Well, we’ve been at it again.  

Guard your Kitchen Aids, friends.  The Bee and I have been mixing.

You surely remember the marshmallow incident, don’t you?  You know how, through some unfortunate marshmallow whipping, we managed to more or less destroy an otherwise perfectly functional mixer?

Well, team Whip It was at it again.  But this time, we brought out the big guns.

After declaring the mixer dead, the Bee’s husband (for whom I’ve yet to decide on an appropriate moniker) was on a mission to find a replacement.  A replacement that could get the job done.

Now, I know the popular thing to get is a Kitchen Aid mixer, but I have to say, after some consideration, the consensus was that it wasn’t actually the best choice.  Instead, with careful consideration and, of course, some research, the mixer purchased was….a Cuisinart! A sleek, black Cuisinart…we’re calling it Black Beauty.

Once we had Black Beauty and a date that we could get together both secured, we had to decided on the appropriate first thing to make in it.  There were requirements.  It had to be:  something delicious (read: dessert), something we’d feel good about eating (healthy…maybe?) and something that required some heavy duty mixing – there’s no point in bringing out Black Beauty for a recipe that didn’t need the big guns!

I kind of thought it was the perfect time to do something that I’ve be wanting to try for a long time now: Pavlova.

What, you might ask, is Pavlova?

Well friends, it’s a cake.  Made out of meringue.  It’s like meringues on deliciously delightful steroids, covered in whipped cream and fresh berries.  Oh, yes.  It’s Superhero Meringue.  Incredible Hulk Meringue.  Captain America Meringue (post transformation).  Spiderman post radioactive spider bite Meringue.

It’s the perfect thing to make in a giant mixer, really.  So we did. 

And it was delightful. 

We also may have accidently made chocolate chip cookies andalsomaybesomechallahbread.  Shhh.  Don’t tell anyone.   It was Black Beauty’s fault. 

So here’s the deal with the Pavlova: I took two reliable sources, Ina Garten and the Joy of Baking and got their takes on it.  For the meringue, I followed Ina’s recipe, but cooked it at the temperature and time listed by Joy of Baking (we also formed it into a heart, just because it makes it adorable).  Rather than buy pricey and out of season mixed berries, we went for only strawberries (which are more readily available and slightly cheaper at the moment) to top the cake.  I converted Ina’s raspberry sauce into a strawberry sauce using strawberry jam and strawberries from the strawberry fields down the street that we froze at the top of the season last year.  They were ridiculously sweet.  This was a good switcheroo. 

The verdict: the Pavlova was ridiculous.  In a good way.  It was light and sweet and fruity.  Crispy and soft at the same time.  Totally and utterly good.  Make it.  Make it right now.

Strawberry Pavlova (adapted from Ina Garten and Joy of Baking)

Ingredients

4  large egg whites, at room temperature

Pinch kosher salt

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Sweetened Whipped Cream, recipe follows

1 1/2 pints (approximately) fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

Strawberry Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Place a sheet of parchment paper on a sheet pan. Draw an 8-inch circle on the paper, using a 8-inch plate as a guide, then turn the paper over so the circle is on the reverse side. (This way you won't get a pencil mark on the meringue.)

Place the egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites on high speed until firm, about 1 minute. With the mixer still on high, slowly add the sugar and beat until it makes firm, shiny peaks, about 2 minutes. (You will know the sugar is dissolved when you rub the mixture between two fingers and can no longer feel any gritty sugar).

Remove the bowl from the mixer, sift the cornstarch onto the beaten egg whites, add the vinegar and vanilla, and fold in lightly with a rubber spatula. Pile the meringue into the middle of the circle on the parchment paper and smooth it within the circle, making a rough disk (or a heart or some other shape you like). Bake for 60-75 minutes. Turn off the oven, leave the door slightly ajar, and allow the meringue to cool completely in the oven.  The outside of the meringue will feel firm to the touch if gently pressed, but as it cools you will get a little cracking and you will see that the inside is soft and marshmallowy.) 

Invert the meringue disk onto a plate and spread the top completely with sweetened whipped cream. Combine the strawberries in a bowl and toss with about 1/2 cup of strawberry sauce, or enough to coat the berries lightly. Spoon the berries carefully into the middle of the Pavlova, leaving a border of cream and meringue. Serve immediately in large scoops with extra strawberry sauce.

Sweetened Whipped Cream:

1 cup cold heavy cream

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (you can also use a hand mixer). When it starts to thicken, add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until firm. Don't overbeat!

Yield: 1 cup

Strawberry Sauce (this is a very adaptable recipe, I eyeballed the ingredients and adjusted the sugar and jam according to the sweetness of the berries)

Generous ½ cup frozen (or fresh) strawberries

½ cup sugar

1 cup seedless strawberry jam (12-ounce jar)

Place the strawberries, sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 4 minutes. Pour the cooked berries and the jam into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until smooth. Chill.

Yield: 2 cups

So I should probably tell you about the bacon cupcakes.  Seeing as how it’s been two weeks and much much longer in coming than I intended, you may be surprised at my confession.  

It’s kind of weird.

 Or maybe it’s just rare.  Yes, we’re going to go with the more PC term and say that I am of a rare breed.   Hm.  As if we didn’t already know that.

So here it is, full disclosure:  I’m not that into bacon.  I mean, I like bacon.  Don’t get me wrong.  It’s alright.  I eat it on occasion and I appreciate it as part of a weekend breakfast, nestled right next to some pancakes, or even cold and on a BLT (though I always find the BLT to be missing…something; I’m always a little hungry at the end).

But, let’s face it, when given the choice between bacon and not bacon, I often choose not bacon. 

I’m sure there are those among you who are aghast at this statement.  Bacon, even I can admit, is a bit of classic, and has been enjoying a particularly high level of attention these days.  Some might say to the point of being overdone.  But I don’t know.  I get the whole salty/sweet combo that is all the rage and we certainly know that I’ll go to extremes for things like, say, salted caramel.  Nonetheless, I was invited to a party that was very seductively entitled, “BaconFest.” 

And even though I’m not that into bacon, I am into cupcakes and I’m definitely into experimenting with different techniques and new recipes.  And anyway, I figure, when else are you going to get the opportunity to make maple bacon cupcakes without seeming a bit…decadent?  (well really, has it ever stopped me from making something yet?) And BaconFest seems like the right moment. 

I did some research and found most recipes out there to be a bit disappointing.  I wanted the cupcake to incorporate maple and I also wanted to incorporate the bacon inside the cake batter.  In fact, I was surprised at how many recipes didn’t actually use bacon in them at all.  Most of them were some sort of pancake cake, with bacon simply used as garnish...which, well, kind of feels like a cop out, doesn’t it?

After a quick google search, I saw that one of the original maple bacon cupcakes (which, by the way, incorporates bacon in the batter) was dreamed up by none other than Sactown’s very own Vanilla Garlic. Unfortunately, his recipe was too small and I was taking them to a party.  Luckily, I found a very similar recipe from broma bakery that ticked a lot of the boxes: maple frosting, bacon within the actual batter recipe and enough to feed more than just me and a friend.  Success!

So I whipped them up.  You know, like you do. 

Verdict:  beautiful cupcakes.   Several rave reviews.  Lots of bacon-ness.  An all around good recipe.

Truth be told, these cupcakes are a bit savory for my liking.  In my dream maple bacon cupcake world, the batter is sweeter with sharp bites of bacon throughout to hit you with some smoky, saltiness.  I would have cut out the extra salt in the recipe and while the original recipe calls for milk, I substituted for buttermilk that I had on hand, which may have lent to the savory bent.  Additionally, I would consider adding slightly less confectioners’ sugar to the frosting and a little bit of milk (or maybe even more maple syrup) to loosen it up a bit for piping.  Finally, I cooked the bacon in the oven using Ina Garten’s technique (though I only maple glazed the garnish bacon) and found that it made the bacon the perfect texture to crumble. 

All in all a beautiful cupcake (do you like my rose piping technique??), but with all the pricey extras: the maple syrup and an entire package of bacon to start, just a little extravagant for your average, everyday cupcake needs.  (What, you don’t have everyday cupcake needs?)

KD's Notes: I would consider ommitting the salt from this recipe.  As for cooking the bacon, I roasted the strips in the oven using Ina Garten's technique, linked above.  Also, you may wish to 1 1/2 this frosting recipe, as I found it to be not enough to cover all of the cupcakes.  

Maple Bacon Cupcakes (slightly adapted from broma bakery)

For the cupcakes:

12 strips high-quality uncured bacon, and reserve 1/2 cup bacon drippings
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup maple syrup (real maple syrup, not imitation)
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

For the frosting:

1/2 cup butter
3 cups confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup maple syrup

First, cook the bacon, either in the oven or a frying pan, until very crispy and brown.  Reserve all the cooking liquid and allow to cool (I poured it directly from the sheet pan into a heat proof measuring cup.  Be sure to save it all, as I had exactly the right amount of drippings).  Allow bacon to cool, then, using scissors, cut 7 of the strips into small bits, about the size of small peas (I cut the strips in half, then snipped them up from there). Cut the remaining 5 strips into quarters (these will go on the top of the cupcakes). Set everything aside.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl, cream the butter, solidified bacon drippings, sugar, and maple syrup.  Then add the eggs, one at a time and the milk. The texture will look clumpy/separated this is normal, don’t worry.  In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in thirds. Do not over mix.  Finally, using a spatula, fold in the reserved bacon bits.

Pour the batter into lined cupcake molds. Bake for 17-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (The original recipe calls for 30 minutes.  Mine were completely done when I checked them at 20 minutes). 

While the cupcakes are baking, make the frosting. Cream the butter, and then add the vanilla and maple syrup.  Lastly add in the confectioner's sugar.  Mix until combined on low speed.  If you are piping, you don’t want air bubbles!

Once the cupcakes are cooled, frost using a 1M (or 2D) frosting tip to create a rose or swirl.  Or, use a knife/off-set spatula and garnish with the bacon pieces.

This is a rant.  At least, I'm pretty sure this is going to turn into a rant quickly, since my patience has completely run out. 

You have been warned. 

I do not, as a general rule, hate technology.  I think it has its time and place and I certainly think it has improved the quality of our lives in many, many ways. 

But at this moment, I want to throw my [deleted expletive] computer at the wall.  And here's why.

Not once, but twice now, I have gone to write a post for this blog and, not once, but twice, the window has shut down, without warning, after I'm almost completely done.  Normally the recovery function would kick in and save most of, if not all, of my work.  Nope.  Not one single word was saved.  Nothing. 

I can't even begin to describe my level of anger at this.  I want to take my (obviously useless) computer and throw it out of the window. 

"But Katie!"  You're thinking, "Did you look in the files on your computer?  Did you go through all the automatically saved, temporary or recently used files stored on your computer?"

Yes.  I did.  For an hour, my computer person (more commonly known as my brother), sifted through endless files to try to find it.  Nothing.  A saved word file entitled, "Bacon Cupcakes" - empty.  As though my little fingers didn't even type a measely word.  Zilch.  Zip.  Zero.

And yes, I did push the save button.  One time, this is what prompted the shutting down fiasco.  The other, it seemed to have made no difference.

So today, in this moment, I hate you, technology.  You can die.  If you were a person, I'd want to hit you, and I'm not even (that) violent of a person.  But I'm mad.

I ought to open a window and scream, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore!"

Heh.  At least extreme anger at inanimate objects is kind of funny.

I am posting a happy, serene picture in an attempt to actualize such feelings within myself.  We'll see how it goes.