Page 15 of Holly Jolly Cake Fight
He showered and shaved the beard that had come in during the break before selecting a flannel shirt and snug, deep blue jeans. He stared longingly at his trainers before shoving his feet into the network-mandated fashion boots. None of this was him — he was more of a scruffy-faced, tee-shirt and track pants kind of guy — but he was told to dress like this for the show, so he did.
Candace surprised him by emerging from her room just as the golf cart pulled up to their front door. Today she wore gray cashmere over a white Peter Pan collar, a lavender pleated skirt, patent leather Mary Janes, and white knit stockings. When she walked, the skirt swished enough to expose the slightest edge of lace.
She was in thigh highs again.
Laurin mused about her contract as they rode silently to the pavilion. Did it say conservative sweater and skirt, and Candacewas pushing the limits of it? Or had she been instructed to toe the line between actual schoolgirl and naughty schoolgirl costume and was following the directions to a T?
What didn’t surprise Laurin was the swarm of technicians who were still working on the ovens in the pavilion when he arrived. There was a lot of shouting and a bit of panicking at two of the workbenches, and Laurin prayed neither of those was his. Despite the series being called the Food2Love Bake-Off, it was just as much decorating as it was baking, and Laurin was a much stronger decorator. He was a decent enough baker, but he wasn’t going to wow judges on flavors alone. If he had a faulty oven, he was going to have serious problems keeping up.
He scanned the workbenches for the personal items they’d been allowed to bring, finally spotting his mother’s recipe binder on a station that had a green tag on its oven. That was a good sign.
“Hey!” Greg yelled up at the roof. It seemed as good a way to talk to someone as any. “What happens if our oven breaks in the middle of a bake?”
Laurin didn’t expect an answer. The way Candace jumped when the loudspeakers crackled made him think she hadn’t expected it either.
“We’ll be monitoring your ovens remotely,” the voice of Mike boomed, the speakers too loud. “If we catch their temperatures going off, we’ll respond accordingly. We’re looking at fifteen minutes to action, so hold tight, and Jordyn will be there in a minute to—oh, she’s there. Show them the work station.”
Jordyn led them to the station behind Laurin’s. The personal notebook that sat on it was a sleek, leatherbound journal embossed with the classic interlocking C logo of Coco Chanel —or Candace Coale, more likely. She casually wiped something off it while Jordyn explained the controls on the convection oven, confirming Laurin’s suspicion.
The oven and stove top were easy enough to use, and the drawers were well-stocked. There was no proof box, which meant they wouldn’t have any bread this competition. There were three blast chillers for the contestants to share, though, as well as three traditional fridges. Both side wall facades had shelves stocked with baking supplies, and at first, Laurin was surprised to hear they couldn’t use any of that unless it was an emergency; there was a utility pantry on the opposite side of the wall, where the cameras didn’t go. It was Belle who explained that it was for filming purposes. The producers wanted the walls to look nice, but it was okay to use the supplies when the cameras were getting exciting footage of it.
The technicians finished soon enough, and everyone was directed to their stations. Mike called for quiet on the set through the loudspeakers, someone fired up all the twinkling Christmas lights, and the remaining crew members scattered.
Jannie and Kate finally appeared on set, smiling and waving at everyone. “I love your outfit!” Kate cooed to Candace, forcing her camaraderie a bit. If Candace reacted in any way, her focus was already back on her notebook by the time Laurin glanced her way.
Once they took their spots, the cameras engaged, the spotlights spun, and Jannie thanked viewers for tuning in. There was a brief introduction, a mention of losing Debbie and Stephanie last week, and plenty of Christmas-themed puns. After all the pleasantries were out of the way, Kate said, “This week, Santa is on his way. We’re making sure he doesn’t go hungry in the middle of his sleigh ride, so it’s every contestantfor him or herself! Our bakers will be given just two hours to provide Santa with a tray of cookies.”
That wasn’t so bad, Laurin thought. Mom normally did the cookie baking with Vivvy at Christmas, but two hours was plenty for a couple batches of cookies.
“Santa has made some requests, so you’ll need one dozen artistically iced cookies,” Jannie told them.
That was perfect, actually. He had a basic sugar cookie recipe, and he doubted anyone here was better at royal icing than him.
“Santa also wants one dozen chocolate cookies!” Kate announced.
Well, that would be a chocolate chip, but the sugar cookie would more than make up for the uninspired second option.
“Now, Santa’s surprising kids on Christmas Eve, so we’re going to surprise Santa with a third cookie, this one with a signature flavor combination!”
Crud.
Hell’s Belles was the baker to watch out for. Whenever she was asked on-camera why she was the winningest competitor in cookie challenges, she gave the camera her most serene granny simper and said, “I imagine I’m baking them for my grandchildren. It’s not so hard if I think of everyone as my grandchild.”
The truth was a touch more calculated than that. The old biddy had five mastered recipes she rotated through, selectingthe ones most easily modified for the challenge. Since the judges changed season to season, only the veteran contestants ever caught on.
Candace knew Belle was making chocolate-covered caramel shortbread, mocha chews, and some sort of gooey bar before she knew what she was making herself. The basket Belle emerged from the pantry with confirmed this, but Candace wasn’t going to let herself be daunted. Belle may have won the lion’s share of cookie bakes, but Candace had always done well and won a couple herself. She selected from her recipe book a gingerbread, a chocolate bourbon turtle, and her latest creation, a strawberries-and-champagne sandwich cookie she was positive would be a showstopper.
Even if she regretted thinking of the Laurin flutters in her gut as champagne bubbles now that her brain would be stuck on champagne for the day.
Baking challenges were always much more structured than they appeared on TV. The shots of contestants dropping cakes, burning sauces, and sprinting across the kitchen were usually authentic, but those were quick seconds caught during hours of focused work. The two hours allotted for these cookies, for example, stretched nearly five hours, starting with a half hour for each contestant to decide on their recipes and select ingredients without climbing over each other. If there was going to be drama, it was going to be in the kitchen.
Candace wrote out her list and waved to Jordyn, who shot her a thumbs-up. While she waited to be taken to the pantry, she doodled some design ideas in her book and listened to the chatter in the room.
“What are you making?” Perfect Patty asked Laurin after he signaled to Jordyn as well.
“Oh, I thought traditional,” Laurin said. “Chocolate chip cookies and lemon bars. Last year, I made this whole Santa’s Sleigh themed cookie landscape, and I think I can pare that down enough to get it done in time.”
Patty was silent long enough that Candace glanced up at her. The woman’s perfectly contoured face was strategically held in a thoughtful expression, but her bland face made her thoughts plain. Laurin was playing the challenge way too safely, which would get him eliminated if no one else had a disaster. Patty was a good woman, though, always one to lend a helping hand and offer suggestions to struggling contestants. She’d set Laurin straight.
