Our current binge? 2 Broke Girls and before you ask: No, I didn't have to duct tape, bound and gag S (or as I like to call him Gurrrrrrl) to watch it. Aside from the fact that Kat Dennings is officially my spirit animal, as an amateur baker I've found myself interested in the cupcakes themselves. Of particular fascination was the "Spring Break Beer Battered Maple Bacon Cupcakes (For Stoners)" (Episode 19, Season 1).
Now even to me, the idea that you could actually get functioning cupcakes out of a batter made with beer- the properties of which are generally counter intuitive to the normal processes of baking, seemed highly unlikely. A quick Google search and the internet seemed to agree. Although many a blogger had tried, it seemed no one had truly succeeded and we'd all just resigned ourselves to the fact that the writers of 2BG were cracked (Gasp!).
With all of this in mind, I- against all sane logic and life prospects, decided to try it anyway. So I threw Dark Side of the Moon on the record player (seemed appropriate) and got to work.
After I preheated the oven. I started the batter mix. Now beer in mind, when I usually bake, I use Coles Canola Spread- because it's cheap and is very soft to work with even when it's well refrigerated. However, given the margarine of error with this dish. I decided it was best to use actual butter.
After beating the eggs, sugar, vanilla and butter it was time to add the beer. Because S absolutely hates beer, I went with James Squire: The Chancer Pale Ale, it's lack of bitterness and fruity base made it an ideal choice, knowing if things went south I could easily mask the beer-ness with other ingredients.
At first I was cautious and only added half the bottle initially, however after I rechecked the consistency I added more for flavour. Obviously, use your own preferences and add more (or less!) of the sugar and beer as you so squire.
Next came the candied bacon. With this I really wanted to keep some continuity of flavour, so I actually used a combination of maple syrup, raw sugar and the leftover beer to candy it in the pan.
Finally came making the frosting, and I'm proud to say I mastered buttercream at last!. Although I will point out that making buttercream and assembling cupcakes in a hot kitchen on a sweltering Australian summer's eve is a bitch to do and would definitely not recommend the experience to anyone!
In total the batch I made yielded about 12 normal sized cupcakes and took around an 1- 1.5hrs to make.
Before I hand you over to the recipe and your own devices, a word on the taste. I know a lot of you are probably raising your eyebrows and thinking "How the F could this possibly taste good" but hear me out.
The final product is an experience. The beer and sugar reaction in the cupcake gives it an almost salty, almost molasses, almost yeasty taste with a flawless crumbly texture. The maple frosting is sweet and buttery and keeps hitting you over and over again in waves. Finally the bacon on top adds a new dimension and startles the palette- personally it left me craving pineapple and beach burgers.
All in all it's best described at the first guy you ever loved. It's quirky, its weird, you don't wanna ruin your friendship and yet somehow you just work.
So here it is. My recipe for Stoners Cupcakes!
CARA'S Maple Bacon Beer Battered Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
200g Actual Butter (I use Coles brand because I'm poor but any will probably do)
1.5 cups Raw Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 tbs Maple Syrup
300mls ish James Squire: The Chancer Pale Ale
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 Egg
1.5-2 cups Wholemeal Self Raising Flour
Candied Bacon
4-5 strips Streaky Bacon
1 tbs Maple Syrup
2 tbs Raw Sugar
Small Splash of James Squire: The Chancer Pale Ale
Frosting
250g Actual Butter
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
3 ish cups Icing Sugars
Method
1. Cupcakes: Beat the egg, sugar, butter, vanilla, maple syrup and cinnamon in a bowl. When creamed, add beer and flour and beat until smooth. Pour into greased cupcake whatevers (Personally I LOVE using silicon moulds) and put in a preheated oven to bake at 175 degrees for approx 30 mins or until firm to touch. Remove and place on rack to cool.
2. Candied Bacon: In a greased pan, fry bacon with maple syrup, sugar and beer until fossilized. Allow to cool and dry on paper towels then roughly chop into small pieces.
3.Frosting: In another bowl: Beat the maple syrup and butter whilst slowly adding in the icing sugar until the mixture is roughly the consistency of smooth mashed potatoes.
4. Assembly: Use either a butter knife or piping bag (This really depends on how lazy you're feeling) to spread a layer of frosting on each cupcake. Top with pile of candied bacon.
5. Serving suggestion: Put on Pink Floyd, Get yourself baked and Enjoy!
