Read Battered to Death (Daphne Martin Cake Mysteries) Online
Authors: Gayle Trent
Battered to Death (Daphne Martin Cake Mysteries) (9 page)
I glanced at my watch. “It’s almost time for me to get started in the timed cake competition. Four of us have an hour to decorate a cake with a beach theme using only the supplies we’ve been given. Wish me luck!”
“Good luck,” Myra said. “I’ll be mingling to see what else I can find out.”
“Me too,” China said.
Knowing that Cagney and Lacey were on the case, I returned to Violet, Leslie, Alex, Molly, and Chris to let them know where I was going.
“Ooh, I’m coming to watch,” Leslie said.
“Alex, would you like to watch Daphne compete in the timed cake decorating competition?” Molly asked.
Alex nodded. Behind his back, Molly gave me a thumbs-up. I thought that must mean we were making progress.
As I walked toward the competition area, I overheard two celebrity chefs talking about Chef Richards.
“Did you hear that somebody drowned him in cake batter?” the man asked. “If that’s not poetic justice, I don’t know what is.”
“Poetic justice would’ve been if they’d drowned him nude in a bathtub filled with batter,” the woman said. “He was always quick to disgrace anyone he could. The tables would’ve really been turned on him then.”
“I just wonder who’s going to get that plum TV spot he’s giving up,” the man said.
She grinned. “I hope it’s me.”
“And I hope it’s me,” he said.
“Hey, maybe they’ll pick us both,” she suggested.
His mouth turned down at the corners. “You know, that’s not a bad idea. Let’s do a demo tape and send it in.”
They were excitedly making plans as I continued on to the competition area. There was certainly no love lost among Chef Richards and the two of them.
W
HEN
I
got to the area where the timed decorating competition was to be held, there were four long metal tables placed about two feet apart. A place card indicated that I was at the table at the far right. I was glad. I didn’t want to feel I was the center of attention. Plus, I would be less nervous if I felt that not every other contestant in the competition was peeking to see how my cake was coming along. This way, there would be only one other contestant who would have a clear view of me. I
glanced at the table to the left of mine. The place card said
PAULINE WILSON
.
Adjoining each metal table were smaller tables on each side that gave the decorator additional workspace. At the corner of the main tables, there were covered cake plates. Without looking, I knew the cake plates contained the two-tiered cakes we would be decorating in the competition. There were also items from our sponsors: molds for shell-shaped candies and chocolates, cookies, flavored fondant, icing, gel color, piping bags, and candies. There were chocolate and candy disks as well as a hot plate and two double boilers for melting them. Of course, we also had spatulas, cake tips, a fondant rolling pin, and some other decorating doodads.
Each contestant had also been given a sketchpad and pencil to use to rough out his or her design prior to the commencement of the decorating. However, the design was part of the timed competition, so no decorator was able to sketch out his or her design until the official had read the rules and had said we could begin.
Kimmie Compton arrived just before the competition to ensure that everyone had the requisite items and that we were all ready to start. Assured that her competitors were ready to begin, Ms. Compton made a brief announcement to the audience who’d gathered in the metal folding chairs
and risers approximately five feet in front of our tables. Ms. Compton announced that we—the competitors—would have one and a half hours to complete a beach-themed cake using only the items in our individual workspaces. Then she sounded a bell for us to begin.
I quickly uncovered my cake to see what I had to work with. I had a ten-inch round and an eight-inch round, two-tiered cake. I wanted to do something different from the traditional tiered cake. I didn’t want to make a beach-themed wedding cake. I wanted to do something
different
. And I also had carving on the brain. This competition would be a good opportunity for me to practice my carving prior to the demonstration I’d be giving later in the day.
I stared at the cake for a moment, and then I flipped opened the sketchpad. I decided to cut the ten-inch layer to make a boat. I drew a circle and then dissected the sides to leave the long, rounded rectangular center. That would form my boat. I divided one of the sides in half to make a triangular front for the boat. I did the same thing with the eight-inch round layer, so that I could give the boat more dimension. This would make the top portion slightly shorter than the bottom, which would give me a space for the seats and windshield. The rest of the cake would form the waves and, possibly, a stretch of shoreline.
Once I’d sketched out my design, I separated
the cakes and began carving. It came together even better than I’d hoped. I was only about half an hour into the competition, and I had my cakes carved and my boat well under way.
I heard muttered curses behind me and figured Pauline Wilson wasn’t enjoying the ease of seeing her design come together as quickly as mine had, but I didn’t have time to worry about her. I knew I had precious little time to finish getting my boat together and finish my cake. One never knew what could go wrong at the last minute, so wasting time thinking about the competition was not an option.
Once I’d completed the carving of my boat, I crumb-coated it, and then I covered it in white fondant. I melted candy disks in the double boiler and poured the melted candy into the seashell molds. Hey, I was no fool, and I guessed that not using one of the biggest sponsor’s gifts would result in a points deduction.
While I was waiting for the candy in the molds to harden, I made fondant figures—a boy and a girl—to go into the boat. I also took some of the remaining cake and carved it to look like water rising up on the sides of the boat. This, too, I crumb-coated and then covered in blue fondant.
I looked at the clock and saw that I had fifteen minutes remaining. My figures were blond—representing Leslie and Lucas. I had time to make one more . . . a brown-haired boy . . . for Alex. I then placed the figures into the boat, scattered the shells
around the crushed-cookie “sand” covering the cake board, and then painted USS
Alex
as the name of the boat. I didn’t want Alex to have any doubt that I was including him in my creation. I wondered if I should have named the boat the USS
Armstrong
and utilized Lucas’s and Leslie’s surname instead, but I would make it a point to explain the reason behind the USS
Alex
later on. I felt confident my niece and nephew would understand.
I was taking one final look at the cake trying to determine what—if anything—else it needed when the timer went off.
“Whoo-hoo, Aunt Daphne!” I heard Lucas yell from the audience. “Way to go!”
I smiled and winked at him. I was glad he and Jason had arrived in time to see the end of the competition.
“Contestants, your time is up,” said Kimmie Compton. “No more work may be done on your cakes. Please step away from your tables.”
Four chairs had been set up to the left of the audience members. Kimmie instructed us to go sit in the chairs while the judges perused the cakes. At last, I was able to look around and see what the other decorators had done.
Pauline Wilson’s cake was an ivory wedding cake creation with a shell border and Cornelli lace. Like me, she used cookie crumbs to make a sandy covering for her cake board. Pauline also used the “sand” to decorate the top of her cake. The cake
was sprinkled with shells she’d made using the candy mold supplied by one of the sponsors.
The competitor to Pauline’s right was named Madge Koker. I’d never seen Madge before, but she was a short, heavyset woman with gray hair and kind blue eyes that were only slightly hidden by her glasses. Madge’s cake had been iced turquoise to look like water and was decorated with fondant fish and candy shells.
The final competitor was Lou Gimmel. I smiled and gave Lou a little wave. He returned my smile and gave me a nod. His cake had been covered two-thirds of the way in blue frosting, with white waves cresting up over the cake to accommodate the fondant surfers who were riding the waves. The other third of the cake had been made to look like the beach, complete with fondant figures, a tiny sand castle, beach balls, chairs, and umbrellas. Lou’s cake worried me. I felt I was probably looking at the winning cake on his table. It was beautiful.
As Kimmie Compton introduced the judges and then us, the competitors, Pauline Wilson glared at me. I had no idea what I’d done to deserve her ire, so I simply ignored her. As soon as Ms. Compton was finished with the introductions, however, I learned what Pauline’s problem was.
She raised her hand in the air and shook it around like an elementary school student who needed to go to the bathroom. “Ms. Compton, I think Daphne Martin should be disqualified.”
“And why do you feel that way, Ms. Wilson?” Ms. Compton asked.
“Because she cut up her cake. She didn’t leave it in the traditional two tiers,” Pauline said.
“There was nothing in the rules indicating that the cake had to remain in the shape in which you received it,” said Ms. Compton. “I appreciate your concern, but the judges will decide what is and isn’t appropriate and will be judging each cake based on its individual merits. Thank you.”
I turned my attention to Violet, Leslie, Lucas, and Jason, who were sitting with Molly, Chris, and Alex. I was glad Leslie and Lucas had made friends with the boy. I was terribly sorry for what Alex had suffered at Chef Richards’s hands. That man had been hard enough to contend with for an adult. How on earth were children supposed to deal with him and walk away unscathed?
Lucas got my attention and rolled his eyes before making a face in Pauline’s direction. I nearly laughed aloud. I shook my head slightly to try to dissuade him from acting up, but I eventually had to turn my attention elsewhere.
Waiting for the judges to look at all the cakes, mark up their findings, and make their final decisions seemed to take forever. After one last consultation, they handed their final score sheets to Ms. Compton.
Smiling, Ms. Compton took the microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, we award only two prizes in
this competition, even though all four of these cakes are outstanding, as you can see for yourselves. That said, the second place prize goes to Lou Gimmel.”
We all clapped heartily for Lou. He received a certificate, a red ribbon, and a basket of gifts submitted by local merchants. I, for one, was shocked that he didn’t win. I was even more shocked when Ms. Compton called my name as the winner.
I stood and accepted my prizes—a certificate, a blue ribbon, and a basket of local merchant gifts. “Thank you so much!” I exclaimed. “I can hardly believe it!”
“I certainly can’t believe it,” Pauline said. She’d said it low enough that I doubted anyone in the audience had heard her, but I had and I thought the odds were pretty good that the other contestants and Kimmie Compton had heard her as well.
“Let’s give Ms. Martin a round of applause,” Ms. Compton said coolly.
The audience duly applauded, and Lucas shouted more “whoo-hoos” for his favorite—albeit only—aunt.
Prior to leaving the competition area, we were allowed to pack up the items donated by the sponsors. As I was gathering my items into a large plastic bag, Lou Gimmel came over to me.
“Great job,” he said.
“Thank you,” I told him. “But your cake should’ve won. I truly thought it was the best.”
“It was good, but you showed more imagination and creativity when you carved your cake,” said Lou.
I laughed. “The main reason I did that was because I’m doing the carving demonstration in about half an hour, and I needed the practice.”
He laughed too. “Makes sense. I’m demonstrating characters made of modeling chocolate later this afternoon.”
“I’ll have to come and check it out,” I said. “Your characters and the objects on your beach cake were spot-on . . . and that sand castle? Priceless.”
“Thanks.” He grinned. “I wondered if you’d like to have this.” He handed me a coupon for ten dollars off a cut and style at Tanya’s Tremendous Tress Taming Salon. “It was in my prize basket, and I seriously doubt I’ll use it.” He ran a hand over his buzz cut.
“I doubt I’ll use it either, but I’ll give the coupon to my neighbor,” I said. “She’s a braver soul than I am.”
“You don’t recommend the salon, then?” he asked.
“
You
might come out okay,” I told him, “but my hair would be bigger than Texas.”
Lou laughed and then excused himself as the thundering horde that is my family made their way to my table.
“Aunt Daphne, your cake rocked!” said Leslie.
“That guy who won second place had a cool cake too,” Lucas added. “But yours was the best.”
“I’m so proud of you,” Violet said.
“Good job,” said Molly. “Don’t you think Ms. Martin did a good job on her cake, Alex?”
Alex nodded.
“Lucas, what are you and your dad doing here so early?” I asked. “I thought you guys were going to a ball game.”
“We went to do a little batting practice before going to watch the game, and we decided we’d rather be here,” Lucas said.
“Really?” I asked.
“Really,” Jason said with a smile. “We didn’t want to let our favorite bakers down.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Leslie gave Jason a bear hug. “Yeah. Thanks, Dad. And you too, Lucas.”
“Can we eat that winning cake now?” Chris asked teasingly. “I’m starving.”
“I’m afraid not,” I said. “The judges will be taking the cakes to be photographed.”
“I’m with you on the starving part,” Jason said to Chris, looking around the ballroom. “There have to be some food vendors around here somewhere.”
I told Jason where the snack area I’d found earlier was located. “It’s where I met Molly, Alex, and Chris this morning.”
“That’s all we’ve got in the way of food? Oh well. I know where that is. I’ll take you in that
direction,” Chris told Jason. “Maybe we can sit down and at least talk about something other than cakes. I’d like to get my mind off the stuff if I can’t have a piece of any of them.”
Lucas warmed to Chris’s line of thinking. “Yeah. What’s so great about a cake you can’t eat?”
Molly shook her head. “All right, guys. Let’s go get a snack.”
“Will you show us the video of Alex making the haunted house while we eat?” Leslie asked.
“If it’s okay with Alex, I will,” Molly said.
Alex nodded to give his permission.
“Daph, you coming?” Violet asked.
“No. You guys go ahead. I have to get ready for the cake carving demonstration in about fifteen minutes, so I’ll eat the protein bar I dropped into my purse this morning.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “I’ll be happy to bring something over to you.”
“That’s fine,” I said. “While I’m eating my bar, I want to walk around and see how my cakes are faring.”
Her eyes widened. “Check on Leslie’s too, would you?”
“I will,” I said with a grin.
