Bakers on Board (6 page)

Once the party moved to the grand ballroom along with the remaining cupcakes, the girls were able to finally relax.

“I wouldn't call it a total disaster,” Kylie said. She dug into a Jolly Roger raspberry and savored every bite. “At least most of the cupcakes stayed dry.”

“Even if I didn't,” Jenna said, bundling herself in a towel.

“I wouldn't call it a disaster at all.” Mr. Warren suddenly appeared behind them. “Everyone is talking about that thrilling pirate show in the pool,” he told them. “You made quite a splash, ladies.”

Leo and Mitchell breathed a huge sigh of relief that their boss was pleased. “Pass me a cupcake,” Mitchell told Kylie. “After all that drama, I need one.” He popped three in his mouth, one after the other.

“Dark chocolate ganache,” he said, licking his fingers. “My favorite.”

“So what are your plans for the rest of the cruise—now that you're off duty?” Leo asked the club.

“Sun and fun,” Delaney said. “Finally!”

“About that…” Mitchell interrupted her. “The forecast is calling for rain tomorrow.”

Delaney rolled her eyes. “I give up. I just give up.”

“We'll still have plenty of time in the Bahamas, and the captain promised me he'd make a special stop in Florida on the way home since some of our VIPs missed their excursion to Disney World.”

“Yes!” Delaney pumped her fist in the air. “Magic Kingdom, here I come!”

Jenna made a face. “Do you think we could maybe skip the Pirates of the Caribbean ride?” she asked her friends. “I think I've had enough adventure on the high seas for one trip.”

Meanwhile, Harold had a chance to flip through the images Marisol had taken with his camera.

“These are excellent,” he told her. “You truly have an eye.”

Marisol shrugged. “Ya think?”

“I do,” he replied. “And I have a surprise for you. Be at the lobby tomorrow morning and you'll see.”

Marisol had no idea what Harold was planning—but she realized she couldn't lie to him anymore.

“Mr. Hammond,” she began. “About Lucy…”

“You got her wet,” he said. “I saw some condensation inside the lens while I was shooting.”

“I'm so sorry. It was stupid and irresponsible, and I wouldn't blame you for never trusting me with your equipment again.”

“Well, that would be a problem,” he replied. “You see, I've decided to come out of retirement, and I'll be needing an assistant to help me this summer. I was hoping you'd be interested—and I'll pay you for whatever shoots you come along on.”

Marisol's face lit up. “You mean it? That would be amazing!”

“Of course,” he reminded her, “you'll need to get your parents' permission.”

Marisol sighed. “That means telling my mom that I'm not going to be a doctor.”

“I think she'd rather hear the truth from you than lies,” Harold said. “I know I would. And after tomorrow, I think you'll have an easier way to tell her.”

• • •

Immediately after breakfast, Marisol, Maggie, Jenna, and the rest of PLC filed into the ship's lobby. There were chairs set around a stage.

“What do you suppose that is?” Jenna asked her sister. She pointed to what looked like several easels draped in cloths.

“I don't know. Harold said it was a surprise.”

Kylie checked the ship's daily schedule. “It says 9:00 a.m. art exhibit.”

Guests began filling up the chairs in anticipation. Leo and Harold walked up on the stage to introduce the event.

“It gives me great pleasure to introduce one of the finest photographers in the world, Mr. Harold Hammond,” Leo said in the microphone.

Harold bowed modestly. “This exhibit is not about me,” he told the audience. “It's about a young talent that I've discovered right here on this ship.” He pulled a cloth off one of the easels to reveal one of the shots Marisol had taken of Sadie in the fashion show. Then he yanked off another: this time, it was a photo of Jenna midair diving into the pool to save her cupcakes.

The crowd oohed and aahed. Each photo he unveiled was Marisol's.

“Marisol Medina”—he pointed at her—“please come up here and take a bow.”

“Go! Go!” Jenna said, giving her a push.

Leo looked utterly stunned. “Marisol,” he said, admiring the prints. “These are amazing. Your mother is going to be so proud of you.”

“Really?” Marisol asked. “You don't think she'll be mad that I don't want to be a doctor?”

Leo gasped. “You mean…you don't want to go to premed in college?”

Marisol took a deep breath. “No, not really. I thought I did for the longest time, but it's not where my heart is. And someone told me I should follow
mis sueños
.” She looked at Jenna.

“Well, that's big news,” Leo said.

“Do you think Mami will understand?” Marisol asked him.

He took her hand. “I think she'll be bursting with pride that her daughter is going to be a famous photographer one day.”

Marisol smiled. It felt so good not to have to lie anymore.

“Thank you,” she said, hugging Harold. “I don't know what to say.”

“Say you'll do me proud,” he told her. “And I owe you a lot too. You reminded me of how sad I've been since I put my dreams away on the shelf.”

• • •

When the ship finally docked back in New York, Betty, Gabby, and the twins were waiting to greet the rest of their family. The pier was in a state of happy chaos: besides the people waiting and long lines of taxis, there were huge crowds of guests piling off the ship with luggage and souvenirs.

Leo scanned the crowd, searching for his wife.

“
Aquí!
Over here!” Betty shouted.

“I missed you,
mi amor
,” Leo said, swooping sweeping Betty into his arms and kissing her. “All of you.” He handed each of the twins a plastic pirate sword, and they instantly began fighting with them.

“Look,” Gabby said, hugging Jenna. “All my polka dots are almost gone.”

“Mine too!” Ricky said, taking a break from his duel.

“No more chicken pops!” Manny added.

Marisol hung back, waiting to greet her mom.

“
Mija
!
” Betty held her arms out to her. “How was your trip?”

“Great,” Marisol said. “And I have something for you.”

She handed Betty a framed photo she had taken of a sunset across the ocean. The vibrant colors practically jumped out of the picture.

“This is beautiful,” her mother said. “You bought this for me?”

“I took that photo, Mami,” Marisol said slowly.

“You? You took this?” Betty held in her hands and stared. “
Eres muy talentoso!”

“She
is
very talented,” Jenna piped up. “And she's gonna be a famous photographer one day.”

“A photographer?” Mami asked, confused.

Marisol gulped. “
Sí
, Mami. If it's okay with you. I want to go to college and study photojournalism.”

Betty said nothing; she just stared. “A famous photojournalist? In our family?
Que maravilloso
!
”

“You mean you're not disappointed I won't be a doctor?” Marisol asked.

“
Mija
, we're proud of you no matter what you do,” Leo assured her. “And it takes a lot of courage to follow your dreams.”

“
Sí
,” Betty added. “As long as you're happy, I'm happy.”

Jenna gave Marisol a little nudge. “Told ya so.”

“Marisol, wait!” Harold caught up to her just as they were leaving the terminal. “You forgot something.” He handed her Lucy.

“Your camera? I can't! I almost destroyed it!”

“Which means you'll be much more careful with her now—especially since I'm giving her to you to keep.”

“Take it.” Jenna nudged Marisol again.

Kylie nodded. “Marisol, we could really use someone to shoot pictures for our new PLC website.”

Marisol beamed and pointed her camera at the cupcake club for one last shot from the cruise. “Say ‘cupcake!'” she said with a
clic
k
!

The first prez would have flipped over these flavorful cupcakes!

Cherry Cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (I prefer Plugrá), room temperature

4 egg whites, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups cake flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups buttermilk

10 ounces (1 jar) maraschino cherries, finely chopped

2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice (leftover from the jar)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners.

2. In the large bowl of an electric mixer set on high speed, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.

3. Reduce to low speed, and slowly add the egg whites one at a time. Add the vanilla, and mix until combined.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

5. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, beating at low speed for approximately two minutes until the batter is smooth.

6. In another small bowl, stir together the buttermilk and cherry juice. With the mixer on low, slowly add this mixture to the batter in the large bowl.

7. Add the chopped cherries, mixing slowly until they are blended into the batter.

8. Fill the cupcake liners about three-quarters full with the batter. Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

9. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, about 15 minutes, before frosting.

Pink Perfection Frosting

Here's how to make a cotton candy–colored shade of icing to top off your cherry cupcake.

3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 to 6 drops red food coloring

Directions

1. In a bowl combine sugar, butter, and salt. Beat until blended.

2. Add the milk and vanilla, and beat for an additional three to five minutes, or until smooth and creamy.

3. Add 4 to 6 drops of red food coloring. (Six will give you more of a bubble gum color, while 4 will be more pastel.) Mix until fully blended, then frost your cupcakes. Can you say “Yum”?

A rich yet delicate chocolate cupcake that feels fancy!

White Chocolate Cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped

2/3 cup sugar

4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick), room temperature

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners.

2. Ask a parent to help you melt the white chocolate, either in a double boiler or (the easy way!) in a microwave oven. Set your microwave at 50 percent power so you don't scorch the chocolate. Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds, then remove and stir. Careful! The bowl will be hot. Continue heating in 30-second intervals, stirring as needed, until the melted chocolate is smooth and creamy.

3. In the large bowl of a mixer, cream the sugar and butter together on low speed to combine, then on high until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.

4. Reduce the speed to low, and slowly add the eggs one at a time.

5. Beat in the melted chocolate.

6. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until combined.

7. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and vanilla.

8. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and the milk mixture, alternating between them until the batter is smooth and creamy. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure everything is combined.

9. Fill the cupcake liners about three-quarters full with the batter. Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

10. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, about 15 minutes, before frosting.

Chocolate Ganache

9 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Ask an adult to help you, since this requires heating the chocolate and cream on a stove top. Place the chocolate into a medium bowl.

2. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Watch carefully; it will boil fast!

3. When the cream has come to a boil, pour it over the chopped chocolate, and whisk until smooth.

4. Let the ganache cool slightly, then pour it into a large bowl.

5. Dip each cupcake top into the ganache. Make sure the chocolate coats the entire top. (It may take more than one dip.) You can then add sprinkles, colored sugar, or any other decorations your heart desires! Personally, I love ripe, fresh raspberries!