Cupcake of the Week: Life is Like a Box of Cupcakes (part 1) || Week 13

In discussing possible cupcake ideas with my #2 taste tester seanbrogan, (obviously behind mr. zucca, and tied with mr. portman. you can battle it out.) we struck inspirational, sugary, gold.  It started out innocently enough, how about a surprise cupcake I wondered.  A prosciutto wrapped, goat cheese stuffed date hidden in the middle of a seemingly innocuous little vanilla treat.  What if... what if there were a whole tray of them?  Yet each one was slightly different?   Like a box of chocolates?  You never know which one you're going to get...

And thus the "Life is Like a Box of Cupcakes" was born.

I realize that this is all going to take a bit of time, a little elbow grease and several batches of cupcakes before I present the final array... but in the meantime for your blog reading pleasure, here is the first test batch I whipped up!

Simple Vanilla Cupcakes (in which to hide greatness)

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  in a bowl mix together all of the ingredients.  line your mini cupcake tray and fill each cupcake 2/3 of the way full.  bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.  this recipe will yield 2 dozen minis!

Simple Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

• 1 box powdered sugar
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

in a mixing bowl, whip the butter until it is nice and fluffy.  slowly incorporate the powdered sugar, milk & vanilla extract until you have a nice fluffy white frosting.

Filling #1 || Spiced Chocolate

• 1 bag of melting chocolate 
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream

in a double boiler melt your chocolate.  once it is completely melted, remove it from the heat and very slowly mix in your spices and cream to make a nice and delicious ganache.  set aside.

Filling #2 || Tabasco Candied Nuts

• 1 cup of mixed nuts
• 1 pat of butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp tabasco hot sauce

in a heated skillet, melt your butter.  throw in the mixed nuts and mix until coated.  lightly toast them until they start to brown.  add in the brown sugar and coat.  once your nuts are nicely toasted and candied, empty them onto a tinfoil covered baking sheet and spread out.  drizzle your tabasco sauce on top and set aside to cool.

Filling #3 || Prosciutto Wrapped & Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates

• 1 box of dates (the fruit, sadly)
• 1 log of goat cheese
• 1 package of prosciutto

line a baking sheet with tinfoil.  take each date, dig into the center from one end and pull out the seed.  in its place stuff in a marble sized ball of goat cheese.  then take your prosciutto, slice each piece in half lengthwise and wrap it around the date.  place it on your baking sheet.  repeat.  turn on your oven to broil.  broil your dates for about 4-7 minutes or until the prosciutto starts to crisp up and the goat cheese just starts to melt.  pull out of the oven and set aside.

Assembling the Cupcakes
take each mini cupcake, and using a small knife, cut a hole in the middle of the top. scoop out your cupcakes (you can save the scooped out insides to make cake pops) and set aside.  in 1/3 of your cupcakes, fill them with the ganache.  in 1/3 of the cupcakes, fill them with the spiced nuts (if they're too big, chop them up a little).  in the last 1/3 take a goat cheese stuffed date and cut them in half.  place half of the date in each cupcake.

then cover them all in white vanilla frosting and garnish with a toasted almond so they all look the same!

*One thing to remember, in making these cupcakes you have to take into consideration allergies and religious edibles.  First, make sure that your guests aren't allergic to nuts.  This could end very badly if they are.  Second... if anyone trying your cupcakes keeps kosher, you could either try skipping the prosciutto, or (and we know this from experience) they'll have to cut each cupcake in half to figure out which ones have pork!

Cupcake of the Week: Fig & Blue BurgerCakes || Week 12

Apparently my mind just keeps going to darker and weirder places when brainstorming cupcake ideas.  But the end results? They keep getting better and better... This weeks confection was inspired by one of my favorite burgers in the city... Stout Burgers "Six Weeker" camembert/fig/mild jack/arugula/caramelized onions. Burgers & Cupcakes... oh my!

I pulled the sweet fig and caramelized onions out of the mix, but I wanted to add a touch of sour & savory so I decided to swap out the creamy cheese flavors for a slightly sharper blue. 

Fig & Blue BurgerCakes

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup soft blue cheese
• 1/2 cup fig jam
• 1 tbsp heavy cream
• 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
• 2 pats of butter
• 1 lb of ground beef
• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup diced green onions

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  in a bowl, combine white sugar, 1/4 cup of butter, eggs, flour, baking powder, 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup soft blue cheese, 1/4 cup fig jam.  mix until combined.  in a skillet melt your pat of butter and over low heat saute your red onions with a tiny sprinkle of sugar, until they are soft and browned.  mix in half to your cupcake batter and save the other half to use as a garnish.  line your cupcake tins and fill 2/3 of the way.  bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

while your cupcakes are baking, it's time to make your mini-burger patties!  in a bowl mix your meat with worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.  make balls the size of a large marble and then flatten into 2 inch patties.  on your still hot skillet add another pat of butter to coat the pan.  grill your burger patties until they are nicely browned.  drain over paper towels.

in a bowl, mix together the rest of your blue cheese with heavy cream until it becomes a spreadable consistency.  if you need to use more cream, do so.  add in your fig jam and mix.

once you're ready to assemble, spread some of the blue cheese and fig mixture on top. garnish with a mini burger patty, a pinch of caramelized onions and a sprinkle of green onion.  enjoy!

Cupcake of the Week: Nutella, Mozzarella, Pancetta & Banana Cupcakes || Week 11

In what some will call a bold move, I went for it... fruit, cheese, chocolate & meat.  All things that pair nicely with wine, yet things that are rarely paired with each other.  But let me tell you... in doing so, something magical happened.  A true feast for the palate, a wonderful combination of ooey & gooey with salty & sweet that would pair well with a deep Merlot.

So here it is. 

The Nutella, Mozzarella, Pancetta & Banana Cupcake
3.5 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 sticks of butter, softened
2 cups of sugar
3 eggs
1.5 cups milk
1 cup chopped chocolate pieces
1/2 cup chopped banana
2 bananas sliced 
2 balls of burrata mozzarella
1 cup diced pancetta
1/2 cup nutella spread

pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.  in a bowl cream together your butter, sugar & salt.  mix in your eggs & milk.  then add in your flour, baking powder, chocolate & banana and mix well.  the cupcake batter should be nice and light.

in a pan, fry your diced pancetta until they are nice and brown.  scoop about half of your pancetta into your cupcake batter, reserving the rest to use as a garnish.  fill your cupcake tins 2/3 of the way full.  with the burrata, slice the ball in half.  scoop out the creamy center and reserve in a bowl.  with the rest of the mozzarella, cut into cubes.  in the center of each cupcake, place 1-2 cubes of the mozzarella and press down into the cupcake.

bake 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the cupcake has a nice sponge-y texture. there should be a few brown spots of ooey-gooey melted chocolate throughout your cupcakes!

in a bowl, whisk together the creamy burrata with the nutella and set aside.  slice the banana into wedges.  garnish your cupcakes with a dollop of the nutella & cheese mixture, a sprinkle of the reserved pancetta and a slice of banana!

when you cut into your cupcakes they'll have a nice stringy gooey center.  these cupcakes actually remind me a lot of a warm & gooey chocolate cookie, albeit with cheese & meat.

Cupcake of the Week: Alie N Georgia's McNuggetini Cupcakes || Week 10

In honor of finally trying the infamous McNuggetini, created by the fabulous Alie N Georgia... I decided to let that be the architecture behind my latest cupcake of the week.  If you haven't seen the duo work their magic, you must watch the video below!

Combining the deliciously sweet and dangerous chocolate vodka shake, with a BBQ sauce rim which works surprisingly well and a McNugget garnish, this certainly seemed like an awesome contender for my Herbivore vs Carnivore Cupcake Battle.

McNuggetini Cupcakes
3.5 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 sticks of butter, softened
2 cups of sugar
3 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla extract
1.5 cups chocolate milk
1 cup chopped chocolate pieces

mix everything together well. it helps to use a hand mixer or professional mixer. makes lots of air bubbles which help make these cupcakes awesome. the mixture should be a little wet and nice and light.

fill cupcake tins 2/3 of the way full.

pre-heat oven to 375 & bake 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the cupcake has a nice sponge-y texture.  there should be a few brown spots of ooey-gooey melted chocolate throughout your cupcakes!

Vanilla Vodka Buttercream
1 stick of butter
1 box of powdered sugar
2 tbsp vodka
2 tsp vanilla extract

in a large bowl, whip softened butter until it's nice and fluffy. slowly add in the powdered sugar until it's incorporated. about halfway through making the buttercream, add your liquids to flavor the frosting.

BBQ Sauce & McNugget Garnish
4-5 packs of BBQ sauce
20 piece box of chicken mcnuggets

Using a plastic squeeze bottle, empty the packets of BBQ sauce so it's easy to drizzle.  (If you don't have a squeeze bottle, you can always use a plastic baggie and cut off just the tip of one of the corners).  Drizzle on your sauce, and top each cupcake with a warm McNugget before serving!

These little suckers came out amazingly well.  Granted, a little dangerous if consuming more than one per sitting...  I could easily see these served up with a nice side of fries and a coke.  Or a shot of vodka.  You're choice.   

Special Thanks to Alie & Georgia for being such an amazing inspiration!! 

Cupcake of the Week: French Onion Soup Cupcakes || Week 9

After having the French Onion Soup Dumplings at Stanton Social, I knew this was something that could easily be converted into a cupcake formula.  It's like the best of both worlds!  Soup Dumplings & Cupcakes!  Plus, this couldn't be any easier to make.  So enjoy!  And watch out for all the calories (of which there were plenty)

French Onion Soup Cupcakes

• 1 can of French Onion Soup (yes, I know I was being lazy)
• 1 package of Puff Pastry (defrosted & ready to use)
• 1 block of Gruyere Cheese
• 1 cup Shredded Parmesan
• 1 egg
• 1 package of Mascarpone Cheese 
• 1 cup Fried Onions (I like the Trader Joe's version of French's Fried Onions)
• Butter

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.  In your cupcake tin, butter all 12 molds.  Open your can of French Onion Soup and set aside. 

Lay out the Puff Pastry and cut each sheet into fourths.  Using one square, press it into a cupcake mold.  Once it's nicely fitted inside (there will be extra hanging over the edges that you'll fold back to cover the top) place in one cube of Gruyere Cheese, and then spoon in your French Onion Soup until it's almost full.  Like a little gift, fold over all four of your corners until you have a nice little package in your cupcake tin.

Repeat with 5 more tins until you have 6 cupcakes total.  In a bowl, whisk your egg, and then using a brush, brush some of your egg wash over the top of each of the cupcakes.  Put your cupcake tin in the oven for about 10-12 minutes or until the top just starts getting some color.

Then take the tray out, and in the remaining six tins, mound a handful of Parmesan (these will bake nicely into your Parmesan Crisp garnishes) into each section.  Place your tray back in the oven for another 8-10 minutes. 

Using spoons, remove your baked French Onion Soup Cupcakes from the tin, and transfer to your serving dish.  Take a spoonful of Mascarpone and dollop it on top of the hot cupcake.  Stick a Parmesan Crisp in as a garnish, and then sprinkle some crunchy fried onions around the plate for an added texture! 

I served these with my own concoction of the evening.  My lovely boyfriend has decided to become the master mixologist to my attempts at avant garde cooking.  So he bought some egg whites and we whipped up this take on a fizz... not sure what to call it quite yet!

The Iizuka||Zucca Concoction

• 2 parts Dark Rum
• 1 part Cointreau
• 1 part Agave Syrup
• 1 Egg White
• 2 parts Club Soda
• Nutmeg Garnish

In a shaker, mix together Rum, Cointreau, Agave & Egg Whites.  Shake for about a minute before adding Ice.  Then Shake for another 2-3 minutes with ice before adding Club Soda.  Give it a few more shakes before straining into a chilled glass.  Shave some Nutmeg on top before serving!

I wasn't really thinking French Onion Soup Cupcakes when mixing this up, so no, in case you were wondering, they are not meant to be paired together. 

Cupcake of the Week: Parmesan & Chive Cupcakes || Week 8

I'm not going to lie when I say that I was slowly running out of time this week to create something special...

After a late night of drinks, I got home at 11pm last night, exhausted, but ready to bake.  Really, the perfect mindset to think up something crazy.  Looking through my pantry and fridge, I pulled together a silly little collection of savory flavors that surprisingly worked out really well together.

Perhaps not for everyone, these little treats would go work well as a side dish to a ham or turkey feast, pulling out a lot of complex flavors that compliment smoky meats.  Or, if you're into the cupcake & alcohol pairings, this would be nice with a Rauchbier (which is a German beer that has a very distinctive smoke flavor which is developed by using a malted barley that's been dried over an open flame.).

Parmesan & Chive Cupcakes
(Yield 6)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan
2 tablespoons diced chives

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl sift together your flour, baking powder, salt & sugar. Slowly add in your milk, egg & vegetable oil, until it's mixed well. Add in the parmesan & chives. In your pre-greased cupcake pan, fill up each cup & bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Roasted Garlic & Bacon Frosting
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 head of roasted garlic*
2 strips of bacon - cooked, drained & crumbled
1 tbsp diced chives
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Roasted Garlic is perhaps one of the easiest, yet most delicious thing to make.  First, take your head of garlic and slice about a third off the top.  You want to see the tops of the garlic cloves, but want to leave the head in tact so it has a nice shell to cook in.  Place your garlic head on a piece of tinfoil, generously coat it with olive oil, making sure that the oil drips down into the head of garlic, and salt & pepper the top.  Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the garlic cloves are nice and soft, and your kitchen is filled with a sweet & savory aroma.  Peel out your garlic cloves, mash them a little and set aside.

In a bowl, mix together all of your ingredients into a nice "frosting" of sorts.  Dollop a nice spoonful on your cupcakes and garnish with some fried onions, and a few sticks of chives.  Enjoy!

Cupcake of the Week: Fiery Dark & Stormy Cupcakes || Week 7

With it being Valentine's Day and all, I wanted to make a special little treat for my beau who is perhaps one of the biggest Ginger Beer consumers I know.  Instead of going all girly with hearts and bows, I decided to turn one of his favorite drinks, the Dark & Stormy into a Fiery cupcake.

So I present...

Fiery Dark & Stormy Cupcakes
I did a double recipe so there would be plenty to share!
3.5 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 sticks of butter, softened
2 cups of sugar
3 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla extract
1.5 cups milk
3 tsp lime juice
2 tsp dark rum
2 tbsp ginger crystals (or sub ginger candy)

mix everything together well.  it helps to use a hand mixer or professional mixer.  makes lots of air bubbles which help make these cupcakes awesome. the mixture should be a little wet and nice and light.

fill cupcake tins 2/3 of the way full.

pre-heat oven to 375 & bake 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the cupcake has a nice sponge-y texture.

not gonna lie, these are perhaps THE BEST cupcakes i've ever made.

Yummy Frosting
1 stick of butter
1 box of powdered sugar
2 tsp lime juice
2 tsp dark rum

in a large bowl, whip softened butter until it's nice and fluffy.  slowly add in the powdered sugar until it's incorporated.  about halfway through making the buttercream, add your liquids to flavor the frosting. 

Garnish
ginger crystals (or ginger candy)
key lime's
dark rum

after frosting, i added on a few sprinkles of ginger crystals for an extra boost.  then using your knife, hollow out half of a key lime.  set it on top of your cupcake, fill with rum, and carefully light on fire!  be sure to wait until the fire has gone out completely before eating!! 

enjoy! 

and don't burn down any houses please.

Cupcake of the Week: Caviar & Creme Fraiche Cupcakes || Week 6

Sticking in the savory realm, I wanted to take a classic appetizer and re-imagine it into a cupcake...

Caviar & creme fraiche are normally paired with blini or small pancakes so you can enjoy the salty, sweet and succulent textures wrapped up perfectly in a bite sized treat.  The blini are normally fairly bland in flavor, merely playing an edible plate of sorts to the star ingredient, the caviar.

A fairly easy duo to work with, replacing the blini with something equally as innocuous seemed like the perfect solution...

Cake seemed a little too heavy, as did a muffin, so I thought that a light and fluffy cornbread dotted with diced chives would add a nice texture to the dish.  So here you go... enjoy!

Caviar & Creme Fraiche Cupcakes
yields 3 dozen mini cupcakes
2 Cups self-rising flour
2 Cups self-rising cornmeal
2 Cups milk
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 Cup diced Chives
1 Cup Creme Fraiche
2-3 oz Caviar

Combine all ingredients + 1/4 Cup diced Chives; mix well. Pour batter into a well-greased cupcake sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes. Let cool

Top each "cupcake" with a dollop of creme fraiche "frosting" a garnish of diced chives and a spoonful of caviar! 

Cupcake of the Week: Kegs 'n Eggs Cupcakes || Week 5

This week I decided to go with a Superbowl Sunday decadent treat... The Kegs 'n Eggs "Cupcake."  I'll use the term cupcake lightly here since that term seemed to throw my boyfriend's mental image of this breakfast snack slightly off...

Thanks to my best friend M, I'd been introduced to the concept of a bacon cupcake wrapper... Hot diggidy, did this idea need a test run on my blog!  And to add to the bacon & egg allure, I tried to think of a way to creatively introduce a tinge of beer flavor into the mix.

Kegs 'n Eggs Cupcakes
8-10 slices of Bacon
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
6 eggs
1/4 finely chopped chives

To drain a little excess fat out of the bacon, I laid the strips on paper towels and microwaved for about a minute and a half.  Then, using 6 strips I lined the inside of the cupcake tins.  With the remaining bacon, I sliced them into squares to cover the bottom of the cupcake tin.

Into each cup I added a small handful of Gruyere, a sprinkle of chives and a cracked egg. Make sure to pack everything down so your egg does not overflow out of the cup.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the egg looks thoroughly cooked.

Beer & Cheese Frosting
1 package Mascarpone Cheese 
2 tablespoons Blue Moon (or any other Hefenweizen Beer will do)
1 tablespoon orange zest
Chives for garnishing

In a bowl I combined the Mascarpone Cheese with the beer and slowly mixed until it was all incorporated.  Do this slowly as the beer will start to fizz if you mix it too quickly.

Then, using a cheese grater (or mandolin if you have one) zest the rind off of your orange and mix into your Frosting.  This will add a nice slightly bitter orange flavor and texture to your cheese.  A little sweet, a little sour, and a great creamy topping to the saltiness of the bacon, I thought it all worked out quite well!

I garnished each dollop of frosting with a pair of crossed chives.

Cupcake of the Week: Thai Coconut Curry Cupcakes || Week 4

Hungover one morning I stumbled into my kitchen looking for quick and easy things to whip up, when I noticed a can of coconut milk chilling in my pantry.  Hrm... I thought, I could easily whip up a batch of coconut curry tofu...

And somewhere between drooling over the possibility of a quick & easy lunch, and the exhaustion ridden headache I was suffering from, inspiration hit!  

So I present... my take on a Thai Coconut Curry Cupcake! 
Spyglass Taste Tester Approved.

Thai Coconut Curry Cupcakes

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 sticks of butter, softened
• 1/2 cups of sugar
• 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cups coconut milk
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp thai red curry paste
• 1/2 tsp paprika

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, brown sugar, curry powder, thai red curry paste & paprika.  Cut your softened butter into chunks and mix in.  Then add in your wet ingredients, eggs & coconut milk.  (If you don't have coconut milk, you can substitute it with 3/4 cup of whole milk & 2 tsp coconut extract).  Spoon in to your cupcake tray until 2/3 full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Coconut Lime Frosting

• 1 box powdered sugar
• 1 stick butter softened
• 1 tbsp coconut milk
• 1 tsp coconut extract
• 1 tbsp lime juice

Whip your butter until it's light and fluffy.  Slowly incorporate your powdered sugar, coconut milk, extract and lime juice until your buttercream has reached a nice, spreadable consistency. 

Garnish

• Crumbled peanuts
• Cilantro

These work really well as mini-cupcakes, since you get all the flavors in one bite.  Described by my co-worker as a "meal + dessert" all in one...  Enjoy!

Cupcake of the Week: Tomato & Pesto Cupcake || Week 3

And onto my Tomato & Pesto "Cupcakes" with a Pesto & Red Chili Mascarpone Frosting & a Balsamic drizzle... decadent I know :-).  These came out fantastic, I'd eat them any day!

Tomato & Pesto Muffins 
(Yield 6)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large tomato finely diced
1 tablespoon fresh Pesto. 

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl sift together your flour, baking powder, salt & sugar. Slowly add in your milk, egg & vegetable oil, until it's mixed well. Add in the diced tomatoes & pesto. I like to use this Pesto I found at my farmer's market... In your pre-greased cupcake pan, fill up each cup & bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

While those are baking...

Pesto & Red Chili Flake "Frosting" with a Balsamic Drizzle
15 oz (or 1 tub) Mascarpone Cheese
2 tablespoons fresh Pesto
2 pinches Red Chili Flakes
1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup sugar

In one bowl, mix together the Mascarpone, Pesto & Chili Flakes & set aside.  Over your stovetop, heat up your Balsamic Vinegar & slowly sprinkle in your sugar.  Stir until combined & then let simmer on low heat until your mixture has been reduced by a third.  It should drizzle nicely from your spoon. 

Top each Cupcake with a healthy dollop of Frosting, a drizzle of Balsamic and garnish with a slice of a fresh Heirloom Tomato!  Enjoy!

Cupcake of the Week: BLT Cupcake || Week 2

Since my boyfriend got me these adorable little plates for Christmas, it was about time to start making little treats to photograph on them!

After listening to the Ideas of Today, Food of Tomorrow discussion, my wheels started spinning & I started to think about deconstructing the everyday...

When it hit me, the BLT was totally ripe for a little inspiration!  In cupcake form of course...

A tomato muffin with an avocado frosting & a bacon crumble on a bed of lettuce "wrappers."  They turned out really well, but buyer be wary, they're meant for instant consumption, as they didn't taste great cold & my avocado turned brown after a few hours.

Tomato Muffins (Yield 6)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large tomato finely diced
1 tomato sliced into thick rounds

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  In a bowl sift together your flour, baking powder, salt & sugar.  Slowly add in your milk, egg & vegetable oil, until it's mixed well.  Add in the diced tomatoes.  In your pre-greased cupcake pan, fill each cup halfway, add the sliced tomato & then finish scooping in the batter.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Avocado Frosting & Bacon Garnish
1 Ripe Avocado
2 tablespoons of Mayonnaise
1 package of Bacon, cooked & drained.

In a bowl, cream together the Avocado & Mayonnaise until it resembles a nice green frosting.  Crumble your cooked bacon into a separate bowl.  Garnish your "cupcakes" & serve them on a bed of lettuce! (or spinach in my case)

Cupcake of the Week: Maple Bacon Scones || Week 1

On my way to work, I realized I'd yet to name my New Years Resolution 2011... And not my "go to the gym," "take classes," "volunteer more," every year resolutions, I like to pose a challenge. Last year it was Caroline on Crack's 100 things to do in LA mega-list, which proved a little harder than I thought & I'm still determined to finish. This year, I thought I'd do something a little more fitting to my current blog...

And so.  The challenge has been set.

CUPCAKE (or equally as yummy baked good) OF THE WEEK!!

I know I'm already a little behind... but thankfully I have 3 baked goods sitting in my "to blog" list which I'm going to forward date to weeks 1, 2 & 3. But from here on out, each & every week I'm going to brainstorm, experiment & taste test a brand new creation from the inner world of Niki.  No chocolate or vanilla cupcakes here!  It's going to be all about fusing flavors & textures, with hopefully mostly positive results.  

So... here goes.  Week #1.  Maple Bacon Scones!

Ingredients - Yield 3 Dozen Mini Scones
3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 stick cold butter
1 cup cold cream
3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 package cooked bacon, crumbled

1 box powdered sugar
extra sugar to dust on top

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.  Grease your mini scone pan & set aside.  (If you don't have a scone pan, you could easily make these in a mini cupcake tin as well).  In a bowl, mix your flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda & crumbled bacon.  Make a little well in the middle of the mixture & pour in your cream & maple syrup.  Lightly mix.

Then, here's a little trick... using a cheese grater, grate your cold stick of butter (all of it) into your bowl!  It works really well at evenly distributing the butter in little chunks through your batter so it stays light & fluffy.  Once your dough is ready, spoon little balls into your scone pan, dust the top with a little sugar & bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

When done, let your scones cool and in a separate bowl mix up your glaze...  1 part maple syrup, 4 parts powdered sugar.  Mix it up until it has a slightly runny consistency, thin enough to drizzle, thick enough to still set once it's dried.   Drizzle your glaze on top of your scones, let it harden up a bit & enjoy!