
“Yes. When someone reports a missing person, we always ask for a recent photo. No one in our five-state area looked at all like Joe.”
Hannah was silent for a moment, and then she shook her head. “I just don’t understand it. Doc doesn’t think Joe’s been missing for that long. He told me he thought the outer limit was six or seven months.”
“I went back a year the first time I checked. This time I went back two years. There’s nothing there.”
“Is it possible that Joe went missing and no one reported it?” Hannah asked.
“Sure. Maybe no one missed him. Or maybe someone thought he left of his own accord. That happens. When I worked in Minneapolis, this would happen every once in a while. It was like the husband that went out for a pack of cigarettes one night and just didn’t come back home.”
“That’s frightening,” Andrea said, and Hannah noticed that she gave a little shiver.
“Yes, it is,” Hannah agreed, “but that’s not what happened in Joe’s case. He’s here and he’s alive. He just doesn’t remember who he is.”
“Do you think we should get Rod to run his photo in the paper?” Hannah suggested. “He could have a caption that said something like, Can Anyone Identify This Man?”
Mike shook his head. “Maybe, but only as a last resort. Doc told me he thinks someone might have tried to kill Joe. And if that person’s still out there and he sees Joe’s photo, he could come after Joe again.”
“You’re right,” Andrea said. “We can’t do anything that might jeopardize Joe.”
“But it could be the only way we can find out who Joe really is,” Mike pointed out. “And that’s something all of us, including Joe, want. Isn’t that right?”
“Give me some time to think about that,” Hannah said. “If it’s the only way, we’ll have to, but we’ll have to think of some way to protect Joe. He’s starting to remember now. Just give it another week, and maybe he’ll be able to tell us something that’ll help us.” She stopped and frowned slightly. “We’ve got a little time, don’t we?” She waited until both of them nodded. “You’ll keep checking that computer database, won’t you, Mike?”
“Yes. Sheriff Grant’s going to a conference tomorrow and he’ll be gone for three days. That’ll give me free access to the database.”
“And you’ll join me for coffee with Joe in the morning, won’t you, Andrea?”
“Of course I will! I want to help him just as much as you do, Hannah.”
“Good.” Hannah smiled at both of them. “And I’ll use Joe for this week’s catering. Maybe he’ll remember something about his mother’s holiday parties that’ll provide us with a clue.”
They sat there sipping their coffee and eating cupcakes for several moments, each lost in their own thoughts. Then Andrea began to smile.
“What?” Hannah asked her.
“I got it. I know exactly what you can use.”
Hannah was thoroughly confused. “You know exactly what I can use for what?”
“For your Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes. If you can’t find chocolate-covered cherries, or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, or Rolo candies, you can use Fanny Farmer creams!”
“Good idea!” Mike praised her. “Fanny Farmer soft centers are really good and they make them in lots of flavors.”
Hannah thought about that for a moment and then she nodded in agreement. “I could always buy an assortment. They’re all chocolate-covered and they have pineapple, lemon, orange, soft chocolate, vanilla, coconut, soft caramel, and a lot of other flavors.”
“And there’s another benefit,” Mike added. “They’re assorted, so if someone has more than one cupcake, the second one will still be a surprise.”
CHOCOLATE SURPRISE CUPCAKES
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
4 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
8-ounce (by weight) tub of sour cream (I used Knudsen)
1 Tablespoon chocolate syrup (I used Hershey’s)
1 box of chocolate cake mix, the kind that makes a 9-inch by 13-inch cake or a 2-layer cake (I used Pillsbury)
5.1-ounce package of DRY instant chocolate pudding and pie filling (I used Jell-O.)
12-ounce (by weight) bag of chocolate mini chips (11-ounce package will do, too—I used Nestlé)
1 box of chocolate-covered cherry candy (you will need 24 pieces)
Hannah’s Note: Lisa discovered another kind of chocolate-covered cherry that also works well in these cupcakes. They’re made by Dove, the people who make Dove Bars. Their chocolate-covered cherries don’t have a sweet liquid around the cherry. Either variety will work well in these cupcakes.
Prepare your cupcake pans. You will need 2 twelve-cup pans lined with double cupcake papers.
Crack the eggs into the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix them up on LOW speed until they’re a uniform color.
Pour in the half-cup of vegetable oil and mix it in with the eggs on LOW speed.
Add the half-cup of heavy cream. Mix it in at LOW speed.
Scoop out the container of sour cream and put it into a small bowl. Add the Tablespoon of chocolate syrup and stir it in.
Add the sour cream and chocolate syrup mixture to your mixer bowl. Mix that in on LOW speed.
When everything is well combined, open the box of dry cake mix and sprinkle it on top of the liquid ingredients in the bowl of the mixer. Mix that in on LOW speed.
Open the package of DRY instant chocolate pudding and sprinkle in the contents. Mix it in on LOW speed.
Shut off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, remove it from the mixer, and set it on the counter.
Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips in your bowl and stir them in by hand with a rubber spatula.
Use a mixing spoon or a scooper to fill the cupcake papers ONLY HALF FULL.
Place one piece of chocolate-covered cherry candy in the center of each cupcake, pushing it down slightly with the tip of your impeccably clean finger.
Use the mixing spoon or scooper to add more cupcake batter until the chocolate-covered cherry candies are covered and the cupcake papers are three-quarters full with batter
.
Bake your Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes at 350 degrees F. for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester, wooden skewer, or long toothpick inserted a half-inch from the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
Take your cupcakes out of the oven and set the cupcake pans on cold stovetop burners or wire racks.
DO NOT remove the cupcakes from the pans. If you remove them from the pans while they are too warm, they may lose their shape.
Let the cupcakes cool in the pans until they reach room temperature. Then remove them from the pans and refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes before you frost them.
(Recipe and instructions follow.)
Yield: 18 to 24 rich, chocolate cupcakes with a piece of chocolate-covered cherry candy hidden in the center.
CHOCOLATE CHERRY FROSTING
2 cups semisweet (regular) chocolate chips (a 12-ounce package)
¼ teaspoon salt (it brings out the flavor of the chocolate)
14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
1 small jar of maraschino cherries in juice
1 ounce (2 Tablespoons) salted butter
Hannah’s 1st Note: If you use a double boiler for this frosting, it’s foolproof. You can also make it in a heavy saucepan over low to medium heat on the stovetop, but you’ll have to stir it constantly with a wooden spoon or a heat-resistant spatula to keep it from scorching.
Set a strainer over a bowl in your sink.
Drain the maraschino cherries in the strainer, reserving the juice.
Fill the bottom part of the double boiler with water. Make sure the water doesn’t touch the underside of the top.
Put the chocolate chips and the salt in the top of the double boiler, set it over the bottom, and place the double boiler on the stovetop at medium heat. Stir occasionally until the chocolate chips are melted.
Stir in the can of sweetened condensed milk and cook approximately 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the frosting is shiny and of spreading consistency.
Shut off the heat, remove the top part of the double boiler to a cold burner, and quickly stir in 2 Tablespoons of maraschino cherry juice. (It may sputter a bit, so be careful.) Then add the butter and stir it in until it melts.