I wasn’t sure about maple bacon cupcakes but I must admit, they’re good. It’s no wonder—chocolate, bacon, and maple are a good, balanced combination with the rich, the sweet, and the savory.
These maple bacon cupcakes are made with our Very Fudgy Baby Cakes Dessert Cupcake and Cake Mix. The cake is a cream cake—denser than the box cakes in the grocery store and about half as dense as a pound cake. You need a dense, moist cake with substance—not to mention, chocolate pieces–to balance with strong flavors of bacon and maple.
The Maple Bacon Cupcakes Recipe
To Make and Assemble the Cupcakes
Make the cupcakes as directed on the package. Let them cool on a rack.
- Using an ice cream scoop, place a dollop of frosting on each cupcake. Shape the frosting as you like. Alternatively, you can pipe the frosting into swirls on the tops of the cupcakes.
- Sprinkle the prepared bacon bits over the frosting.
Maple Frosting
This is a basic buttercream frosting recipe made with maple flavor. If you choose to add bacon flavor, omit the milk and add a quarter cup chopped bacon pieces and two tablespoons bacon fat.
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon Marsden and Bathe Maple Flavor or equal
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 pound powdered sugar (a scant two cups)
- 1 tablespoon meringue powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Cream shortening, butter, maple flavor, and milk together.
- Add powdered sugar, meringue powder, and salt. Beat at medium speed until it is thoroughly mixed. Continue beating for another minute or two, until creamy.
Bacon Bits
These are more chunks than bits.
- Fry one-half pound of bacon until crisp.
- Cut them into chunks with kitchen shears (the My Favorite Scissors work perfectly).
- Put them in a bowl and toss them with three tablespoons of brown sugar.
(Updated from February 4, 2016)
