have thought that it was Ultimate Butterscotch Bundt Cake and not Ultimate Chocolate Butterscotch Bundt Cake. This way they can tell the difference between them.”
“Makes sense,” Norman commented. “It looks absolutely delicious, Sally.”
“Hannah’s recipes are always delicious,” Sally told Lynne as she reached out for the carafe of coffee and poured cups for Norman and herself. Then she topped off Hannah and Lynne’s cups and picked up the knife to cut the cake.
“There’s something wonderful about a cake in a Bundt pan,” Hannah said.
“It’s a great design and it makes any cake look special,” Lynne agreed.
Hannah began to smile. “Sometimes Andrea uses a Bundt pan for one of her Jell-O molds. She says it’s a little harder to get out because the pan is thicker and doesn’t warm up as fast as a regular Jell-O mold, but whenever she goes out to a potluck dinner, she puts the Bundt pan in the back of her car with a platter over the top. By the time she drives to wherever she’s going, the Jell-O has jiggled its way loose and it’s ready to unmold.”
Sally laughed. “Andrea’s nothing if not resourceful. Most Minnesotans are. One time I made a big platter of Jell-O in a turkey roaster.”
“How did that turn out?” Norman asked her.
“It was harder to unmold, but once it was on the platter, it looked great. I used it at one of my Sunday brunches right here in the dining room, and Betty Jackson told me she’d never seen so much Jell-O in one place before.”
Sally passed the cream and the sugar, and then she pulled the cake platter toward her. “Let’s taste this cake and then you can tell me if you think it should go on the dessert menu.”
Hannah watched as Sally sliced the cake and plated it. She thought again of the Minnesota man who’d invented the Bundt pan. Hannah wondered whether his wife had been insulted because he’d told everyone that he’d devised the ridged cake pan because her cake slices were different sizes.
“Ready?” Sally asked after she’d passed them the dessert plates.
“Ready,” Hannah said as they all picked up their dessert forks.
For the space of several seconds, no one said a word. They were too busy tasting, swallowing, and cutting off a second bite. It took several more seconds before Lynne put her fork down on her plate and gave Sally a thumbs-up. “Wonderful!” she said, reaching for her coffee cup to take a sip. “It’s delicious and it’s really rich. And it’s great with strong coffee.”
“Agreed,” Hannah echoed. “It’s a wonderful cake and I’m glad we have a lot of coffee, Sally.”
Sally nodded and gestured toward the intercom. “And we can always call Dot for more if we run out.”
Once they’d finished their slices of Ultimate Chocolate Butterscotch Bundt Cake, Sally removed the silver lid from another dessert platter and uncovered Lisa’s Pink Grapefruit Cake. “I hope you saved room for another taste trial.”
“I did,” Norman said quickly. “That’s pretty, Sally. What is it?”
“It’s Lois Brown’s Pink Grapefruit Cake,” Hannah told him. “Lisa mixed it up, Michelle baked it, and I brought it in for Sally to taste.”
“I love pink grapefruit, but I don’t think I’ve ever had grapefruit in a cake before,” Lynne said.
“Neither have I,” Norman agreed. “But if Lisa mixed it up and Michelle baked it, it’s bound to be good.”
“It’s made from a recipe that Aunt Nancy got from her friend Lois Brown,” Hannah said, picking up her fork and preparing to taste it.
“Lois Brown gave you the recipe for the lemon cookies that you serve in The Cookie Jar, didn’t she?” Norman asked Hannah.
“Yes, and they’re a favorite with the morning crowd. We bake them every Tuesday.”
Once everyone tasted Lisa’s cake and agreed that it was wonderfully delicious, Hannah realized that her cell phone was ringing. She pulled it out of her purse and said, “This must be important. Not that many people have my cell phone number. Will you all excuse me while I answer it?”
Everyone nodded and Hannah slid out of the booth to step outside the privacy curtain. “Hello?” she said, grateful that she could get reception outside the booth.
“Hannah!”
The voice on the other end of the line was icy cold and Hannah gave a little shiver when she recognized who was calling. “Ross,” she said, keeping her voice deliberately low so that no one else could hear.
“Just what are you trying to do to me!?”
Hannah felt herself tense. Ross must have found out that the