We swam for a while longer and then we wrapped up in towels to sit around the outdoor fire pit. When it was time for everyone to sing to Sarah and eat their cake pops, Gwen, Tansy, and Harris stood up to head toward the tents.
“Are you coming?” Gwen asked me.
I shook my head. “Nah. I think I’ll hang out here. After the last two weeks, I’m a little cake-popped out.”
“I’ll stay here and make sure she keeps out of trouble,” Dane said to them.
“Okay,” Gwen said, giving me a knowing grin that I could’ve killed her for. “You two have fun.”
I ducked my head, embarrassed. But when I braved a glimpse at Dane, he had a curious smile on his face, like he’d just had a question answered for him.
I took a deep breath, my heart racing. “You know, I never got a chance to say thank you.”
His brow crinkled. “For what?”
“For all your help last night, and for Renata DeLuca, and …” I waved my hands toward the party tent. “For this. I know you didn’t have to turn down Sarah’s party,” I said. “You still could’ve catered it.”
His brow furrowed. “No. It wouldn’t have been right. I tasted your cake pop. It was way better than mine. You should’ve won the bake-off, and you deserved to cater the party.”
“Was your dad mad that you backed out?”
Dane shrugged. “Sure, because he’s always looking at the bottom line. But he’ll get over it. Your Bake ’n’ Bike idea will give him plenty more to worry about. I wish I’d thought of that great one.” He gave my shoulder a nudge.
“Don’t even think of stealing it!” I mock-glared.
“Hey, I know better than to mess with a shrewd businesswoman like you. Besides, I like that you’re keeping Perk Up on its toes. Maybe my dad will let us stay here forever, just to keep an eye on you.” He smiled. “He and my mom already agreed that we could stay here longer, so maybe he’s coming around a little.”
“That’s great!” I said. The thought of Dane staying in Oak Canyon made me feel even happier. But then another sobering thought struck me. “Are you sure you didn’t back out of Sarah’s party because you felt sorry for me?” I asked quietly. “For the bakery?”
“I didn’t feel sorry for you or for your store. When I first saw Say It With Flour, I actually felt a little jealous. Perk Up is just a moneymaker to my dad. Even though I love the baking part of it, sometimes I hate what Perk Up does to my dad, and our family.” He stared at the ground for a long time, but when he looked up, there was a shyness on his face I’d never seen before. “So I guess I did want to help you save the bakery,” he said. “It’s a special place. It’s part of who you are.” He leaned toward me. “And I like that, because I like you.”
“You do?” I whispered, not sure I could let myself believe it.
But then he kissed me.
And I believed him.
The butterflies in my stomach this time were dizzying and magic. I realized Dane had surprised me yet again. Maybe that’s why I’d started off disliking him. Because I’d never liked surprises.
But as our lips met in another sweet, soft kiss by the crackling fire, I wondered if I was changing. Surprises still made my stomach flip uneasily. They made my heart race, my hands sweat, my head spin. But now I knew that surprises were also one of the most delicious parts of life. And just like cake pops, I wanted to enjoy them down to the very last bite.
Several packs of cake pop sticks (can be purchased at craft stores or some grocery stores)
Several 1-pound bags of candy melts (in any colors or flavors you’d like)
2–3 Styrofoam blocks to stick your cake pops in while they’re setting (can be purchased at craft stores)
1 small but deep microwaveable plastic bowl for coating your cake pops
Sprinkles or mini chocolate chips if you want to decorate your pops
If you want to mold your cake pops into fun shapes, you’ll need at least one miniature cookie cutter (Hearts, butterflies, and flowers — your pick!). Cookie cutters should be about 1½ inches in size.
Ask a parent or adult to help out with ovens and stove tops. Candy melts can get extremely hot, so be extra careful not to burn yourself. Always use adult supervision when baking, working with hot ingredients, or using ovens or stoves.
If you need cake pop advice from a real expert, take a look at the book Cake Pops: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for More Than 40 Irresistible Mini Treats by Bakerella. Often acknowledged as the inventor of cake pops, Bakerella has lots of fun, creative ideas for decorating the treats. Plus, there are color photos of tons of fabulous cake pops in the book to use for inspiration.
1 boxed cake mix, any flavor you like
1 16-oz container of premade icing, any flavor as long it’s a smooth texture
1 one-pound bag of candy melts, any flavor or color you’d like
Bake the cake in a greased 9x13 pan, according to the instructions on the box. Let the cake cool completely. Once it has cooled, cut the cake into eight sections. Lift out one section at a time. With your hands, crumble each section of the cake into one large mixing bowl. Break up any large chunks with your hands until you’ve crumbled the entire cake into the bowl, and all of the crumbs are small and about the same size.
Mix ¾ of the canned icing into the bowl with the cake. Use your hands or a large spoon to knead the cake/icing mix until it’s well blended. Then, roll the cake pop batter into small balls about 1¼ inches wide. Cover the balls with plastic wrap and chill in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
While the cake balls are chilling, make your candy coating (this should only take 2–3 minutes, so wait until your cake balls are nearly ready to be taken out of the freezer). Melt about ¼ pound of candy melts according to the instructions on the package. If you’re using a microwave, heat the melts in a small microwave-safe plastic bowl for twenty seconds at a time, stopping to stir them every twenty seconds. Stop heating as soon as the candy has melted. If you overheat the melts, they will get lumpy, thick, and unusable. When you stir the melted candy, it should run easily off your spoon. If it doesn’t, add ½–1 teaspoon of shortening to the bowl to thin the coating. If the coating is too thick, your pops might break off into the bowl when you’re trying to coat them.
Once your cake balls are chilled and your coating is melted, you’re ready to dip and decorate. Have your cake pop sticks and your Styrofoam blocks handy. Remove just a few cake balls from your freezer at a time, so they don’t get too warm. Dip the tip of a cake pop stick into the bowl of melted coating, coating about ¼ inch of the tip. Insert the coated stick about ¼ inch into a cake ball. Then, once the cake ball is stuck on the stick, dip the entire ball into the coating in one swift movement. Try not to roll the pop or dip it for too long, or the ball might fall off or break into the coating bowl. Lift the pop out of the bowl, and carefully turn the pop, tapping the stick with your finger very gently to remove any extra coating. If you want to decorate your pop, now is the time to dip it into a smaller bowl of candy sprinkles or mini chocolate chips. Then stick the cake pop into the Styrofoam block to set. Repeat this process until all of the cake pops are done (you will need to melt more candy melts for coating as you go). Let the coating dry completely. Then pass out pops to friends and family and enjoy every bite!
You can also make similar pops with premade cheesecake. All you have to do is scoop cheesecake into balls (without using the crust portion). Chill the cheesecake balls in the freezer for 15 minutes, then remove, coat, and decorate just like you did with the cake balls.
You will most likely use 1–2 pounds of candy melts for coating for this recipe and for all of the recipes that follow. Each recipe yields between 50–60 cake pops.
A word of encouragement: Don’t worry if your first few cake pops don’t look too glamorous. It may take a little practice to get the coating on just right. The trick is to keep the coating thin, so you can dip the pops in and out quickly. Have fun, and remember, even if the first few look funny, they
’ll still taste delish!
For the cake:
2½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1½ cups sugar
1½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 one-ounce bottle red food coloring
1 tsp vinegar
1 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 350º. In a medium bowl, mix all of your dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl, mix the oil, eggs, vanilla, food coloring, and vinegar. In a large bowl, mix all these ingredients together, adding small portions of the dry and wet ingredients at a time until completely blended. Finally, add in the buttermilk and blend. Pour the batter into a 9x13 greased pan and bake for 35–45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
For the mocha fudge frosting:
¾ cup cocoa
1 stick butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp fresh cold decaffeinated coffee (not instant)
2 cups powdered sugar
In a medium bowl, blend all of the ingredients together with a handheld mixer.
For the cake pops:
Follow the instructions for making basic Pops from a Box, but use your crumbled red velvet cake and 1½ cups of your mocha frosting instead. Chill your cake balls. Choose a fun color or flavor for your candy melt coating (chocolate candy melts are perfect for this!). Prepare your coating using about ¼ pound of candy melts at a time, then dip and decorate.
For the cake:
2¾ cup flour
2½ tsp baking powder
2 cups granulated sugar
1 three-ounce package of strawberry Jell-O
1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
½ cup strawberries, pureed
Preheat oven to 350º. In a medium bowl, mix flour and baking powder together. In a large bowl, mix sugar, Jell-O, and butter with a handheld mixer. Add eggs one at a time, mixing as you do. Add the flour and baking powder into the sugar mixture and beat as you add in the milk. Finally, stir in vanilla and pureed strawberries. Pour into 9x13 greased pan and bake for 40–50 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
For the frosting:
½ cup butter, softened
1 eight-ounce pack of cream cheese
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
Mix all the ingredients together with handheld mixer.
For the cake pops:
Follow the instructions for making basic Pops from a Box, but use your crumbled strawberry cake and 1½ cups of your cream cheese frosting instead. Chill your cake balls. Choose a fun color or flavor for your candy melt coating (white chocolate candy melts are yummy with this!). Prepare your coating using about ¼ pound of candy melts at a time. Then dip cake pops and decorate.
For the cake:
¾ cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1¾ cups flour
1½ tsp. baking soda
1½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1–4 tsp. chili powder (optional)
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup boiling water (added at the very last)
Preheat your oven to 350º. In a large bowl, mix all of your dry ingredients. Then, add the milk, eggs, vanilla, and vegetable oil, and blend with a handheld mixer. Add the boiling water and mix. Pour the batter into a 9x13 greased pan and bake 35–40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
For the ganache frosting:
12 oz chopped semisweet baking chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 can pitted sweet cherries, drained and chopped
Put chopped chocolate into a medium bowl. Boil cream in a saucepan. Pour the cream over the chocolate and mix until well blended. Wait to add the cherries into your crumbled cake mixture with the icing (see next page).
For the cake pops:
Follow the instructions for making basic Pops from a Box, but use your crumbled chocolate cake and ¾ cup of your ganache frosting instead. Add the chopped cherries into the crumbled cake, too. Mix it all together with your hands and roll it into balls. To make the pops into heart shapes, allow the cake balls to chill in the freezer for 15 minutes. Then remove them. One by one, press the balls into a mini heart-shaped cookie cutter. Gently push them out of the cookie cutter. Place them back in the freezer for a few minutes to re-chill. Choose a fun color or flavor for your candy melt coating. Prepare your coating using about ¼ pound of candy melts at a time. Then dip the cake pops and decorate.
“One last treat before you go,” she said, setting down a plate of pastel pink, green, and yellow sandwich-shaped cookies. They were so cute and colorful, with a delicious-looking icing center.
“These are macarons.” Madame Leroux placed one in my palm.
“You share the first one … like this.” She showed me how to carefully twist it apart.
“Cheers,” I said, my voice lilting nervously as the boy and I clinked our halves together before eating them. The pink macaron was spongy and crunchy all at once, with the creamy center melting on my tongue in hints of raspberry and vanilla. It was perfect.
“There.” Madame Leroux clasped both our hands in satisfaction.
“Two halves connect two people, eh?” She winked.
Shakily, I stood up and walked with the boy to the door.
“Sweet dreams for St. Valentine’s,” Madame Leroux called to us before she closed the door, leaving us standing outside under a bright, star-sprinkled sky.
My heart galloped as his eyes turned to mine. “That was fun,” I said, to break the silence. “I’m lucky I found this place.”
“I am, too.” His voice was so soft, I wasn’t sure I’d heard him right. “You know,” he continued, “I didn’t want to come here tonight.”
“Really?” I asked in surprise. “Why? Who doesn’t want to eat yummy pastries?”
He laughed. “The food wasn’t the problem. I was standing in for a kid who backed out of an assignment at the last minute.”
He frowned. “I wanted to ditch the whole thing to spend the night sketching, but I didn’t have the guts. I guess I’m sort of … too responsible for my own good.” He sighed. A sweet, bashful smile spread across his face, making him look even cuter. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say is … tonight was totally worth it.”
I nodded. “Yeah, the food was amazing.”
He shook his head. “The food’s not what made it worth it,” he said quietly. My heart trilled as he stepped closer to me. “I’d like to see you again,” he said.
“I’m sure you will,” I blurted, sounding as nervous as I felt. “ ’Cause it’s such a small town and … and …” My voice died. I couldn’t breathe, let alone think straight. “I mean, I’d like that.”
He stepped closer.
“So how does the fairy tale go?” he whispered, leaning toward me. “The Frog Princess only becomes human again after …”
A kiss, I thought deliriously as I closed my eyes. I held my breath, waiting for his soft lips to brush mine. My first kiss …
“Espera aí! Hold it right there!” a stern voice bellowed in my ear, and I jumped as a hand clamped down on my shoulder.
My dad glared down at me. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Dad, I —”
“It’s after midnight! I spent the last hour driving around town looking for you. I was about to call the police.” He latched on to my arm, firmly tugging me down the sidewalk toward where his car was parked at the curb. He threw open the door of the car and growled, “Get in … now!”
“But, Dad …” I glanced back toward the awning of Swoonful of Sugar, where the potential boy of my dreams was standing in a state of confusion.<
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Nora loves everything about Paris, from the Eiffel Tower to chocolat chaud. She’s never actually been there — she’s only visited through her Grandma Sylvia’s stories. So when Nora finds letters and a Paris treasure map among her Grandma Sylvia’s things, she dares to dream again …
It’s Amanda’s 11th birthday and she is super excited. But everything goes wrong. She and her best friend, Leo, with whom she’s shared every birthday, have a fight. When Amanda turns in for the night, glad to have her birthday behind her, she wakes up happy for a new day. Or is it? Her birthday seems to be repeating itself. What is going on? And how can she fix it?
When a cute pug named Potato is brought in to the shelter where Cecilia Murray volunteers, she knows he is the dog she’s been waiting for. There’s just one problem: Eric Chung — a popular, arrogant boy from school — adopts Potato first. What’s worse, he hopes to train the little tater to become a show-dog superstar. So Cecilia sets out to sabotage Eric’s plans …
Suzanne Nelson has written several children’s books, including Macarons at Midnight, Hot Cocoa Hearts, You're Bacon Me Crazy, and Serendipity’s Footsteps. She lives with her family in Ridgefield, Connecticut, where she can be found experimenting with all kinds of cooking. Learn more about Suzanne at www.suzannenelson.com.
Copyright © 2013 by Suzanne Nelson
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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