The Cupcake Diaries

by Darlene Panzera

  “New store?” Stacey repeated.

  “Yes!” Rachel chimed in. “We’ve decided to open a second shop in Seaside, just ten minutes from Cannon Beach, and who’s better to help manage it than you?”

  Stacey gasped. “Me? Manage a store?”

  Andi nodded. “Even if we didn’t win, you showed great leadership skills tonight. When you ran into trouble, you faced it head on and came up with solutions.”

  Stacey laughed. “I better restock my backpack.”

  “One more thing,” Kim added. “Dave wants to know if he can run the new shop with you.”

  Dave looked at her, and Stacey met his gaze and smiled. “Well, we are a team.”

  “Oh, Stacey, what a great opportunity,” Trish said, coming up behind her. “I’m so jealous. I wish I could be a part of it.”

  Stacey glimpsed the longing in her eyes, the same longing she had felt when she’d been the outsider looking in.

  “Can she?” Stacey asked, glancing at the others.

  Andi, Rachel, and Kim all bobbed their heads in unison.

  “We’d love for you to be a part of it, Trish,” Andi said, giving her sister-in-law a hug. Then she crooked her finger toward the double doors of the kitchen. “You, too, Gladys. Didn’t Stacey say you worked in a bakery?”

  The woman’s face beamed as she clasped her hands together, scurried forward, and joined their growing circle.

  There was a disturbance by the entryway as people moved aside to allow the door to swing open.

  “They’re back!” Mia called out. “The judges are back!”

  Chapter Ten

  * * *

  If you want to know how much I love you, count the waves.

  —Author unknown

  THE JUDGES SAT down at the table, scribbled in their notepads, and then proceeded to write on their scoring paddles.

  “Please excuse the delay,” the large man with the goatee announced. “As the last round was unanimous, we decided to take a break before we announced the results of the state cupcake competition.”

  “Wait a minute,” Rachel said, waving her hands for the crowd to hush. “You said the last round was unanimous, but you didn’t hold up the score.”

  “No, we didn’t,” the thin, bony woman affirmed. “We were afraid it would give away the winner of the contest.”

  “What does that mean?” Stacey whispered.

  Andi shook her head. “I have no idea how the other shops scored. I wouldn’t know if we won no matter what scores they held up.”

  Jake handed the baby back to her and took out several newspaper clippings. “The only way we’re going to win is if we get a total score of—”

  Before he could finish, the goatee judge held up a ten.

  Beside him, the skinny woman held up a ten.

  And on the other side of her, the older woman’s expression changed, brought to life with a smile as she, too, held up a ten. “The winner of this year’s state cupcake competition is . . . Creative Cupcakes.”

  Rachel gasped. “We won?”

  Kim clapped her hands. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

  Andi nodded. “We’re going to regionals.”

  Stacey laughed as the three women handed her the blue first-place ribbon. “I’ll hang this up in the new cupcake shop.”

  “We also want you to have the thousand dollar prize money,” Rachel told her.

  Stacey stared at the cashier’s check they placed in her hands. “Are you sure?”

  “You might need it to pay off your debt,” Kim said and motioned to the letter in Sarah’s hands.

  Stacey’s aunt stepped forward, hugged her, and handed her the envelope with the Idaho postmark stamped on the front. “This came in the mail, and I opened it by accident. I thought you’d want to see it right away.”

  Actually, a letter from Pam was the last thing she wanted to see at this moment. Why spoil her happy mood? But Sarah appeared insistent.

  She unfolded the paper, expecting Pam to demand to know when she’d send the rest of the money she owed. Would first thing in the morning be soon enough?

  Instead, the words on the page read:

  Thanks for the first half of the money. You don’t need to send the rest. You were right. You never owed me anything. I invited you in and then sent that horrible bill and . . . I just hate myself right now. My ex-boyfriend tried to collect some past debts from me, and I turned around and did the same to you. What you said on the phone made me realize I was wrong. I’m sorry. I didn’t know how else to get the money. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.

  Stacey shook her head. There was only one thing she wanted. Then she felt the solid lump at the bottom of the envelope and held her breath as she reached her hand in to retrieve what she hoped was a piece of jewelry. Yes! Pam had returned her locket!

  Stacey opened the clasped heart, and a torrent of forgotten memories flooded over her when she looked at the tiny photo of her grandmother. It reminded her of the importance of family.

  Now that she didn’t have to pay Pam, she could use the money she’d saved from her forty percent commission for the security deposit on her new apartment. And she could use the prize money to fly her parents and older brother out to visit. Maybe they could reconnect, laugh together like old times, take a new family photo.

  After Dave helped fasten the locket’s gold chain around her neck, he took her in his arms.

  “It’s been quite a night, hasn’t it?” he asked.

  She nodded. “I hope there’s enough room to write it all down in the Cupcake Diary.”

  “You could always start a new book,” he teased.

  “Only if you’re in it,” she said, and gazed up at him and smiled.

  “Well, that depends,” he said, releasing her and stepping back.

  She didn’t want him to release her. She wanted to stay in his arms forever. “Depends on what?”

  “On how much you trust me,” he said, his face turning serious. “When we first met, I tried to stay away. I thought I needed to focus on my business, and you . . . well, you were a distraction.”

  She frowned, not sure what he meant.

  “In a good way,” he clarified. “I liked you too much.”

  “Liked?”

  “More than liked,” he corrected.

  She narrowed her gaze. “How much more?”

  He grinned. “Enough to want to kiss you day and night for the rest of my life.”

  She drew in her breath as he got down on one knee. Was he doing what she thought he was doing? She wasn’t reading more into this than she should, was she? He wasn’t going to stand up again and show her he’d found a penny on the floor or anything like that, right?

  But then she saw him draw a small black velvet box out of his pocket and heard everyone around them draw in their breath, too. And she knew it wasn’t her imagination. This was real.

  “Stace—I love you. I want to marry you. This is the reason I went to Portland last night.”

  She stared at the large glittering diamond with its entrancing one-of-a-kind multidiamond setting as he took it from the box and placed it on her finger.

  “I-I love you, too, Dave,” she whispered, and the corners of her eyes filled with tears—tears of happiness for what this piece of jewelry would symbolize.

  “I know you’ve been through a lot,” Dave said, giving her a direct look, “and it’s made you cautious. We both know the future is never certain. But I hope you’ll decide to make your home with me, so that no matter what life throws at us, we can face it together.”

  “You and me,” she said, taking his hand as he stood back up. “I’d like that. I’d like that very much.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  Stacey nodded. “Yes, of course! A million times yes!”

  Dave grinned, pulled her against him, and lowered his mouth for a kiss. His lips were warm, soft, and promised so much more to come that her head swam round and round, but in a good way, a very good way. And she l
eft all her fears behind as she kissed him back, her imagination already two steps ahead of her, picturing a very, very happy future.

  The crowd around them clapped, and when Stacey and Dave drew their heads apart, she spotted Mia, Taylor, and Max standing on top of the table beside them, each holding up one of the judge’s paddles. Then she looked at Dave, he looked at her, and they both laughed.

  They’d received a perfect score.

  Recipe for

  VALENAS LEMON−MINT BLUEBERRY CUPCAKES

  from Heather Fizer of Valenas Custom Cakery in Manchester, Washington

  www.facebook.com/ValenasCustomCakery

  Cupcake Ingredients:

  2¼ cups cake flour

  2½ tsp. baking powder

  ½ tsp. salt

  1½ sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)

  1½ cups white granulated sugar

  5 large egg whites (room temperature)

  1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

  ½ tsp. mint extract

  ½ cup fresh lemon juice

  ¾ cup milk

  2 tbsp. fresh mint (chopped)

  Zest of 2 lemons

  Instructions:

  Preheat oven to 350°. Line two cupcake trays with paper liners (21 cups) and set aside. Sift cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

  Cream butter in a mixer for 1 minute on medium high.

  Add sugar to butter and cream together for 3 minutes on medium high until fluffy.

  Set speed to medium low and add egg whites one at a time, mixing 20 seconds each to incorporate well. Add vanilla extract and mint extract, and mix for 30 seconds.

  Scrape sides and bottom of mixer bowl.

  Mix fresh lemon juice and milk together (it will appear to be curdling). Alternate pouring the flour mixture in the mixer with the lemon and milk mixture. Keep the mixer on low speed.

  Add fresh mint and lemon zest; only mix for 15 seconds, being careful not to overmix batter.

  Scoop batter into the cupcake liners, filling each ¾ full.

  Bake for 14 to 18 minutes. Test by poking with a toothpick; it should come out clean when done.

  Leave in pan for 2 minutes, then place on a wire rack for 30 minutes or until cool.

  Blueberry Compote and Syrup Ingredients:

  2 cups frozen blueberries (thawed)

  2½ tbsp. water

  2½ tbsp. sugar

  Instructions:

  In a medium saucepan mix the blueberries, water, and sugar on medium high heat. Bring the mixture to 200° using a candy thermometer.

  Immediately pour the mixture over a strainer, separating the blueberries from the syrup.

  Cut a hole in the center of each cupcake. After berries have cooled, fill each cupcake with a small amount of the berries. Save the syrup for the Italian Buttercream and drizzle.

  Italian Blueberry Buttercream Ingredients:

  1 cup granulated sugar

  ⅓ cup water

  3 large egg whites

  ½ tsp. cream of tartar

  1½ cups unsalted butter (room temperature)

  1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

  Instructions:

  Over medium heat in a small saucepan bring sugar and water to a simmer using a candy thermometer until mixture reaches 250°.

  Using a mixer, place the egg whites and cream of tartar into the mixing bowl.

  As soon as the sugar and water reaches 250°, pour into a glass measuring cup and slowly pour down the side of the bowl about 3 tbsp. of the sugar and water mixture into the egg white and cream of tartar mixture with the mixer on medium speed. As peaks begin to form, add the rest of the water syrup mixture slowly. Once all the water and sugar syrup is added, turn the mixer on high for 5 to 7 minutes until mixture is room temperature.

  Reduce mixer to medium and add butter one piece at a time until each piece is fully incorporated into the mixture. Once all the butter is added, turn the mixture on high. The mixture will look curdled at first. Be patient and have faith it will come together. Keep whipping on high for 10 to 15 minutes until the frosting is spreadable, fluffy, and glossy.

  Slow mixer to low and add vanilla extract until it is fully incorporated. Remove bowl from the mixer and with a rubber spatula fold 3 tbsp. at a time of the blueberry syrup into the frosting until the desired color is achieved. (I used 6 tbsp. in total.)

  Pipe the frosting onto the filled lemon−mint cupcakes. After this step, drizzle the leftover blueberry syrup onto the cupcakes with a spoon. Enjoy! Cupcakes will stay fresh covered in the refrigerator for 3 days.

  Can’t get enough from the gang at Creative Cupcakes?

  Keep reading for excerpts from the first four books in The Cupcake Diaries series,

  SWEET ON YOU, RECIPE FOR LOVE, TASTE OF ROMANCE,

  and

  SPOONFUL OF CHRISTMAS

  now available from Avon Impulse

  An Excerpt from

  THE CUPCAKE DIARIES: SWEET ON YOU

  Forget love . . . I’d rather fall in chocolate!

  —Author unknown

  ANDI CAST A glance over the rowdy karaoke crowd to the man sitting at the front table with the clear plastic bakery box in his possession.

  “What am I supposed to say?” she whispered, looking back at her sister, Kim, and their friend Rachel as the three of them huddled together. “Can I have your cupcake? He’ll think I’m a lunatic.”

  “Say ‘please,’ and tell him about our tradition,” Kim suggested.

  “Offer him money.” Rachel dug through her dilapidated Gucci knockoff purse and withdrew a ten-dollar bill. “And let him know we’re celebrating your sister’s birthday.”

  “You did promise me a cupcake for my birthday,” Kim said with an impish grin. “Besides, the guy doesn’t look like he plans to eat it. He hasn’t even glanced at the cupcake since the old woman came in and delivered the box.”

  Andi tucked a loose strand of her dark blond hair behind her ear and drew in a deep breath. She wasn’t used to taking food from anyone. Usually she was on the other end—giving it away. Her fault. She didn’t plan ahead.

  Why couldn’t any of the businesses here be open twenty-four hours like in Portland? Out of the two dozen eclectic cafes and restaurants along the Astoria waterfront promising to satisfy customers’ palates, shouldn’t at least one cater to late-night customers like herself? No, they all shut down at 10:30, some earlier, as if they knew she was coming. That’s what she got for living in a small town. Anticipation but no cake.

  However, she was determined not to let her younger sister down. She’d promised Kim a cupcake for her twenty-sixth birthday, and she’d try her best to procure one, even if it meant making a fool of herself.

  Andi shot her ever-popular friend Rachel a wry look. “You know you’re better at this than I am.”

  Rachel grinned. “You’re going to have to start interacting with the opposite sex again sometime.”

  Maybe. But not on the personal level, Rachel’s tone suggested. Andi’s divorce the previous year had left behind a bitter aftertaste no amount of sweet talk could dissolve.

  Pushing back her chair, she stood up. “Tonight, all I want is the cupcake.”

  ANDI HAD TAKEN only a few steps when the man with the bakery box turned his head and smiled.

  He probably thought she was coming over, hoping to find a date. Why shouldn’t he? The Captain’s Port was filled with people looking for a connection, if not for a lifetime, then at least for the hour or so they shared within the friendly confines of the restaurant’s casual, communal atmosphere.

  She hesitated midstep before continuing forward. Heat rushed into her cheeks. Dressed in jeans and a navy blue tie and sport jacket, he was even better looking than she’d first thought. Thirtyish. Light brown hair, fair skin with an evening shadow along his jaw, and the most amazing gold-flecked, chocolate brown eyes she’d ever seen. Oh my. He could have his pick of any woman in the place. Any woman in Astoria, Oregon.

  “Hi,” he said.

&nbs
p; Andi swallowed the nervous tension gathering at the back of her throat and managed a smile in return. “Hi. I’m sorry to bother you, but it’s my sister’s birthday, and I promised her a cupcake.” She nodded toward the see-through box and waved the ten-dollar bill. “Is there any chance I can persuade you to sell the one you have here?”

  His brows shot up. “You want my cupcake?”

  “I meant to bake a batch this afternoon,” she gushed, her words tumbling over themselves, “but I ended up packing spring break lunches for the needy kids in the school district. Have you heard of the Kids’ Coalition backpack program?”

  He nodded. “Yes, I think the Astoria Sun featured the free lunch backpack program on the community page a few weeks ago.”

  “I’m a volunteer,” she explained. “And after I finished, I tried to buy a cupcake but didn’t get to the store in time. I’ve never let my sister down before, and I feel awful.”

  The new addition to her list of top ten dream-worthy males leaned back in his chair and pressed his lips together, as if considering her request, then shook his head. “I’d love to help you, but—”

  “Please.” Andi gasped, appalled she’d stooped to begging. She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “I understand if you can’t, it’s just that my sister, Kim, my friend Rachel, and I have a tradition.”

  “What kind of tradition?”

  Andi pointed to their table, and Kim and Rachel smiled and waved. “Our birthdays are spaced four months apart, so we split a celebration cupcake three ways and set new goals for ourselves from one person’s birthday to the next. It’s easier than trying to set goals for an entire year.”

  “I don’t suppose you could set your goals without the cupcake?” he asked, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

  Andi smiled. “It wouldn’t be the same.”

  “If the cupcake were mine to give, it would be yours. But this particular cupcake was delivered for a research project I have at work.”