Confectionately Yours #2: Taking the Cake! (16 page)

O
ne night, when I was very small, I threw up in my bed. Then I threw up again. I called for my mom, but it was my dad who came in to check on me.

“I’m sick,” I told him, and I started to cry.

“It’s okay,” Dad said. He came and hugged me, brushing my disgusting, vomity hair away from my face. Then he lifted me up and carried me to the bathroom. He gave me a bath, then went to clean my mattress and change my sheets. Dad washed my hair and combed it, then wrapped me in a towel. He changed me into some warm, fresh pajamas. Then he took me to the couch, where he wrapped me in a blanket and held me in his arms until I fell asleep again.

I still remember that. I remember how fresh and clean I felt. I was sick, but I was warm and safe.

That doesn’t sound like someone who doesn’t care about me, does it?

People make mistakes; they do the wrong thing. Sometimes they’re annoying. Sometimes they’re awful. (That’s true for me, too, by the way.)

So how do you know when it’s time to give up? And how do you know when to hang in there?

I guess you don’t, really. You just make your choices and hope for the best.

Chocolate-Chip-Cookie Cupcakes

(makes approximately 12 cupcakes)

INGREDIENTS:

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
   
2. In a small bowl, mix the milk and vinegar together and set aside to curdle for a few minutes.
   
3. In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, cream the margarine or butter for a few minutes until lighter in color, then add the dark brown sugar and mix thoroughly. Add the curdled milk, molasses, and vanilla extract.
   
4. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix.
   
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones a little bit at a time, and combine using a whisk or handheld mixer, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times, until no lumps remain. Add the chocolate chips and combine completely.
   
6. Fill cupcake liners two-thirds of the way and bake for 20–22 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack, and let cool completely before frosting with your choice of frosting.
   

“S
o, what am I supposed to be thinking about when I look at this?” Marco asks as he studies the enormous metal sculpture. “Like, am I supposed to be having deep thoughts? Because all I’m thinking is that this is a giant Twinkie.”

It is a giant Twinkie. It’s bright yellow, and oozing some kind of metallic fake frosting. “Maybe you’re supposed to be thinking about perspective,” I say, but this is just a guess. I’m not really sure what this art is about, either. But I like it. “Wouldn’t it be fun to get stuck inside that Twinkie, and have to eat your way out?”

Marco looks horrified. “That would be
awful
. I’d much rather get stuck inside a chocolate-chip cookie.”

“Maybe a chocolate-chip-cookie cupcake?” I suggest.

“Definitely,” he says, and we move on to the next sculpture. It’s a giant Ring Ding. We stare at this awhile, until
Marco’s phone chirps. He pulls it out, then types something quickly.

“Sorry,” he mutters. “I’m meeting Tanisha later.”

“Tanisha Osborne? Why?”

Marco shoves his phone back into his pocket. “She’s going to tutor me in math.”

“Oh,” I say, and my heart lifts. Once Marco told Mr. Carter the truth about the cheating, I got my ninety-six back. With a warning, of course. And now my week of being grounded is over, and I’m hanging out with Marco.

“If I bring my grade up, I can probably rejoin the team in time for indoor soccer,” Marco says.

“Are you missing it? The team, I mean?”

“Yeah. But I think I might start volunteering at Aurora Connection. Do you know about them?”

“They work with autistic kids?”

“Yeah.” Marco moves away from the art and toward a series of sketches displayed on a wall near the window. The sketches are of crumbs … I think. “Anyway, maybe it’s good that I’m getting a break from those guys.” Marco’s shoulder is turned toward me; I can’t see his face. “Like Ezra.” I remember how Marco and Ezra got into a huge fight a couple of months ago. I realize that Marco may have a point.

“Sometimes it’s good to do something different. It gives you perspective.”

“There’s that word again,” Marco says. “Did the Twinkies make you think of that?”

I remember Meghan’s face framed against the blue sky as we looked down at the school yard. “No,” I admit. “I was already thinking about it.”

“Anyway, all those guys ever talk about is girls, movies, and sports.” Marco turns to face me, and jerks his thumb toward the sculptures. “They never want to go look at Twinkie art.”

“The funny thing about those Twinkies,” I say as I stare at the sculpture, “is that they’re actually kind of beautiful.”

“Yeah …” He seems thoughtful. “Hayley —” He stops.

“What?”

Marco bites his lip, then gives his head a little shake. “I think I need a Twinkie.”

“There’s a shop down the street.”

Marco grins. “Race you?”

Well, I’m sure you can guess what happens next. After all, I can never say no to Marco.

I
would like to gratefully acknowledge the help of my sister, Zoë Papademetriou, who created the recipes in this book. I would also like to thank my editor Anamika Bhatnagar for her insight and input, my agent Rosemary Stimola for her unwavering enthusiasm, my husband for his willingness to listen to all of my thoughts and ideas, and my mother for her relentless support.

Don’t miss Hayley’s latest confessions!

H
ayley’s ex-BFF, Artie, is back in the picture and getting between Hayley and her new pal, Meghan. Artie and Meghan are like oil and water — they just don’t mix! This looks like another recipe for disaster!

Bonus Recipe: Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour

INGREDIENTS FOR MIXTURE #1:

INGREDIENTS FOR MIXTURE #2:

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. For either flour blend, sift each ingredient into a large mixing bowl. Thoroughly mix all ingredients together with a large whisk. Store the mix in a large covered container, either in the refrigerator or another cool, dark, and dry place. Label the container “Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix” to avoid confusion.
   
2. To use gluten-free (GF) all-purpose flour mixes, substitute your GF flour for all-purpose flour following a 1:1 ratio. (If the recipe calls for 1 cup of all-purpose flour, substitute 1 cup of GF flour.) You can add up to 1/4 cup more GF flour than directed if the batter consistency seems too watery.
   

Cannoli Cupcakes

(makes approximately 12 cupcakes)

INGREDIENTS:

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
   
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soymilk and vinegar, and set aside to curdle for a few minutes.
   
3. In another larger bowl, sift together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
   
4. Once the soymilk is curdled, add the granulated sugar and brown sugar, and mix thoroughly. Add the curdled soymilk, canola oil, and almond and vanilla extracts.
   
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones a little bit at a time, and combine using a whisk or handheld mixer, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times, and mix until no lumps remain.
   
6. Fill cupcake liners two-thirds of the way and bake for 20–22 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack, and let cool completely before frosting.
   
7. With your (clean!) thumb, poke large holes into the center of each cupcake. Alternately, take a small knife and carve out a cone from the center of each cupcake to create a well. (You can discard the cones, or eat them.)
   
8. Fill a pastry bag with Ricotta Frosting. (You can also make your own pastry bag by cutting off
   a corner from a plastic Ziploc bag.) Insert the tip of the pastry bag into each cupcake, and squeeze it to fill the cavity you created. Then swirl the frosting on top of the cupcake to cover the opening.
   

Ricotta Frosting

INGREDIENTS:

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Take a bowl and place a wire mesh strainer inside it, then line the wire strainer with the cheesecloth (or paper towels). Add the ricotta cheese and place the bowl in the fridge, allowing it to strain for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
   
2. In a clean bowl, cream together the ricotta cheese and the confectioners’ sugar, slowly adding the sugar in 1/2-cup batches, mixing completely before adding more.
   
3. Add the vanilla extract and miniature chocolate chips (as much or as little as you like, really), and beat on high speed until fluffy.