alysten | [Sunday Dinner] 9-2

There was no cooking this past Sunday. I think it's because I exhausted myself the day before. However, were from scratch cupcakes made on Saturday for a party we went to. So I will give you those instead.

Salted Caramel, Maple Bacon cupcakes.

Cupcake
3 cups cake flour
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 ¼ cups sugar
5 large whole eggs plus 3 egg yolks, room temperature
2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup maple syrup
1/2 lb bacon, crumbled

Preheat oven to 350°F.
1. Cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy.
2. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3. Add vanilla.
4. Add buttermilk and mix thoroughly.
5. Sift flours, baking soda, baking power and salt.
6. Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture in thirds.
7. Add bacon
8. Pour the batter about three-quarters of the way up.
9. Bake for 20 minutes

Cool completely before adding filling or frosting
1. Cut a dime sized hole in the top of the cupcake and reserve. I used a piping tip to do this.
2. Hollow out center of cupcake, about 1/3 of the way down the cupcake (and discard these crumbs)
3. When filling is cool, then you can fill this hole with caramel and replace reserved top.

Caramel filling
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons salted butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

1. In a large pot, melt sugar over medium/high heat.
2. Gently, whisk the sugar until it begins to melt.
3. When the sugar is completely melted and just starting to boil, add butter,
4. Keep whisking until butter is melted, turn off heat add cream.
4. Whisk until smooth and allow to cool slightly before pouring into cupcakes (about 10-12 minutes)
5. Once cooled, pour into hole you made earlier in the cupcake.

Frosting
1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 stick (1/2 C) salted butter
• 1 stick (1/2 C) unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted

Measure all ingredients out first. Do not try to measure as you go.
1. In a saucepan, combine sugar and water and bring to a boil.
2. Boil without stirring it starts turning a deep brown/amber.
3. Remove from heat and very slowly add the cream and vanilla.
4. Lightly mix until the mixture is smooth in texture.
5. Allow the caramel to cool, for about 20-25 minutes.

Once the mixture is cool, then begin the frosting component.
6. In the mixer, beat the butters and salt until fluffy.
7. Add the powdered sugar in thirds until it is all incorporated. Scraping down the sides of the bowl to get even mixture of butter to sugar.
8. Add cooled caramel and mix until well incorporated.
9. frost cupcakes

Candied bacon
1 lb bacon
brown sugar

preheat oven to 350
1. Take bacon and press into brown sugar on both sides.
2. Lay flat in a sheet pan
3. Cover with parchment paper
4. Nest another baking sheet on top of this and bake for 20 minutes

At the 20 minute mark,
5. Uncover bacon, pour off the liquid that has formed and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes or until crispy.
6. Allow to cool on parchment paper until completely cool. Then cut into strips and garnish cupcakes.Collapse this post