Bacon Cupcakes? Don't Mind If I Do.

I am in no way ashamed to admit that I have fully jumped on the trendy, gourmet cupcake bandwagon.  In fact, I am not only on it, but am tooting its horn.  Since I moved to Richmond, I have discovered a whole new world of cupcakes.  My favorite bakery in the River City is Frostings, which just so happens to be owned by a Carlisle native, and is located next to one of my favorite grocery stores, Trader Joes.  Whenever I am in that neck of the woods, I generally make it a point to pick up a few of their delicious creations, which range from the classic red velvet, to cookies and cream and Mexican hot chocolate.  Frank is generally the beneficiary of these trips, and not to speak for him as well, but I would feel comfortable saying that he is right next to me on the delicious cupcake bandwagon. 

While I am always looking for creative ways to make dinner a little more exciting, and knowing our love for cupcakes, I recently came across a recipe for Pancake Cupcakes with Maple-Bacon Buttercream Frosting.  Not to brag, but this dinner is still being talked about weeks later.  The “cupcakes” really are just a simple pancake batter in cupcake form, but the frosting is really what makes this dish.  It is a basic butter/sugar/everything else that is bad for you frosting, with more sugar added in pure maple syrup form.  As if that wasn’t heart stopping enough, the addition of crumbled bacon really takes this recipe from a basic indulgence to something that is disgustingly delicious.  I sent some of the extras home with frank, who shared them with his coworkers.  I have since received rave reviews about their “breakfast in cupcake form,” as Frank describes it.  The other leftovers were shared with a few of the history department members from my work.  My classroom neighbor described it as ranking in the “top 5 cupcakes he has ever eaten.”  All in all, I would say that this non-traditional cupcake venture was a success.

 

Pancake Cupcakes with Maple-Bacon Buttercream Frosting
(recipe borrowed from http://www.browneyedbaker.com/)

Yield: 12 cupcakes
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Bake Time: 10 minutes

For the Cupcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1½ cups whole milk
2 eggs
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the Frosting:
8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 slices of bacon, cooked, cooled and crumbled

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a standard muffin pan with liners and then spray the liners with non-stick spray (important step!).

2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl; set aside. In a separate medium bowl whisk together the milk and eggs, then stir in the melted and cooled butter. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk together until just moistened and combined. Like pancakes, lumps are okay! Divide the batter between the muffin cups and bake until puffed and firm to the touch, about 10 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes and then remove cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

3. To make the frosting, use the whisk attachment of a stand mixer to whip the butter on  medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar a little at a time, waiting until it’s mostly incorporated before adding more. Once all of the powdered sugar has been added, scrape the sides of the bowl and increase the speed to medium-high and whip until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the maple syrup and the vanilla and whip for another minute or so to incorporate. Add the bacon and mix to combine. Using an offset spatula, spread the frosting on the cupcakes. Top with additional crumbled bacon if desired.

Notes:  I personally found the cupcakes to be on the dry side, so in the future I think I might drizzle the cooked cupcakes with a little more syrup before frosting.  I have toyed with the idea of making them into filled cupcakes as the frosting recipe makes a little extra.  I originally tried piping the icing to make the final product look a little more polished, but found that even though I used the widest tip I have available, it still got clogged (like my arteries) with the bacon.  Rustic look it was.