by Joanne Fluke
Once your cake is done, take it out of the oven and set it on a cold stove burner or a wire rack.
Let your cake cool for 20 minutes and then pull the sides away from the pan with impeccably clean fingers. Don’t forget to do the same for the crater in the middle.
Tip the Bundt pan upside down on a platter and drop it gently on a towel on the kitchen counter. Do this until the cake falls out of the pan and rests on the platter.
Cover your Ultimate Fudgy Chocolate Bundt Cake loosely with foil and refrigerate it for at least one hour. Overnight is even better.
Frost your cake with Cool Whip Fudge Frosting. (Recipe and instructions follow.)
Yield: At least 10 pieces of decadent chocolate cake. Serve with tall glasses of ice-cold milk or cups of strong coffee.
COOL WHIP FUDGE FROSTING
This recipe is made in the microwave.
8-ounce (by weight) tub of FROZEN Cool Whip
(Do not thaw!)
6-ounce (by weight) bag of chocolate chips (I used
Nestle semi-sweet chips)
Hannah’s 1st Note: Make sure you use the original Cool Whip, not the sugar free or the real whipped cream.
Place the Cool Whip in a microwave-safe bowl.
Add the chocolate chips to the bowl.
Microwave the bowl on HIGH for 1 minute and then let it sit in the microwave for an additional minute.
Take the bowl out of the microwave, then stir to see if the chocolate chips are melted. If they’re not, heat them in 30-second intervals with 30-second standing times in the microwave until you succeed in melting the chocolate chips.
Let the bowl sit on the countertop or on a cold burner for 15 minutes to thicken the icing.
When the time is up, give the bowl a stir and remove your cake from the refrigerator. Frost your Ultimate Fudgy Chocolate Bundt Cake with the frosting and don’t forget the crater in the middle. You don’t need to frost all the way down. That’s almost impossible. Just frost an inch or so down the crater.
Return your cake to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before cutting it and serving it to your guests.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: You can also use this icing on cookies. Simply frost and let your cookies sit on wax paper on the kitchen counter until the frosting has set and is dry to the touch.
Yield: This frosting will frost a batch of cookies, a 9-inch by 13-inch cake, a Bundt cake, or a round two-tier layer cake.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: I always keep a tub of original Cool Whip and a bag of chocolate chips on hand to make this easy and delicious chocolate frosting.
Chapter Twelve
Grandma Knudson sat in her favorite chair as Hannah poured tea. The tea tray contained the teapot in a cozy, lemon, sugar, cream, and two bone china cups with saucers. The only thing missing on the tea tray was the pair of white gloves that Grandma said were passé.
“Thank you, Hannah,” Grandma said, as she accepted the saucer and cup of tea from Hannah. “You do this beautifully, dear.”
“Thank you. It’s only because you taught me,” Hannah returned the compliment.
Grandma Knudson looked pleased. She took a sip of her tea, smiled at Hannah, and asked, “Are you glad you’re married, Hannah?”
“Oh, yes,” Hannah said quickly, but she was a bit taken aback. Grandma wasn’t usually this personal. “Ross is a wonderful husband.”
“I’m glad to hear it, dear. To tell you the truth, I think you two make a perfect pair.”
Suddenly, almost by magic, the scene changed to the Red Owl Grocery. Hannah was standing by the meat counter, trying to decide what she should buy for dinner.
“The salmon is good today,” Florence told her, leaning forward in her snow-white butcher’s apron. “It just came in from Alaska.”
Hannah smiled. She loved salmon. “That gives me a wonderful idea, Florence! Ross loves salmon so I’ll take three pieces. And I’ll make Salmon Wellington for Ross.”
Florence nodded and began to wrap the salmon in butcher paper. “Then things are going well, Hannah?”
“Oh, yes!” Hannah replied. “Everything’s just wonderful, Florence.”
“That’s good,” Florence said as she handed the package to Hannah. “I think you two make the perfect pair.”
The scene shifted again, and Hannah was the perfect pear, a lovely golden color with a slight rosy tint that proved that she was ripe for the picking. She was hanging from a branch on a lovely little pear tree in a beautiful garden. It must have been night because there were colorful Japanese lanterns hung from the other trees, and little twinkling lights decorated the trunks and branches. There was a stamped concrete square in the very center of the carefully manicured garden and it appeared to be a dance floor for balls and parties. An orchestra played on the far side of the square, and Hannah could see beautifully dressed couples dancing in the night.
One couple caught Hannah’s eye. The man was Ross, and he was dancing with a lovely woman who looked exactly like Grace Kelly in The Swan. Her hair was golden, her white ball gown fit her perfect figure like a glove, and the image they presented was utterly breathtaking.
Even though the stellar couple was far away, Hannah found that she could hear their conversation. It was as if they were speaking directly into her ear.
“I love you with all my heart,” Ross said. “I would move heaven and earth to make you happy. Your wish is my command.”
His lovely partner smiled at him and held him close. “There’s only one thing I really want.”
“Anything,” Ross promised. “What is it, darling?”
“The perfect pear. I’d like to have the perfect pear.”
“If I knew where to find it, I’d get it for you,” Ross said, smiling down at her.
“I see it. It’s there on that little pear tree.” The woman pointed to Hannah’s branch. “Right there. Do you see it?”
“I do. I’ll pluck it for you, my dearest. Just wait and you’ll have it as a gift from me.”
Hannah felt cold, as if something dreadful were about to happen. And then she began to tremble, but it was not from fear. Ross was standing directly below her branch, reaching up toward her. Since she was on the highest branch, he couldn’t quite reach her, but he was shaking the branch, trying to make her fall right into his hand.
“Nooooooo,” she screamed, terrified that she was about to lose the safe haven of her branch. “No, Ross! Please don’t hurt me!”
But he didn’t seem to hear her because he shook even harder. Her branch, her safe and secure home, began to sway back and forth, threatening to break. But her branch and her stem were strong. She had a fighting chance. If only he would stop trying to shake her down, she would be safe.
And then it happened. The heart of her, her strong and resilient stem, could not withstand such abuse. With a snap, it gave way and she was hurtling toward the ground, toward Ross and his waiting hand.
“Here you are, darling,” Ross called out, carrying her to the beautiful woman who was waiting at the edge of the dance floor. “Let’s eat this perfect pear together and pledge our love. You first.”
Hannah screamed as the woman bit into her tender flesh. Her life was over. Ross had betrayed her with another woman. He cared for her no longer. She was completely dead to him.
“Hannah? Hannah, wake up!”
The voice was familiar, and Hannah came out of her hideous dream with a gasp. “Wha . . . ?” She tried to speak, but tears were choking her throat.
“That must have been one heck of an awful nightmare,” Michelle said, sitting down on the edge of Hannah’s bed. “I should have realized that something was wrong when the cats came racing into the kitchen and tried to hide under the table. Cuddles was shaking, and Moishe’s ears were flat against his head. Then I heard you screaming and I ran all the way to the bedroom to see what was wrong.”
“Sorry,” Hannah gasped as she sat up and began to breathe again. She hadn’t been aware that she’d been holding her breath. “You’re r
ight,” she said. “It was a nightmare and it was awful.”
“Do you want to tell me about it?”
“Not really, but it was about a pear tree.” Hannah stopped speaking and realized that she smelled something wonderful. “Do I smell pears baking?”
“You do. I’ve got two Upside Down Pear Coffee Cakes in the oven and another two cooling on the racks. Aunt Nancy and Lisa found the recipe in one of Heiti’s mother’s old cookbooks.”
“It smells great!” Hannah said, chasing away the last vestiges of her nightmare. “No wonder I dreamed about perfect pears!”
“Maybe I’d better stop baking with fruit,” Michelle said, still holding Hannah’s arm. “First you dreamed about strawberries, then peaches, and now pears. I’d hate to think of what might happen if I baked a fruitcake!”
“You don’t have to bake one,” Hannah told her. “If I keep on having nightmares like this, I’ll be one.”
Michelle stood up. “Tell me about your dream later if you feel like it. My psych professor says that sometimes, if you tell someone about a nightmare, you don’t dream the same one again.”
Hannah considered that for a moment, wondered if it was true, and decided that she’d have to try it sometime. “Thanks, Michelle. I’ll take a shower and be right out. That coffee cake smells so good, my stomach is growling.”
* * *
The coffee cake was every bit as good as it smelled, and Hannah and Norman were full of compliments for Michelle. “I especially like the pears,” Hannah said, accepting a second piece.
“So do I,” Norman held out his plate for his second slice. “It’s pretty, too. It’s almost like the pineapple and cherry upside down cake that my mother used to make.”
Michelle laughed. “Yes, except that my coffee cake doesn’t have pineapple and cherries?”
“That might be it,” Norman said with a laugh, and Hannah knew he was laughing at himself. “What made you decide to use pears, Michelle?”
“I thought about apple slices, but Hannah didn’t have any apples. Then I thought about peaches, but she didn’t have any of those either. I looked through her pantry, spotted a couple of cans of pears, and I decided to use them.”
“Do you think you could make them with fresh pears, too?” Hannah asked her.
“I think so if I peel, core, and slice them. That’s what I was planning to do with the apples. Let’s stop by the Red Owl and see if Florence has any fresh pears. If she doesn’t, I’ll use canned pears again. I want to make another couple of coffee cakes for The Cookie Jar to see how your customers like it.”
“Good idea. We can serve coffee cake at Sally’s convention too, if we get some small paper plates and plastic forks,” Hannah suggested. “The convention opens at nine and we could feature coffee cake as our breakfast treat.”
“And muffins,” Norman suggested. “You don’t need plates and forks with those and they’re good for breakfast, too.”
“And Michelle makes great breakfast muffins,” Hannah said.
“I’ve had the peach muffins and the strawberry muffins,” Norman remembered. “You could make mini muffins in mini cupcake papers and people could mix and match them.”
“Good idea,” Hannah said, turning to Michelle. “The next time you come home on vacation, let’s try it at The Cookie Jar.”
“That would be fun,” Michelle agreed. “Are you going to come out to help me pick out my car, Norman?”
“Yes, right after I take Cuddles home. Doc Bennett’s coming in to help me today so I have the day off. And I’d like to take both of you out to dinner tonight at the Lake Eden Inn to celebrate.”
“Thanks, Norman,” Michelle said, accepting for both of them. “I’m really glad you’ll be with us at Cyril’s. I value your opinion, and I want to make sure I choose the right car.”
Hannah could tell that Norman was pleased. “We can drink some of Cyril’s bad coffee while we wait for Michelle to test-drive the cars,” she told Norman. “That way, I won’t be standing in the car lot alone.”
“You’re not going to look at the cars with me?” Michelle sounded surprised.
Hannah shook her head. “No. You don’t need my help, and it’s your decision. You’ll be the one driving it.”
“But . . . how can I be sure I get the right car?”
“It’s easy,” Hannah said. “All you have to do is pretend you’re shopping for clothes. When you try something on, you know if it’s right for you. A dress might look wonderful on the rack, but if it looks awful on you, you won’t buy it. It’s the same thing with cars. They can look good sitting there in the lot, but you have to try them on by test-driving them. I’m sure you have a good idea of what you want. When you see it and when you drive it, you’ll know and you’ll make the right choice.”
* * *
An hour and a half later, Norman stood next to Hannah as Lonnie and Cyril showed the used cars they’d chosen to Michelle. “If you were the one buying a used car, which one would you choose?” he asked Hannah.
“Personally, I’d choose the blue one, but it’s up to Michelle.” Hannah was glad that Norman had arranged with Doc Bennett to take over his morning appointments. It was good to have company on a car-buying expedition like this.
Norman looked slightly worried. “She won’t go for the convertible, will she?”
“It’s really a nice-looking car, but I don’t think so.”
“Good. I had a used convertible when I was in Seattle, and it was awful in the winter. I was always cold, even when the heater was going full blast.”
“That’s why I’m glad it’s winter and Michelle is test-driving the cars now.”
“You’re right. She’ll get to test the heaters, too.”
“A car with a bad heater can be miserable,” Hannah replied, and that certainly wasn’t an exaggeration. The heater in her cookie truck had never worked properly until Mike and Norman had paid Cyril to fix it for her as a surprise present.
One by one, Michelle climbed behind the wheels of the cars that Lonnie and Cyril had selected. Lonnie went along on the test drives, and Hannah was glad to see that Michelle was shaking her head after she’d driven the convertible. She’d saved the blue car for last and Hannah found she was smiling as Michelle drove out of the lot.
“Do you think that’s the one?” Norman asked her.
“I hope so. She saved it for last, and Michelle tends to save the best for last.”
“How do you know?”
“I remember when she was little. She loved bacon and she always ate her pancakes first and saved her bacon for last. I’ve got my fingers crossed, Norman. The blue one would make a good car for her.”
“Why?”
“It’s not too large, and that means she wouldn’t have any problem parking. And it’s not so small that it wouldn’t hold everything she usually carries with her. It has a back seat and that would be good for passengers, and it looks sporty, but it’s also a sedan.”
Five minutes later, Michelle was back. She parked the car and she looked very excited as she ran over to join them. “Is it okay if I choose the blue one, Hannah?”
“Of course,” Hannah answered quickly. “You can have any car that you want.”
“But what if it’s a lot more than the money Cyril could get for Ross’s car?”
“Don’t worry about that. Cyril and Lonnie picked out the used cars that were an even trade, or very close to it.”
Michelle gave them a big, happy smile. “Then I’ll take the blue one! I’ve always wanted a car like that.” She threw her arms around her sister and gave her a big hug. “Thank you, Hannah! Lonnie and Cyril both checked it out, and they said it runs perfectly.”
“Then go tell them that you made your decision and you want it,” Hannah urged her.
“I will! I can hardly wait to drive it to The Cookie Jar.”
When Michelle ran off, Hannah turned to Norman. “I’m going to go talk to Cyril.”
“That’s fine with me. I’ll lea
ve, too. I really should get down to the clinic.”
Hannah was surprised. “But I thought Doc Bennett was taking over your appointments.”
“He is, but I have some paperwork to do. I’m way behind on my billing. I’ll see you later, Hannah.”
“Great. I’ll be testing out some new cookies today and I’ll save samples for you.”
Once Norman had left, Hannah walked over to Cyril, Michelle, and Lonnie. “Could I see you for a moment, Cyril?”
“Sure thing.” Cyril moved away from Michelle and Lonnie. “What’s up, Hannah?”
“Two things. Let’s go to your office. We can talk on the way.”
Hannah waited until they were completely out of earshot, and then she broached the first subject. “Something occurred to me last night, but it was too late to call you. Did the man who bought Ross’s car know that P.K. died in it?”
“No. There was no reason to tell him.”
“But I thought you had to file a report when the car had been in an accident.”
“You do if the damage is over a certain amount. This was less.”
“I wonder if the man would have bought it if he’d known.”
“I think he would have, but we weren’t required to tell him so we didn’t. I’m really sorry about P.K., Hannah. I liked him, and I liked his girlfriend, too.”
“You knew his girlfriend?”
“I only met her once, but she left a lasting impression.” Cyril gave a little chuckle. “P.K. bought one of my used cars for her as an engagement present. He said she’d always wanted a Jeep and we had a nice used Wrangler on the lot. It didn’t have that many miles on it, but it needed to be repainted. P.K. told me that was fine because he was going to have it repainted in Pinkie’s favorite color before he gave it to her.”