Mindi Sue: baking

Apple Spice Layer Cake with Whipped CreamCheese Frosting & Salted Caramel Drizzle

1:40 PM

Savory cupcakes have been captivating me lately and I just want to make more and more. I was telling my bff Andrea from Ain't That The Berries about an Italian cupcake idea I wanted to work on. We joined forces, bounced ideas back and forth, and these lil babies were born.

is there anything better than fresh mozzarella?!

Caprese Pancetta Cupcakes - Recipe by me and Andrea!

makes 2 dozen

1 cup salted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 cups parmesan cheese

1/4 lb pancetta
1/8 tsp. fresh ground pepper
grated zest of a lemon
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 F and line 24 muffin tins with paper liners.

Bake pancetta on a cookie sheet until nice and crispy, about 20 minutes.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and pepper. Add this to the butter mixture a third at a time, alternating half of the buttermilk in between the thirds. Beat until just combined. Fold in parmesan cheese and crumbled baked pancetta.
Fill the prepared tins and bake for 20-25 minutes, until springy to the touch and a tooth pick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack, then cool for another 10 minutes out of the pan.

Basil Marscapone Frosting

4 chopped fresh basil leaves

9oz of marscapone cheese
8oz block of cream cheese
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper

2 tsp of rice vinegar or balsamic vinegar
dashes of salt to taste

Mix well, and adjust to taste. We wanted to use balsamic vinegar but I only had rice- it worked perfect! We piped ours onto the cupcakes but you can also spread it on. Garnish by poking a sliced cherry tomato and mozzarella ball through a toothpick and stick in top of the cupcake. Sprinkle on a little extra parmesan cheese!

You'll want to store them in the fridge if you can resist eating them all instantly. They are so light and fresh, and the sweetness is very subtle. The baked pancetta that is crumbled inside the cupcake adds a lovely crunch and flavor. Needless to say, Andrea and I were both cursing in delight as we took our first bites.