Caprese Pancetta Cupcakes

A savory cupcake can, and should be done. Bff, Mindi, told me about a serious need to make an Italian inspired cupcake idea over gchat one day, and with our kindred brain waves thinking about one topic terrific things happen...via Google Doc. We both earned all of our badges from Camp Good At Things, so...

Caprese Pancetta Cupcake..huzzah!!

I need a minute to admire the brain child of Mindi and myself. This is just one more affirmation that we need a bakery.

Caprese Pancetta Cupcakes- Recipe by Mindi and I

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
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. Dab off grease, and break up into pieces.
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 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. Splash a little more buttermilk if it is too thick.
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. The vinegar gives it that pizzazz it was lacking. Use whatever kind you have lying around. Garnish with a sliced cherry tomato and mozzarella ball through a toothpick and stick in top of the cupcake. We highly suggest sprinkling some more parm on top. 

Part savory meets sweet, part MAGIC!

Make sure to store these angels-in-tin in the refrigerator. The expletives that were coming out of our mouths after trying these are too risque for this blog. Swearing out of joy is better than crying in my book. Make 'em, eat 'em, then swear about 'em.

-andrea