The Power of Poppy Pendle
Page 17
4.Otherwise, put the butter and sugar into a large bowl, and using a handheld mixer, blend them together until light and fluffy. (This is called creaming.)
5.Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
6.Mix in the grated orange rind and apricot jam.
7.Carefully stir in the self-rising flour (or all-purpose flour and baking powder if using it) and salt. Don’t overmix if you can help it, because overmixing will make your cake tough. Now add the 5 tablespoons of fresh orange juice.
8.Butter a 6- to 8-cup loaf pan, and pour in the cake mixture.
9.You might want to ask an adult to help you take the cake in and out of the oven. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until light golden and the top feels spongy when you press it. If you poke a sharp knife into the center, it should come out clean. Check after about 30 minutes. If the top is browning too much before the cake is cooked through, cover it with a piece of foil.
10.Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for a few minutes. Then run a knife around the inside edges of the pan to loosen the cake, and bravely turn it out. Don’t worry if some bits of cake have stuck to the bottom of the pan. They are delicious to eat, or you can scrape them off and put them back on top of the cake. Cool the cake completely before drizzling over the frosting.
Orange Drizzle Frosting
~ INGREDIENTS ~
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed orange juice (You should have enough left over from the orange you squeezed for the cake.)
~ METHOD ~
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
1.Put the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl and slowly stir in the orange juice. Add a little bit at a time until you get the desired drizzle consistency. You are not after a thick, gooey frosting here, but a tasty orange drizzle. Pour over the cooled cake and let set.
2.Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. Poppy has been known to enjoy a slice of orange cake for breakfast!
Mrs. Plunket’s Rainy Day Brownies
Makes about 12 2-inch squares
This recipe was given to Poppy by PC Plunket’s mother. One taste and Poppy was smitten. These are the easiest brownies in the world to make, and the most delicious. Like Mrs. Plunket, Poppy makes them only on rainy days, and they are a favorite with the Ruthersfield girls.
The ingredients listed below make enough for an 8 × 8 pan, but Mrs. Plunket always doubles the recipe to fill a 9 × 13 pan. If you like brownies, this is an excellent idea. PC Plunket has been known to polish off an entire batch in one evening!
~ INGREDIENTS ~
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
~ METHOD ~
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
1.Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2.Put the butter and chocolate into a bowl and melt together in the microwave. This will probably take about 11/2 minutes. If you don’t have a microwave, balance the bowl on top of a saucepan of simmering water to melt (like a double boiler). Ask an adult to help you with this.
3.Once the chocolate and butter have melted, stir them together to blend. A wire whisk works well for this, or a big wooden spoon. Then add the rest of the ingredients, one at a time, cracking the eggs in last. Mix everything together well.
4.Scrape the mixture into a greased 8 × 8 square pan. Rubber spatulas are great for this. Cook for 25 to 35 minutes. Check after 25 minutes. You do not want to overcook these. A little squidge in the middle is a good thing. If you like your brownies cakey, keep them in a little longer. You might want to ask an adult to help you take the pan out of the oven.
5.Let the brownies cool in the pan on a wire rack, and try not to burn your mouth in your eagerness to eat them!
6.There are never any leftover brownies at the bakery or at the Plunkets’ house. If you are lucky enough to have some, store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
Marie Claire’s Little Warm Almond Cakes
Makes about 24 little almond cakes
This was the first thing Poppy ever ate. Moist, light, and almond scented, they are a small taste of heaven. Marie Claire always cooks these in a special shell-shaped pan called a madeleine pan. It makes the little cakes look really pretty when you turn them out. If you don’t have a madeleine pan, don’t worry; a mini cupcake pan will work just as well, and the cakes will taste delicious even if they don’t look quite as beautiful.
~ INGREDIENTS ~
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
7 ounces almond paste
1/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
~ METHOD ~
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
1.Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2.Butter your madeleine pan or mini cupcake pan well and sprinkle the inside with flour. Turn the pan over and tap out any extra flour over the sink.
3.Melt your butter in a little dish in the microwave. You can also do this in a little saucepan on the stove, but the microwave is easiest. It should take 45 seconds to
1 minute. Put the butter aside to cool.
4.You can make this batter in the bowl of a standing mixer (ask an adult to set this up for you) or with a handheld mixer. Beat the almond paste and sugar together. Do this slowly so bits of almond paste don’t go spattering out all over the counter. It may still look sort of pebbly, but don’t worry about this; when you add the eggs, it will smooth out.
5.Now add your eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6.Stir in the vanilla extract.
7.In a small bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking powder with a fork. Then gently stir this flour mixture into the batter.
8.Now stir in the melted butter.
9.You can let the batter rest in the fridge for a bit, or use it right away. The cakes will hold their shape better if you let the batter chill for an hour (or overnight if you prefer).
10.Spoon batter into each mold. If you are using a madeleine pan, heap the mixture up in the middle so the cakes will have a rounded hump.
11.Bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until spongy to the touch and very lightly golden. You might want to ask an adult to help you take the pans out.
12.Cool the cakes in their pans for a few minutes on a wire rack. Then slide a knife around each cake to loosen it, and gently lift them out. Cool completely on the wire rack.
13.Now shut your eyes, take a bite, and wonderful memories will come flooding back!
14.Store the little almond cakes in an airtight container at room temperature.
~ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ~
First of all, a huge thank-you to my amazing agent, Ann Tobias, for all her help and hard work on this book. She guided me through countless rounds of re
vision, teaching me the fine art of the edit, and never stopped believing in Poppy Pendle.
To Paula Wiseman, my wonderful editor at Simon & Schuster, who embraced Poppy with open arms and gave her the perfect home.
Thank you so much to Jane Gilbert Keith for all her fabulous suggestions and advice. She read this manuscript almost as many times as my mother did and never once complained.
Thank you to Bette Schmitt for giving Poppy her librarian’s seal of approval and sharing her with some of the kids at Deerfield Elementary School.
I am so grateful to Janet Street, who inspired me to start writing again and gave me the confidence to believe I was good enough. And to Midge and Michael Beneville, who told me this would happen from the very beginning. My heartfelt thanks to Rachel Hass, Nancy Charboneau, Kim Rosner, Pauline Boyce, and Annabelle Fenwick, who read early drafts of this manuscript and kept cheering me on. To Annalie Gilbert Keith, who has shown me that you only need to touch one reader to make a difference, and for dressing up as Poppy Pendle on Halloween before I even had a publisher!
For the daily phone calls and friendship, I could never have made it through without Sarah Murray. And to Rachel Roberts, who tasted and tested all my recipes with me, helping to fine-tune the perfect caramel cookie! I also need to thank Stacie Chapley, MaryLou Rosner, Micah and Lily Roberts, and Martha Price, who all kindly tested recipes from Poppy’s bakery.
To my parents, for their never-ending support and for reading countless versions of Poppy, especially my mother, who has been my spell-checker and grammar editor ever since I wrote my first story back in kindergarten!
Last, but most important of all, a special thank-you to my family. To my four wonderful children, Sebastian, Oliver, Ben, and Juliette, who have spent many evenings patiently waiting for dinner to appear while their mother tapped away on her laptop. You inspire and amaze me every single day and I am so proud of you all. And to Jon, my biggest supporter and love of my life, who knew this would happen long before I ever did!
Natasha Lowe knew as a child that she wanted to be either a writer, an adventurer, or a fancy teashop owner. So she did a little bit of everything, traveling from her native London to America, where she ran the Tea House bed-and-breakfast and wowed guests with her grandmother’s shortbread recipe. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and four children. The Power of Poppy Pendle is her first novel.
Jacket design by Chloë Foglia
Jacket illustration copyright © 2012 by Seb Mesnard
A Paula Wiseman Book
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Simon & Schuster, New York
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Copyright © 2012 by Natasha Lowe
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The text for this book is set in Cochin.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lowe, Natasha.
The power of Poppy Pendle / Natasha Lowe. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
“A Paula Wiseman Book.”
Summary: Ten-year-old Poppy will do anything to realize her dream of becoming a baker, although her parents insist she attend Ruthersfield, the exclusive girls school for witchcraft, where she excels despite her dislike of magic. Includes baking tips and recipes.
ISBN 978-1-4424-4679-3 (hardback)
ISBN 978-1-4424-4680-9 (eBook)
[1. Self-realization—Fiction. 2. Bakers and bakeries—Fiction. 3. Magic—Fiction.
4. Family life—Fiction. 5. Witches—Fiction. 6. Schools—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.L9627Pow 2012
[Fic]—dc23
2012006735