Who You Callin' Cupcake - Michelle Garcia [19]
Cupcakes
8 strips applewood-smoked bacon (we
prefer Neuske’s or Organic Valley brands)
1 recipe Devil’s Food Cupcakes (page 19)
Frosting
2 cups chunky peanut butter
1 recipe Vanilla American Buttercream
(page 27)
HOW TO MAKE IT
Cupcakes 1 Pan-fry the bacon strips or bake them in the oven. Either way, the cooked bacon must be crispy or it will cause the cupcakes to sour quickly. 2 Prepare the Devil’s Food Cupcake batter according to the recipe directions. 3 Dice 6 bacon strips into little bits and mix them into the batter. 4 Bake the cupcakes according to the recipe directions. 5 Cut the remaining bacon strips into I-inch pieces and degrease them with paper towels. Set aside.
Frosting 1 Prepare the Vanilla American Buttercream according to the recipe directions. 2 Fold in the peanut butter and mix well.
Put It All Together 1 Frost the cooled cupcakes with the peanut butter buttercream using a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (the peanuts may get caught in a smaller one). 2 Finish each cupcake with one thin slice of the reserved strips of bacon.
CHICAGO-STYLE PIZZA
Yes, I’m from Chicago, and yes, we make the best pizza (and hot dogs). This cupcake combines all that I love about Chicago pizza, but makes it much easier to eat (and less messy).
Pizza Filling
½ recipe Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
2 cups shredded provolone cheese
Put It All Together
1 recipe Foncer Dough (page 43 spray oil
Frosting
2 cups marinara sauce (your favorite kind)
1 recipe Italian Buttercream (page 24)
1 pound (4 links) raw Italian sausage (your
favorite kind)
1 cup marinara sauce
HOW TO MAKE IT
Pizza Filling Prepare the Vanilla Bean Cupcake batter, but omit the vanilla extract and vanilla beans and use only 1/6 cup sugar. Fold the cheese into the finished batter.
Frosting Prepare the Italian Buttercream according to the recipe directions. While the sugar is whisking into the egg whites, slowly add the marinara sauce. Reserve a little of the sauce for putting it all together.
Put It All Together Prepare the foncer dough according to the recipe directions. Set a frying pan over high heat. Form the sausage into silver-dollar-sized patties. When the pan gets superhot, place the patties in the pan and press down on them while they’re frying so they keep their shape. Using a rolling pin, roll out the foncer dough just like pie dough on a floured surface. Stop when your dough gets to be about ¼-inch thick and cut out twelve 4-inch circles. Spray the bottom of the cupcake pan with spray oil and fit the dough circles into each cup like a pie, and fold the edges over to create a thicker side wall. Place a sausage patty at the bottom of each dough cup and then scoop the cupcake batter in. Top each one with a tablespoon of marinara.
Bake the cupcakes according to the Vanilla Bean Cupcake recipe directions. You are looking for the foncer dough to become a little golden and for the cupcakes to easily pop out of the pan. Allow the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack and frost them with the marinara buttercream.
PANCAKES AND BACON
Pancakes and bacon seem to satisfy me no matter what I’m actually craving, so a pancakes and bacon cupcake? Why not! The one important thing is to use thinly sliced bacon that is sweet rather than smoky. You want the sweetness and crispiness from the bacon more than a heavy smoke flavor.
Cupcakes
12 strips bacon, divided
1 recipe Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
1/3 cup maple syrup
Frosting
1 recipe Italian Buttercream (page 24)
1 cup maple syrup
HOW TO MAKE IT
Cupcakes Preheat the oven to 325°F. Bake all 12 strips of bacon in the oven for about 30 minutes. 3 Prepare the Vanilla Bean Cupcake batter according to the recipe directions, but use only ¼ cup of milk. Instead of using all regular sugar, use only 1/3 cup sugar and replace the rest with the maple syrup. Chop up 8 strips of the bacon into small pieces and fold them into the cupcake batter. Reserve the