Pancake Cupcakes With Maple-Bacon Buttercream Frosting

DrGaellon's Note:

The cupcakes are based on a homemade pancake batter, baked in a muffin tin to form light, fluffy cakes, like a good pancake should be. The frosting is flavored with maple syrup and bacon. Don't attempt to pipe this frosting; the bacon will get stuck in the tip. Adapted from a recipe at Brown-Eyed Baker. http://bit.ly/clnRii

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

Cupcakes

• 3 slices bacon
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Frosting

• 5 slices bacon
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and arrange bacon on the pan. Bake 15 minutes until very crisp; immediately transfer bacon to paper towels to drain; let cool 5-10 minutes. Crumble bacon and toss with maple syrup. (Note that there is a total of 8 slices of bacon and 1/4 cup of maple syrup in this step.).
2. Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners, and spray liners with non-stick spray.
3. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add a third of the cooled bacon. In a second bowl, whisk together milk, eggs and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir just until fully moistened (there may be small lumps). Divide the batter evenly amongst the muffin cups and bake in the preheated oven until puffed and firm to the touch, about 10 minutes (they will not brown much). Cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack until fully cooled.
4. In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, whip the butter on high until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl every minute or two. Turn the speed down to low and add the powdered sugar a little at a time; do not add more until it's nearly completely absorbed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, turn up to medium-high and whip until fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add maple syrup and vanilla and continue to whip 1 minute more. Add half the remaining bacon and stir in with a spatula. Frost the cooled cupcakes with an offset spatula. Top with more bacon.

Reviews

[Dileas]

The frosting is TO DIE FOR. Whipping the butter for so long at the beginning is crucial; it gives the frosting an amazing texture.

However, I believe the recipe needs quite a bit more bacon. I used a full pound, and easily could have used more. I also used buttermilk instead of regular milk.

The cupcakes themselves turned out just a bit too chewy, but I think that's my fault for overbaking by a minute or so. I didn't matter, because one bite with that frosting and all was right with the world.

Definitely a keeper!

[KC_hockey_chick]

The recipe says it makes 12, so i doubled the recipe and ended up with 30 cupcakes...in this case more is definitely better! I love to cook and try new recipes and this one is a winner and a keeper! I will have to change very little, mainly the cooking method, the cupcakes stick in the muffin papers even though I sprayed them with cooking spray. Next time will skip the papers and just spray the tin.

I also doubled the buttercream recipe, which is completely un-necessary because the recipe as written will more than cover the cupcakes, luckily I make a lot of cupcakes and can find something to use the extra buttercream on.