Maple Bacon Cupcakes

These maple bacon cupcakes are the perfect weekend activity to welcome in Fall. The savory-sweet combination of maple, chocolate and bacon is sure to delight all season long. We suggest pairing these with a warm mug of your favorite apple cider and sharing them with your friends at your next tailgate or block party!

Ingredients

USMetric

Cupcake

8 slices of bacon, cooked and crispy
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Ugandan Pure Vanilla Extract
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1 ½ cups cake flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup whole milk
4 egg whites

Chocolate-Dipped Bacon

1 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped, divided
9 slices of bacon, cooked and crispy

Frosting

¾ cup unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks)
1 ½ cups pure maple syrup
1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
¹/₃ cup half and half
¾ teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Ugandan Pure Vanilla Extract
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Directions

Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Finely chop eight slices of cooked bacon and divide in half. Half the bacon will be incorporated in the cupcake and the other half will be used to decorate your cupcakes.

Prepare two, 12-cup cupcake pans by lining 18 cups with a paper cupcake liner.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter, sugar and maple syrup for several minutes until light in color and fluffy. Continue mixing, adding one egg yolk at a time, making sure each yolk is fully incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, add vanilla and mix briefly.

Combine cake flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Slowly mix 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture. Continue mixing slowly and add half of the milk and another 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the remaining milk and dry ingredients, mixing until combined.

In a separate medium bowl, using a whisk or handheld mixer, whisk egg whites to stiff peaks. Gently fold whipped egg whites and half of the chopped bacon into the cake mixture until just combined. Take care to not over-mix.

Divide batter evenly into the prepared cupcake pans. Bake for 14-18 minutes until light golden brown or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes for 5 minutes in pan, then finish cooling on a rack before frosting.

Chocolate-Dipped Bacon

Create professional-looking, chocolate-dipped bacon by tempering chocolate at home using the seeding method described below.

Cut nine strips of bacon in half.

Place roughly 3/4 of the chocolate in a dry, heat-proof bowl. Fill a small pot with 1-2 inches of water and bring it to a light simmer. Create a double boiler by placing the heatproof bowl of chocolate over the pot. Turn the heat down to low. The bowl should not touch the water. If the bowl is touching the water, remove enough water so the bowl is no longer touching it.

Let the chocolate sit over the hot water, uncovered, until it is about 2/3 melted. Be careful to not let any water splash or touch the chocolate. Once the chocolate is about 2/3 melted, gently stir and allow it to melt completely until a candy thermometer reaches 115°F. Remove the melted chocolate from the pot and set it aside.

Add the remaining unmelted chocolate to the melted chocolate, stirring constantly until all pieces have melted and the mixture cools to 79°F. Raise the temperature of the chocolate to 89°F by briefly placing it back over a pot of simmering water or microwaving it for 5 seconds at a time.

To check if the chocolate is in temper, dip a small piece of parchment paper in the melted chocolate. When the chocolate sets to a satiny texture and glossy finish, it is ready to use. Note that cooling temperatures vary by type of chocolate. If the chocolate doesn’t start to set within 2-3 minutes, allow chocolate to cool to 87°F and test again.

Working quickly, dip each piece of bacon halfway into the tempered chocolate. Let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl and place onto parchment paper to set. Once set, the dipped bacon is ready to be used.

Frosting

In a medium saucepan, bring butter, maple syrup, salt and half and half to a boil over medium heat. Continue boiling until mixture reaches 225°F, about 5 minutes. Carefully pour mixture in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or into a large bowl to use a handheld mixer. Whisk mixture on medium speed for about 5 minutes or until it is lukewarm. Add vanilla and mix. Gradually add powdered sugar and continue mixing on medium until the frosting is completely cooled and thick. If the frosting is runnier than you’d like, add powdered sugar or water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to increase thickness.

Frost cupcakes as desired. Sprinkle remaining half of chopped bacon on top of frosting and top each cupcake with a piece of chocolate-dipped bacon.

Notes

Maple Bacon Cupcake recipe by Pastry Chef Jessica Ellington.

Cupcake

8 slices of bacon, cooked and crispy
113 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
400 grams sugar
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Ugandan Pure Vanilla Extract
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180 grams cake flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
60 ml whole milk
4 egg whites

Chocolate-Dipped Bacon

170 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped, divided
9 slices of bacon, cooked and crispy

Frosting

170 grams unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks)
355 ml pure maple syrup
1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
80 ml half and half
¾ teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Ugandan Pure Vanilla Extract
340 grams powdered sugar, sifted

Directions

Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 190°C.

Finely chop eight slices of cooked bacon and divide in half. Half the bacon will be incorporated in the cupcake and the other half will be used to decorate your cupcakes.

Prepare two, 12-cup cupcake pans by lining 18 cups with a paper cupcake liner.

Chocolate-Dipped Bacon

Create professional-looking, chocolate-dipped bacon by tempering chocolate at home using the seeding method described below.

Cut nine strips of bacon in half.

Place roughly 3/4 of the chocolate in a dry, heat-proof bowl. Fill a small pot with 2.5-5cm of water and bring it to a light simmer. Create a double boiler by placing the heatproof bowl of chocolate over the pot. Turn the heat down to low. The bowl should not touch the water. If the bowl is touching the water, remove enough water so the bowl is no longer touching it.

Let the chocolate sit over the hot water, uncovered, until it is about 2/3 melted. Be careful to not let any water splash or touch the chocolate. Once the chocolate is about 2/3 melted, gently stir and allow it to melt completely until a candy thermometer reaches 46°C. Remove the melted chocolate from the pot and set it aside.

Add the remaining unmelted chocolate to the melted chocolate, stirring constantly until all pieces have melted and the mixture cools to 32°C. Raise the temperature of the chocolate to 32°C by briefly placing it back over a pot of simmering water or microwaving it for 5 seconds at a time.

Frosting

In a medium saucepan, bring butter, maple syrup, salt and half and half to a boil over medium heat. Continue boiling until mixture reaches 107°C, about 5 minutes. Carefully pour mixture in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or into a large bowl to use a handheld mixer. Whisk mixture on medium speed for about 5 minutes or until it is lukewarm. Add vanilla and mix. Gradually add powdered sugar and continue mixing on medium until the frosting is completely cooled and thick. If the frosting is runnier than you’d like, add powdered sugar or water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to increase thickness.

Frost cupcakes as desired. Sprinkle remaining half of chopped bacon on top of frosting and top each cupcake with a piece of chocolate-dipped bacon.