2. Add shortening, ⅔ c. milk, lemon flavoring, and vanilla extract.
* * *
3. Beat 2 minutes.
* * *
4. Add remaining milk and eggs. Beat 2 minutes more.
* * *
5. Butter and flour 2 round cake pans and divide batter evenly between them. You can also cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottoms of the pans to help get the cake out more easily.
* * *
6. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes, testing for doneness with a toothpick inserted in the center. If the cakes are done, the toothpick should come out clean.
* * *
7. When done, remove the cakes from the oven and cool completely.
* * *
8. Remove from pans, dusting away any crumbs. If your cake has crowned or domed, use a serrated knife to even up the top of one of the layers. This will help the top and bottom layer to sit better.
* * *
Filling:
1. Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in saucepan.
* * *
2. Gradually stir in juices.
* * *
3. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute.
* * *
4. Remove from heat.
* * *
5. Stir in butter.
* * *
6. Stir in pineapple after mixture has cooled.
* * *
7. Spread filling between the two cake layers. Try not to go all the way to the edges, as this may cause the filling to leak out while you are trying to frost your cake.
* * *
Frosting:
1. Mix sugar, water, and corn syrup in saucepan.
* * *
2. Bring to a boil and, using a candy thermometer, heat to 242°F.
* * *
3. Remove from heat.
* * *
4. Beat egg whites in mixing bowl until stiff.
* * *
5. Pour hot syrup from saucepan into beaten egg whites.
* * *
6. Beat mixture until frosting holds peaks.
* * *
7. Frost top and sides of cake.
* * *
8. Let sit for a few minutes to set.
* * *
9. Serve, and enjoy!
Acknowledgments
Dear Readers,
* * *
I hope you enjoyed this uplifting story that celebrates some of the best of human nature!
* * *
The recipes project from foods mentioned in the book was a ton of fun to assemble. I asked readers to submit their favorite Hawaiian recipes in my Friends Who Like Toby Neal Books Facebook group. (Join us there for lots of ongoing shenanigans!)
* * *
Erin Finigan, a terrific cook, undertook to kitchen test, vary, and rewrite all of these recipes included so that they don’t violate any copyrights. You can cook these wonderful dishes knowing they’ve been “road-tested” by the best!
* * *
I greatly enjoyed returning to explore Aunty Rosario’s world at Aunty’s Hawaiian Food Place, giving new backstory about her and her big heart. I hope to include the kids in this story in some future book, all grown-up and contributing to the fabric of their communities and this great nation.
* * *
Thanks so much for being on this journey with Lei and all of her growing ‘ohana!’ Look for exciting new additions to her Paradise Crime Mystery world in the year to come!
* * *
Much aloha,
* * *
Free Books
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Toby’s Bookshelf
PARADISE CRIME SERIES
Paradise Crime Mysteries
Blood Orchids
Torch Ginger
Black Jasmine
Broken Ferns
Twisted Vine
Shattered Palms
Dark Lava
Fire Beach
Rip Tides
Bone Hook
Red Rain
Bitter Feast
Razor Rocks
* * *
Paradise Crime Mysteries Novella
Clipped Wings
Paradise Crime Mystery
Special Agent Marcella Scott
Stolen in Paradise
Paradies Crime Suspense Mysteries
Unsound
Paradise Crime Thrillers
Wired In
Wired Rogue
Wired Hard
Wired Dark
Wired Dawn
Wired Justice
Wired Secret
Wired Fear
Wired Courage
Wired Truth
Wired Ghost
(Coming April 2020)
ROMANCES
Toby Jane
* * *
The Somewhere Series
Somewhere on St. Thomas
Somewhere in the City
Somewhere in California
* * *
The Somewhere Series
Secret Billionaire Romance
Somewhere in Wine Country
Somewhere in Montana
(Coming 2021)
Somewhere in San Francisco
(Coming 2021)
* * *
A Second Chance Hawaii Romance
Somewhere on Maui
* * *
Co-Authored Romance Thrillers
The Scorch Series
Scorch Road
Cinder Road
Smoke Road
Burnt Road
Flame Road
Smolder Road
YOUNG ADULT
* * *
Standalone
Island Fire
NONFICTION
TW Neal Pen Name
* * *
Memoir
Freckled
About the Author
Kirkus Reviews calls Neal's writing, "persistently riveting. Masterly."
* * *
Award-winning, USA Today bestselling social worker turned author Toby Neal grew up on the island of Kaua`i in Hawaii. Neal is a mental health therapist, a career that has informed the depth and complexity of the characters in her stories. Neal's mysteries and thrillers explore the crimes and issues of Hawaii from the bottom of the ocean to the top of volcanoes. Fans call her stories, "Immersive, addicting, and the next best thing to being there."
* * *
Neal also pens romance and romantic thrillers as Toby Jane and writes memoir/nonfiction under TW Neal.
Visit tobyneal.net for more ways to stay in touch!
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