Basketweave Bacon Caramel Cupcakes

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• Step 1

  Chocolate Cake
  Preheat oven to 350°F
  Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl
  Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes (Batter will be thin)
  Pour batter evenly into cupcake tin, about ¾ full
  Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean
  Let cool to room temperature

• Step 2

  Salted Caramel Sauce
  Heat granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon
  Stir gently until sugar melts into an amber-colored liquid. Keep an eye on it, it can burn in seconds when close to doneness
  Add the butter when sugar is all melted, gently stir for 2-3 minutes
  Slowly drizzle in heavy cream while stirring
  Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute
  Stir in salt, take off heat and allow to cool down before using
  (I like to keep my caramel in mason jars in the fridge, lasts for a couple months!)

• Step 3

  Salted Caramel Swiss Meringue
  Combine sugar, egg whites, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer
  Place over simmering water (not IN simmer water)
  Whisk by hand until sugar is completely dissolved
  Transfer bowl to mixer and beat until you reach medium peak consistency
  Slowly add butter one piece at a time
  At some point, the buttercream will look curdled and gross, THIS IS NORMAL DON'T PANIC
  Keep adding butter and beating the buttercream until you reach a silky smooth texture
  Beat in caramel sauce

• Step 4

  Bacon Weave
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  On a large baking sheet, basketweave the bacon
  Stack another baking sheet on top to keep the bacon flat when it cooks
  Bake for 10 minutes, just when it's starting to get crispy, take it out of the oven
  Drain the bacon fat, save it, use it for whatever makes your heart sing
  Sprinkle brown sugar liberally all over bacon weave
  Place back in oven and bake until just crispy or sturdy enough to hold its shape without drooping
  If you find that your bacon just won't cook up (like I did), take it out of the oven and cook it on the stovetop with a frying pan
  When bacon weave is cooled, cut into 4x4 pieces to get 16 total

• Step 5

  Bacon Compote
  Fry bacon on stovetop pan until ALMOST crispy
  Remove from heat and dice bacon into small small pieces
  Place back onto stovetop and cook over low heat with brown sugar
  Cook until sugar is melted and bacon is tender

• Step 6

  Assembly
  Core the cupcakes using a knife or cupcake corer
  Fill with bacon compote
  Top with salted caramel swiss meringue
  Place a piece of bacon weave on top
  Drizzle with extra caramel sauce

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