There’s all sorts of things I’ve ended up researching for my fiction — French chateaux, the finer points of cricket, how to look after a horse, the list is endless. For The Dishevelled Duke, my research involved cake. And I’m sure you’ll agree, that’s the best sort of research there is.
The Dishevelled Duke is partly set in a café in London, where would-be professional photographer Billy works. It’s Valentine’s Day, so the café is full of Valentine’s themed cakes. Looking at Pinterests of Valentine’s cakes put me in the mood for the story, and inspired the café’s Valentine’s themed stock of heart-shaped biscuits and red velvet cake.
I admire anyone who can make red velvet cake actually look even a bit red. I’ve tried and failed myself. It doesn’t matter how closely I follow the recipe, nor the quality of the red food colouring, I just cannot get my red velvet cake to look anything other than brown.
I’ve dabbled in baking to help out at charity cake stalls, but I’m not sure I’m all that good at it. At the last one I did, the stall was covered in trays of what looked like miniature cake artworks. I’d made vanilla cupcakes with heaps of primary-coloured buttercream icing on top, sprinkled with hundreds and thousands. They looked like they’d been made by a toddler.
But that made my cupcakes popular with the children, who walked up to the stall, ignored all the carefully crafted cakes with their spun-sugar decorations and gold-embossed cases, and pointed at mine. “I want that one, Mummy!” Well, it’s nice to be appreciated by someone, even if they like your cake because it looks like a cartoon come to sugary life.
I was conscious that we didn’t have any gluten-free cakes on the stall. However elegant some of the cakes were, however much mine might look like the sugar fantasy of a three-year-old, no one with coeliac disease could ever eat them. I don’t like making people feel left out, so I did my research and found Nigella Lawson’s recipe for gluten-free chocolate cake (https://www.nigella.com/recipes/chocolate-olive-oil-cake). No need to wrestle with red food colouring in a fruitless attempt to give it a red velvet vibe, either. The result was a great big gooey blob of chocolate deliciousness, and it was popular with everyone. Not just small children.
Whether your Valentine’s cake is an elegant confection or looks like the work of a small but eager child, whether it’s gluten-free or not, enjoy your 14th February!
About The Dishevelled Duke
Part of Pride’s A Little Bit Cupid Collection
Buy link
Will a photographer be swept off his feet by a duke who’s more dishevelled than dashing?
It’s Valentine’s Day and it’s Billy last shift at The Chelsea Bunn. His photography career never took off, so it’s time to leave London, parcel up the leftover heart-shaped cakes and head back home to Hampshire.
Rumpled Charlie and his two mischievous dogs are Billy’s favourite customers, so when Charlie turns up at closing time with a mysterious wrapped gift and the offer of a whirlwind trip on the London Eye, Billy can’t say no. But Charlie is keeping a secret that could turn Billy’s world happily upside down.
As the snow falls over London and the big wheel grinds to a halt, Billy discovers that wishes aren’t just for Christmas.
About the authors:
Catherine Curzon and Eleanor Harkstead began writing together in the spring of 2017 and swiftly discovered a shared love of sauce, well-dressed gents and a uniquely British sort of romance. They drink gallons of tea, spend hours discussing the importance of good tailoring and are never at a loss for a double entendre.
They are the authors of numerous short stories and two novel series, the de Chastelaine Chronicles, and the Captivating Captains, published by Totally Bound and Pride.
Author links:
www.curzonharkstead.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/madamegilflurt, https://twitter.com/e_harkstead
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madamegilflurt/, https://www.facebook.com/eleanorharkstead/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherinecurzon/, https://www.instagram.com/eleanorharkstead/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/eleanor-harkstead
