Cinnamon Roll Murder (Hannah Swensen, #15)(22)

Oh sure! Hannah thought sarcastically. If she’s that allergic to cats, she couldn’t treat any of her patients who have cats. And she certainly couldn’t visit Norman at his place, because Cuddles once lived there.

“You don’t believe that?” Mike asked, noticing Hannah’s suspicious expression.

“Not really.”

“Well, neither do I. I think it’s just an excuse to keep him from coming out here and seeing you.”

Hannah thought back. Norman had come to see Cuddles a total of twice since he’d gotten engaged to Doctor Bev. On both of those occasions, he’d acted terribly guilty, and Hannah was convinced that Bev hadn’t know where he’d gone. “You could be right,” she said.

“Norman told me about Diana and how, after they broke up, Bev didn’t tell him she was pregnant. My question is ... why didn’t she? Why didn’t she tell him? He would have married her back then. What was she waiting for? And why did she wait this long to find him and tell him? It just doesn’t make sense, Hannah. There’s something wrong there. And I don’t want to see my best friend hurt.”





BUTTERAMA CAKE

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position.



Hannah’s 1st Note: Cassandra told Mother she got this cake recipe from her aunt. They made it in a Bundt pan and called it Kentucky Butter Cake.





The Cake Batter:





1 cup softened butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ? pound)

2 cups white (granulated) sugar

4 whole eggs***

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

? teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

1 cup buttermilk (If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can use cream. The cake will taste a bit different, but it’ll still be wonderful.)





*** - If Andrea were making this cake, I’d have to tell her to crack the eggs and take them out of the shell before adding them to her mixing bowl.



Get out a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan (metal or glass, either will do) and either spray it with Pam or another nonstick baking spray or butter it generously on the inside. (If you use butter, this could bring the total butter count up to a pound!)



To make the cake batter:



By hand in a large bowl or with an electric mixer (it’s easier with a mixer, of course) beat the butter for a minute or two.



Sprinkle in the white sugar, beating as you sprinkle. Mix the butter and the sugar together until they turn into a light, fluffy mixture.



Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.



Add the salt, baking powder, baking soda, and vanilla extract. Mix them in thoroughly.



Add 1 cup of the flour and beat it in.



Mix in half (? cup) of the buttermilk. Mix it in thoroughly.



Add the second cup of flour and mix well.



Mix in the rest of the buttermilk (? cup).



Add the remaining cup of flour and beat until the batter is smooth and without lumps.



Pour the cake batter into the 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan you prepared. Smooth out the top with a rubber spatula so that it’s evenly distributed in the pan.



Bake the cake in a preheated 325 degree F. oven for 50 minutes. Then take it out of the oven and set it on a cold burner on the stovetop or a wire rack to wait for its Butter Sauce.



The Butter Sauce:





1 cup white (granulated) sugar

? cup water (I’ll just bet you could use Kentucky Bourbon instead of the water here, but I haven’t tried it yet.)

? cup butter (1 stick, 4 ounces, ? pound)

1 Tablespoon vanilla





To make the Butter Sauce:



Put the cup of sugar, the ? cup of water, and the ? cup of butter in a medium-size saucepan.



Hannah’s 2nd Note: Don’t use a saucepan that’s black or brown on the inside. You’ll be using it again later when you make the frosting and you need to be able to see when the butter you’ll heat in it turns brown.



Heat the three ingredients on MEDIUM heat until the butter is melted, but DO NOT let the mixture come to a boil.



Hannah’s 3rd Note: You can also do this in a microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for 90 seconds. (I used a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup.) If the butter is not melted at the end of that time, microwave it on HIGH in 20-second increments until it is.



Pull the saucepan over to a cold burner, shut off the hot one, and add the Tablespoon of vanilla extract. (Be careful—it could sputter a bit)



Use a fork, food pick, or a thin wooden skewer to poke holes all over the top of your cake. Don’t be too gentle. You want the holes to go all the way down to the bottom of the cake pan.(I used a thin wooden skewer and poked about 45 holes in mine.)



Pour the warm butter sauce over the top of the cake as evenly as you can. If you used a saucepan, don’t bother to wash it. You’ll be using it again when you make the frosting.



Hannah’s 4th Note: So far there’s ? of a pound of butter in this cake. Add it up if you don’t believe me. If you frost it with Great-Grandma Elsa’s Brown Butter Icing, it’ll be only a quarter cup shy of a whole pound!