Raspberry Danish Murder (Hannah Swensen #22)(38)

“Cakes?” Hannah asked, noticing that Cyril had used the plural to refer to his wife’s contribution to the party.

“That’s right. She made three of them, exactly the same. When I asked her why, she told me that she just knew it was going to turn into a big party.”

“What kind of cake was it?”

“Chocolate. Everyone who was here had a slice with ice cream on top because she didn’t have time to frost them. She told me that she got the recipe from you.”

“Did she call it Ultimate Fudgy Chocolate Cake?” Hannah asked him.

“That sounds right. It was so good, I asked her to make it for all my birthdays from then on.”

“Tell Bridget I’ll give her the recipe for my chocolate frosting. It’s fast and easy to make. And it’s the perfect frosting for that cake.”

Hannah and Cyril arrived at the outer door to the garage and they walked to his office. Once Hannah had seated herself in the chair in front of his desk, she drew out her checkbook.

“I want to write you a check for whatever I owe you on Michelle’s car. And if it’s more than I have in my checking account, I want to pay off the rest on time.”

“That’s nice of you, Hannah, but you don’t owe me anything. As a matter of fact, I owe you five hundred dollars.” Cyril laughed at her astounded expression. “That’s right, Hannah. I got a great price for the car Ross signed over to you. Even adding in the registration and insurance, you still came out five hundred bucks to the good.”

“Really? Are you sure that includes everything?”

“I’m positive. This isn’t the first car I’ve sold, Hannah.”

“I know. It’s just hard to believe you got that much for Ross’s car. You must be a great salesman!”

“Of course I am. I’m Irish.” Cyril gave her a smug grin. “Some people might call it Irish blarney, but I call it Irish charm.”

“You’re wonderful, Cyril. Thank you so much for your Irish charm. Between you and Ross, Michelle has a great gift.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t ask you this, but what’s happening with Ross, Hannah? Is he coming back? I know the word on the street is that he’s out on location for a special project, but the fact he signed his car over to you makes me wonder.”

Hannah took a deep breath, readying herself for the explanation her whole family had urged her to make. She opened her mouth to speak the rehearsed words, but she just couldn’t do it.

“Truthfully, I just don’t know,” she admitted. “I can’t explain why he signed his car over to me, and I can’t ask him until he comes back.”

“Fair enough, Hannah. Maybe he was planning to get a new car, or maybe he had some sort of premonition that something was going to happen to him and he wanted to provide for you, just in case. People do have premonitions, you know. They call it the gift of second sight.”

“Anything’s possible, Cyril,” Hannah responded, even though she didn’t want to think about it.

“Keep the faith, darlin’,” Cyril told her, patting her shoulder. “It’s better to believe that everything’ll be all right than it is to worry that it won’t.”





UPSIDE DOWN PEAR COFFEE CAKE




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





Sweet Crumb Topping:



? cup finely chopped pecans

? cup brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when

you measure it)

? cup all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup

when you measure it)

? teaspoon cinnamon

1 and ? ounces cold salted butter (that’s

3 Tablespoons)





Fruit Layer:



? cup salted butter (2 ounces, ? stick, pound)

? cup brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

3 pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced, either fresh or canned.

? cup golden raisins





Coffee Cake Batter:



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

1 cup white (granulated) sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder (that’s one Tablespoon)



1 teaspoon salt

? cup softened, salted butter

1 cup whole milk

1 large egg





Prepare your baking pan(s). You’ll need a 9-inch by 9-inch square pan with 2-inch tall sides.





Hannah’s 1st Note: If the only square pan you have is 8 inches square, use that and also use a standard-size bread pan. Baking times for alternate pans are different, so test for doneness by inserting a long toothpick or cake tester in the center of the pan. If it comes out clean, your cake is done. If not, give it a bit more baking time in the oven.





Spray your pan(s) with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.





While your pan(s) are prepared, empty, and still cool, find a pretty, heatproof platter. Make sure that the platter is larger than the surface of the pan. It will also help if the platter has slightly raised edges because the butterscotch liquid that will be formed in the oven will drizzle down when you invert the pan over the platter. And you won’t want to lose a drop of that wonderful butterscotch taste!