Monday, August 23, 2010

Maple French Toast and Bacon Cupcakes - Breakfast in a Cupcake!

What is it with men and bacon?  As soon as word got around work that I was baking cupcakes weekly and bringing them to work, one of the guys in the office began begging me to make a bacon cupcake.  And though I had been reading about and seeing pictures of bacon cupcakes all over cyberspace this flavor was not on the top of my list. But he and another male co-worker kept bugging me and I kept resisting.

This went on for almost six months until finally he announced that he had given his two week notice and all he wanted for a going away present was some Bacon Cupcakes.  What was I to do but make them for him.  Back to the web to find a recipe.  I finally decided on a recipe from the Food Network Magazine that won their Maple Syrup secret ingredient challenge.  I have to admit they were really good.  It was breakfast in a cupcake.  He was very happy to finally have his bacon cupcake. 

Maple French Toast and Bacon Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
by Kara Scow

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 3.9-ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon potato starch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup half-and-half, at room temperature
1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon (5 strips)

For the Frosting:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 strips bacon, cooked and chopped (optional)


Directions for Cupcakes:  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Prepare the cupcakes: Combine the flours, pudding mix, baking powder, potato starch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl with a whisk.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugars with a mixer on low speed until combined, 6 to 8 minutes. Gradually mix in the vanilla and egg whites. Scrape down the sides of the bowl; continue mixing until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the maple syrup and half-and-half, mixing after each addition and ending with flour. Mix until the ingredients are just combined; do not overmix. Fold in the bacon.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about three-quarters of the way. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool completely.

Directions for Frosting:  Beat the cream cheese and butter with a mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add the confectioners' sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon; beat until combined. Spread on the cooled cupcakes; top with chopped bacon, if desired.


Enhanced by Zemanta

5 comments:

  1. THE BEST I VE EVER SEEN!!! GREAT :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it. The name is adorable, so whimsical and fun. :-) Also these cupcakes sound fantastic. I wish my coworkers were so open minded, I'd love to bring a bacon cupcake to work but I think people would find it weird. I want these for breakfast.

    Nice job & keep up the cupcakey goodness.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You spoil your coworkers rotten! Lucky folks. I had never thought about bacon cupcakes, and to be honest I still have mixed thoughts about them. I guess I'll just have to give them a try to decide. Yours are very pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for the comments. These cupcakes really are delicious. I hope you give them a try!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anything with Bacon has to be good!I saw your blog from the foodie blog roll and I like what you have here.if you won't mind I'd love to guide Foodista readers to this post.Just add the cupcake widget to the end of this post and it's all set, Thanks!

    ReplyDelete