Maple-Bacon Cupcakes (BACON????)

Breakfast-y Goodness!

French Toast cupcakes with streusel topping, bacon bits, and maple cream cheese frosting (and more bacon!)

I've been thinking about this recipe for a long time. I admit that I've tried to stay off the "everything is better with bacon" bandwagon. I like bacon just fine - I like sausage better. But I've never been one to dip my bacon into my pancake syrup (for one, I prefer molasses), and I don't particularly even care for maple (keep your maple bars and give me chocolate, if you please).

Still, this combination has been nagging at me. I know lots of people who would be all over it, and let's face it, I rarely eat the cupcakes I make (save for the first one I try in the interest of science and all that). In short, it's not really about me, is it? I had to make this for the good of the people!

Still, after studying various blogs on the subject, I saw lots of maple cupcakes with maple filling and maple frosting and my maple-reluctant self just balked at the idea. However, this is a breakfast combination, no? And you know what I do love for breakfast? French toast. And you know what makes an excellent French toast? Pound cake does. 

And so, here we have a pound cakey-French toasty flavor combination of a cupcake. Topped with a cinnamon struesel for even more of a French toast homage. And now what?

For frosting, I knew I wanted to incorporate cream cheese (using the tanginess to combat that darn maple) and some cinnamon for spice. Plus, there's an (in)famous breakfast-y chain restaurant that stuffs its French toast with cream cheese (which I've never tried, but I'd like to), so the combination made sense to me. Voila. Frosting.

And originally, I was going to fill these with a maple custard. Lucky for you, dear reader, my guardian angel dropped the hammer of sense during the process (and how's that for mixing one's metaphors?), and the damnable stuff didn't thicken, so...the filling was scrapped. Really, that's a good thing, because although I usually prefer my cupcakes with filling, I think the sweetness would have detracted from the cupcake (and might have sacrificed some of the bacon bits in the cupcake itself, and heaven knows we can't have that), so it worked out just fine in the end. As it usually does.

All in all, this was a success. My mother, who didn't say so, but was doubtful about this one (plus she'd really rather I just make key lime cupcakes over and over again), pronounced them "quite good." My stepfather, who thought I was kidding when I told him my idea, found them the ultimate "man cupcake." And Lucas, the Fit and Amazing Man (or, FAM), ate three. 

Oh! Quick story, because if you ever come to dinner at my house, this is going to come up. We were discussing these cupcakes (before they were borned) around the dinner table, and I announced my intention to make maple bacon cupcakes. It went a bit like this.

Me: I'm going to make maple bacon cupcakes.

Sister mine: Ooh! That sounds good.

Me: Yeah, I'll be doing that soon.

~ chatter chatter chatter chatter - time passes ~

Darling Niece Mo': ... ... ... BACON?

~ general giggling at Mo's expense ~

~ chatter chatter chatter - how's your mama - what's for dinner this week - I think it's going to snow - chatter chatter chatter chatter ~

Me: Yeah, so anyway, I just need to get the maple syrup and some bacon so I can make the maple bacon cupcakes.

Darling Niece Mo': ... ... (blink blink) ... (Twilight) ... (Hunger Games) ... BACON??? REALLY?????

So if you ever hear any of us exclaim, "BACON???? REALLY?????", now you know why. Poor Mo's quote has been engraved into the family's Stone Tablet of Humiliation. Don't worry, Mo'. I've practically got one side of the thing covered.

~Recipe~
For the streusel:
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

For the cupcakes:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract

1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon

For streusel: In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix the cold butter into the mixture by hand, squeezing the pieces in to mix it.

Chill the topping in the freezer while you make the cupcakes.

To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners; set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the butter, sour cream, eggs, maple syrup, cream, and vanilla and mix well, until the mixture is smooth. Make sure all the flour is incorporated but be careful not to overmix the batter. Fold in any remaining flour from the bowl's edges as well as the bacon bits.

Fill each baking cup about 2/3 full. Divide the streusel evenly among the cupcakes, and sprinkle it on each one. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Maple Cream Cheese frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup maple syrup

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon maple extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream together butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. Mix in the maple syrup, and then slowly add in the powdered sugar. Add in the milk, salt, and flavorings and mix well. Add more powdered sugar if needed to get the frosting to a nice, pipeable consistency. 

Using a pastry bag with a large star tip, pipe a large frosting rosette onto the top of each cupcake, leaving an edge of the streusel topping exposed. Sprinkle the bacon crumbles onto the top of each cupcake. Store the cupcakes in the refrigerator.

Makes 24 cupcakes.