Thursday, January 13, 2011

Bacon cupcakes.


I had an idea for bacon (pronounced bahcon) cupcakes (do not turn that "a" to an "ah") the other night. This is the recipe I came up with today. It's a winner. Oh my God, is it a winner...*drools*...

Bacon Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream Frosting
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 cups cake flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1 cup yellow cornmeal
10 strips cooked bacon* (6 strips crumbled, 4 cut into 24 pieces for garnish)

Preheat oven to 350F and line 24 standard muffin cups with liners (paper works best). Combine cornmeal and milk in bowl, stir, and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and mix until the color is consistent. Alternate adding flour and cornmeal mixtures until both are incorporated. Set aside.
Using a wire wisk, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Fold into the batter. Next, fold in crumbled bacon.
Divide batter evenly into muffin cups (about 3/4 full). Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden and center pops up when pressed lightly with a finger. Cool cupcakes on wire rack, and frost with Maple Buttercream. Garnish with bacon pieces.
Makes 24 cupcakes

Maple Buttercream
2 sticks butter, room temperature
maple extract to taste (1-2 teaspoons)
3-4 cups confectioners sugar

Cream butter and maple extract with electric mixer. Add confectioners sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until smooth and sturdy.

*I baked the bacon in a 350F oven so the strips would be uniform in texture and appearance. I didn't time them- sorry- just kept an eye on them. Maybe 15 minutes? I don't remember. Just make sure they're crispy, but not burnt. You should be able to cut them without the pieces disintegrating.

5 comments:

  1. I think I missed a step. The cornmeal and milk is in one bowl, the butter/sugar in another. When do I add the cornmeal back into the batter?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Typo. I meant to say "alternate flour and cornmeal mixture" when adding to butter. Thanks for the catch! I'm changing it now.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I made these during our last snow storm but didn't have enough butter for the maple butter cream frosting. They're amazing plain!

    Plan to take some to work tomorrow. Thanks, Kate!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Okay. Made these again today. Added whiskey to the frosting. Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes.

    ReplyDelete