As many of you know, my first novel EVERY DEEP DESIRE releases in less than three weeks. While I was editing this book, I went back and forth about whether or not to include an epilogue with a wedding scene for Rafe and Juliet (the hero and heroine). My editor and I decided that since Rafe and Juliet’s love story starts out so tragic (it’s a retelling of Romeo and Juliet), they go through so much and come so very close to not getting their Happily Ever after, we should add the scene.
As a former wedding gown designer, I was excited. Even more so when I found the perfect song for their wedding dance, a Creole Lullaby sung by Zachary Richard. The story takes place on the Isle of Grace, a fictional sea island off the coast of Savannah, GA, where Rafe and Juliet grew up alongside other families who all settled the Isle in the mid-17th century. The reception takes place at Boudreaux’s, an outdoor Cajun restaurant with a dance floor surrounded by picnic tables and coolers beneath enormous live oaks covered with Spanish Moss and strung with white lights. It’s a local place, almost impossible for tourists to find.
In the scene, Rafe and Juliet (who’ve just gotten married in the Isle’s tiny white church) celebrate on a mid-summer’s day with the other families of the Isle. They dance barefoot, drink champagne, and cut a simple pound cake decorated with local flowers. It’s a wedding celebration that proves to the world that true love heals all wounds.
So, in anticipation of Rafe and Juliet’s story coming out, here is the recipe for Juliet’s Wedding Cake. Served with chocolate strawberries, it’s also perfect for Valentine’s Day.
Juliet Capel’s Wedding Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup butter melted
- 1 cup vanilla low-fat yogurt
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- fresh berries for garnish
- Confectioner's Sugar or Buttercream frosting for garnish
Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1 cup Crisco shortening
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 6 cups Confectioner's Sugar
Instructions
Cake
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Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease and flour 1 bundt pan or two 9" round pans.
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Place melted butter in a glass bowl and whisk in the yogurt, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk in salt, baking soda, and flour and mix until just blended. Pour the batter into the bundt pan or two 9" round pans.
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Bake 1 hour (bundt pan) or 25 minutes (9" pans) until a toothpick test comes out clean. When cook, sprinkle with Confectioner's sugar or frost with the buttercream frosting.
Buttercream Frosting
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With an electric mixer, whip together the butter and shortening until light and fluffy, around 20 minutes. (this is critical to prevent the frosting from being greasy.) Gradually add milk, sugar, and vanilla. Frost the cake once it's cool. Serve with fresh berries.
Love this! The simplicity fit Juliet and Rafe perfectly! I’m so glad you included the epilogue, not only do I LOVE epilogues, but this couple needed their HEA out there for the world to see. Cannot wait to celebrate your debut officially. And the waltz is gorgeous, too.
Hugs!
Thanks so much, Diana. I took a poll on FB about epilogues and weddings in romance novels and the response was overwhelmingly positive. I just wish I could bake a cake that looks like that photo. LOL.