Devil's Food Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #14)(91)

“We wanted to come since we know Delores,” the blonde said.

The man nodded. “Yes. We see her almost every day at the hospital.”

“Meet Hannah Swensen. She’s Delores’s daughter,” Mike said, and then he turned to Hannah. “This is Doctor Marlene Aldrich, and Doctor Ben Matson. They’re Doc Knight’s new interns.”

“Glad to meet you,” Hannah said to both of them, and then she turned to Ben. “So you don’t know what the dedication means, either?”

Ben shook his head. “Not unless it has something to do with The Rainbow Ladies.”

“That’s probably it,” Marlene agreed. “They’re doing a great job for our patients, and I know Delores works with Doc on a daily basis to make out schedules and go over patient request lists.”

Hannah felt vaguely uneasy. Daily meetings about work were fine, but was there something else going on? She knew her mother and Doc had been friends for years, but could there be something new that she didn’t know about?

As she poured coffee for Marlene and juice for Ben, Hannah couldn’t help worrying a bit. When the two interns had left, she turned to Mike. “Do you think Mother could be sick?”

Mike gave a little shrug. “I don’t know. She doesn’t look sick, but sometimes people don’t. Look, Hannah. I’m really sorry I brought up that dedication in the first place if it’s going to make you worry.”

“That’s all right. I would have read it tonight anyway. And this way I can catch a couple of minutes with Mother right after the party and ask her to explain it to me.”





GOOD KITTY CAKE

Preheat oven to 350 F., rack in the middle position.

one pound ground chicken





one pound ground turkey





one large can (14.75 ounces) pink salmon (I used Chicken of the Sea)***





1 egg, beaten





? cup cracker crumbs (or matzo meal)





three 8-ounce packages of cream cheese (the brick kind, NOT the whipped kind in a tub)





one package of nicely shaped or colorful kitty treats to decorate the top (I used Whisker Lickin’s Crunch Lovers tuna flavor treats).





*** - If you’re giving this as a gift and you want this cake to look really colorful, use red salmon instead of less expensive pink salmon and pick off all the grey skin after you drain it. The lucky kitty recipient won’t care, but the kitty’s human caretaker might.

You will need 3 pie plates or 3 layer cake pans to make this cake. (I used disposable pie pans.)

Spray the 3 pans with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.

Press the pound of ground chicken into the bottom of the first pan, spreading it out evenly.

Press the pound of ground turkey into the bottom of the second pan, spreading it out evenly.

Drain the can of salmon. Pick out the bones and remove the grey skin if you wish.

Pat the salmon dry with paper towels, and then flake it into a small bowl. (You can also put it in the food processor and give it a few whirls with the steel blade to chop it all up.)

Mix in the beaten egg (or put it through the tube of your food processor if you used one).

Mix in the cracker crumbs (or put them through the tube of your food processor if you used one).

Once the salmon, egg, and cracker crumbs are thoroughly mixed, press them into the last pan you prepared, and spread them out as evenly as possible.

Bake the ground meat and the salmon patty in the pans at 350 degrees F. for 25 to 30 minutes.

Use a turkey baster to suck out the grease and dispose of it. Let the meat and the salmon cool completely in the pans, cover them with plastic wrap, and refrigerate them for at least an hour.

Hannah’s 1st Note: You can do this the night before you plan to assemble the cake and refrigerate the meat and fish overnight. If you do this, the cake will be firmer and easier to frost.

To assemble the Good Kitty Cake, first you must make the frosting. Unwrap the cream cheese and place it in a medium-sized, microwave-safe bowl. Heat it on HIGH for 30 seconds.

Try to stir the cream cheese. If it’s still too firm on top to stir, flip the top brick of cheese so it’s on the bottom and heat it on HIGH for another 30 seconds.

Try to stir again. If it’s still too firm, give it another 15 seconds on HIGH. That should be enough to heat it through and soften it enough to spread on your Good Kitty Cake.

Hannah’s 2nd Note: When I make this 3-layer cake, I like to put the salmon layer in the middle. I use either the ground turkey or the ground chicken layer on the bottom.

Take one disk of ground meat out of its pan and place it on a cake plate. Spread a little of the frosting on top.

Take the salmon disk out of its pan and place that on top of the ground meat. Spread a little more frosting on top of the salmon layer.

Take the third disk of ground meat, put it on top of the second, and spread a little more frosting on top. Cover this disk completely with frosting since it’ll be the top of your cake.

Spread frosting on the sides of your cake with a spatula or frosting knife.

If you have any “frosting” left over, swirl in a bit of jam and spread it on your toast in the morning. Now don’t make a face. It’s true that cats love cream cheese, but it’s for humans, too!