Maple Bacon Cupcakes with Maple Frosting
These maple bacon cupcakes are a Father's Day dessert recipe that my husband requested. The cupcakes have maple syrup baked into them along with bits of cooked bacon. It's topped with a swirl of maple frosting and bacon bits.
Maple Bacon Cupcakes
These cupcakes took some testing to get right. I had a family recipe on hand, but it was very dense and left the cupcakes dry and stiff and then I thought I would try both real bacon that I cooked myself and the "real" bacon bits.
Please, don't use the bacon bits for like salads. It totally ruins the cupcakes. They were so salty and tasted of fake smoke. They just weren't edible.
The one thing that annoyed me to no end is that I forgot to grease my cupcake liners. It's not often that you need to grease your liners, so I forgot even though I knew it needed to be done. This particular cake sticks slightly.
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I'm pretty sure it's from all of the maple syrup. So when making this recipe, don't be like me and forget. Spray your cupcake liners with non-stick cooking spray.
How to make maple frosting
I bet you're wondering whether I used maple syrup or maple extract. Maybe both? Well, I didn't use maple syrup in this maple frosting recipe, because I didn't think about it until afterward.
I think replacing 1 tablespoon of milk with maple syrup would work. Any more syrup would probably leave it too sticky to pipe out.
Instead, I used imitation maple extract. Make sure your butter is soft and add it and all of the other ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer on low until the powdered sugar is somewhat worked in.
Turn the mixer on medium and beat another 1 minute to whip it into a light and fluffy frosting.
How to make maple bacon cupcakes
First of all, cook that bacon up. I normally put mine on a rack that sits inside a baking pan and bake it at 350 until it's chewy or crispy depending on how you prefer yours. It usually takes about 30 minutes and I flip them every 10 minutes.
You can also cook the bacon in a pan on the stovetop. Cook that bacon up however you want to. Lay it on a paper towel-lined plate to drain off any excess grease and let it cool. Chop it into small pieces and set aside.
For the wet ingredients, beat the butter and sugar together. Add in the maple syrup, vanilla extract, into the bowl and beat together. Add the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk to combine.
Pour a cup of milk and start alternately adding the dry ingredients and milk into the bowl. I divided the flour into thirds and the milk in half and that worked out well.
Can I use bacon bits instead of cooking my own bacon? Well, technically you can, but I wouldn't recommend it. It leaves the cupcakes salty and with a fake smokey flavor.
What kind of maple syrup should I use? Your favorite kind. I recommend the real deal, but its expensive and not everyone has access to it. The store-bought maple syrup will work and be sure to use the kind that you like to eat on your pancakes.
Why are my cupcakes sticking to the cupcake liners? Because you didn't spray the cupcake liners with non-stick cooking spray.
Maple Bacon Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cake
- ¼ cup butter room temperature
- â…“ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. maple extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 3 tsp. baking powder
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup cooked bacon finely chopped
Frosting
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 2 tsp. maple extract
- 3 ½ T. milk
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 T. cooked bacon finely chopped
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Spray liners with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, add in the butter and sugar. Beat with a hand mixer on medium until light and fluffy.
- Add in the maple syrup and beat until incorporated.
- Add in the eggs, vanilla extract, and maple extract. Beat on medium until combined. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, add in the flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisk to incorporate all of the ingredients.
- Add the milk to a cup.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk in with the wet ingredients beginning and ending with the flour. I added the flour in thirds and the milk in half. Beat on medium until each addition is worked in.
- Stir in the pieces of bacon.
- Fill each cupcake liner about ½ way full.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 17 minutes or until done. Use the toothpick test to make sure.
- Let cool completely and begin making the frosting.
Frosting
- Add the butter to a large mixing bowl. Mix with a hand mixer until creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar, maple extract, and milk. Mix on low until almost completely incorporated. Turn the mixer on high and beat for another 1 - 2 minutes until the frosting becomes light and fluffy.
- Add the frosting into a piping bag fitted with the 1M tip. Pipe swirls on the cupcakes. Sprinkle with the pieces of bacon.
Nutrition
(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)
How many cupcakes does this recipe yield?
Hi Katie- This recipe makes 20 cupcakes. Enjoy!
Can you freeze these
I haven't tried it, but I don't see why not.