The Ultimate Man-Cake!

This recipe, and any other update on this food blog, is long overdue. Life has been a little bit hectic over the past few weeks with a new job, crazy schedules, more rigorous workouts, and everything that comes along with being extremely exhausted. I haven’t lost my love of eating and cooking though and I intend to be back on in full force within the next few weeks. These bacon cupcakes are no doubt the most delicious, manly cupcakes I’ve ever made. They really appeal to everyone BUT my mother and were so easy to make, I am considering making a cake version because one small cupcake is just never enough.

Side note: There are amazing running trails all around Vancouver and I’d gladly make a few recommendations once you eat these bad boys!

Ingredients:

4 Strips of bacon

¾ Cups of Brown Sugar

1 ½ Cup of flour

1 ½ Tsp of Baking powder

¼ Tsp of Salt

½ Cup of browned butter (melt over medium heat, until butter is golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside)

2 Eggs

½ Cup of Buttermilk (Simply add a Tbsp of lemon juice to 1/3 cup of milk, it will curdle)

¼ Cup of Maple Syrup

For the Maple Buttercream: 3 eggs yolks, 1 cup of butter, 1 cup of maple syrup

1. Cook all 4 slices of bacon until very crispy. Chop into tiny little pieces; keep ¼ of the bacon for decorating at the end.

2. In a bowl, mix in the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. In a larger bowl, mix in the browned butter, brown sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and maple syrup until well combined.

4. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the wet bowl. Lastly, stir in ¾ of the bacon bits into the mix, stir, and scoop evenly (3/4 full) into 12 muffin cups.

5. Bake for 18 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Once baked, let them cool a few minutes in the muffin pan before cooling completely on a wire rack.

6. To make the buttercream: Use an electric whisk to whisk 3 egg yolks for 5 minutes until light and fluffy, set them aside. Using a candy thermometer, boil 1 cup of the best quality Maple Syrup until it reaches 240-degrees. It will have thickened and should only take about 15 minutes. WATCH IT CLOSELY, and where a long sleeved shirt. In a stand mixer, add the beaten yolks, slowly let the maple syrup drip down the side of the bowl until the maple syrup and yolks are completely incorporated. Beat until the bowl in only slightly warm to the touch. Cut two sticks of cold butter (1 cup) into small pieces, mix them in 1 at a time until the buttercream is fluffy and golden brown (4-5 minutes of mixing). Done! I’d strongly recommend using a stand mixer for this recipe but a hand held would probably work as well if you have enough patience…

7. Once the cupcakes are fully cooled, ice with some of the maple buttercream and top with a few bacon bits.

Bon Appétit!

Cupcake Recipe inspired by Nestle.

Buttercream Recipe: Martha Stewart.

Soy Maple Salmon Dinner

This whole “fish” thing is totally new for me. I can still count on one hand how many times I’ve actually served fish to my family for dinner. The only fish I truly enjoy and am obsessed with is sashimi and I haven’t mustered enough courage to serve it at home, just because I’m afraid everyone will die of food poisoning. I made this salmon simply before we had it but was pleasantly surprised that I actually may have enjoyed it. My taste buds are growing… times are changing. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

¼ cup of Maple Syrup

2 Tbsp of Soy Sauce

1 Clove of Garlic

¼ Tsp of Salt

1/8 Tsp of Pepper

I side of Salmon (is that what it’s called?)

Blend all the ingredients and pour onto the salmon skin side up in a baking dish lined with parchment paper. Let the dish marinate for an hour. Flip the salmon over to that the skin is on the bottom of the dish. Put some of the sauce on top of the salmon and bake in a 400-degree oven for 20 minutes.

I served it with Muffin Pan Potato Gratins and some greens. All in all, it was a good meal.

Bon Appétit!

Sunflower (Apple Spice) Cupcakes

I can’t really explain why I do the things I do, but whenever I feel remotely bored or under-stimulated, I have an urge to create things. Sometimes I turn to crafts, painting etc. but most often times I turn to baking. It started with seeing the pineapple flowers in various recipe books, I think they look absolutely beautiful and delicate, despite the fact they are super easy and super delicious to make… Once the pineapple flowers were made, I had to make cupcakes to present them on and with the few ingredients left in the fridge, my option was Applesauce Cupcakes, a recipe in “Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes.” A few of the ingredients were omitted due to my brother’s extensive food allergies, and the results were absolutely fantastic.

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Flour

1 Tsp of Baking Soda

¾ Tsp of Salt

2 Tsp of Ground Cinnamon

½ Tsp of Nutmeg

1 stick of Butter

1 Cup of Sugar

½ Cup of Brown Sugar

4 eggs

1 ½ Cup of Applesauce (I had leftover homemade applesauce in the fridge)

For Icing:

1 stick of butter (1/2 Cup)

8 Ounces of Cream Cheese

1 Cup of Brown Sugar

Mix the flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a bowl. In a larger bowl, beat the butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in applesauce. Finally stir in flour mixture.

In a 350-degree oven, bake 18 minutes or until knife tip or toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. Beat all ingredients until smooth. Frost the cupcakes either with a piping bag or a spatula.

Lastly, to make the pineapple flowers, just slice a pineapple and place each slice on an upside down mini-muffin pan. Bake in a 200-degree oven for half an hour before turning them over and baking until they are completely dried (another 30-60 minutes). By placing them on the upside down muffin tins, they curl down as they dry creating a really great shape. They can be placed on flat cookie sheets as well though, and they will dry flat.

Bon Appétit!