Maple Bacon Cupcakes
Lightly spiced cupcake filled with blueberry jam and topped with maple buttercream and crunchy candied maple bacon pieces.
Equipment
- Instant read thermometer (optional)
- Large star tip (1E or 2D)
Ingredients
Spiced Cupcakes
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1½ cups cake flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup whole milk, room temperature
Candied Bacon
- 5 slices bacon
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
Maple Buttercream
- 5-6 large egg whites
- ⅔ cup pure maple syrup
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, cubed, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon maple extract
- ½ cup blueberry jam
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners and set aside. Line a medium baking sheet with foil.
- In a measuring cup, combine the egg, egg white, vanilla and oil. Whisk to combine.1 large egg, room temperature, 1 large egg yolk, temperature, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons canola oil
- In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix on low speed for a minute to combine.1½ cups cake flour, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- With the mixer still running, add in the softened butter pieces. Mix on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You should be able to gather a bit in your hand, squeeze and you have a solid piece. This means the butter is evenly distributed.5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- With the mixer still on low, slowly pour in the milk, mixing JUST until the flour mixture is moistened. You will not use all the milk at this time. Pour the remaining milk into the bowl with the eggs and oil, and whisk to combine.½ cup whole milk, room temperature
- Turn the mixer speed to medium and whip for a full 90 seconds. The mixture should be whipped up, thick, and lighter in color. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is properly mixed.
- With the mixer speed on low, add the egg/oil/remaining milk mixture in two additions, scraping down the bowl after each addition has been mixed in.
- Once the remaining egg/oil mixture has been added, give the bowl a final scrape and mix with a spatula. Divide the batter among the 12 liners.
- Bake the cupcakes for 17-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with a crumb or two when inserted in the center of the cupcake. Increase the oven temperature to 375F.
- Place the baked cupcakes on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the hot cupcakes from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
Candied Bacon
- Place the slices of bacon on the prepared cookie sheet. Brush or drizzle the bacon with maple syrup.5 slices bacon, 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- Sprinkle the bacon with brown sugar. Bake for 25 minutes or until the brown sugar has melted and the bacon is crisp.½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- Remove the bacon from the pan and place on a cutting board. Cool completely. Finely chop the bacon and set aside to cool completely.
Maple Buttercream
- Weigh out egg whites, maple syrup, and granulated sugar together in a heat proof bowl.5-6 large egg whites, ⅔ cup pure maple syrup, ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- Clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the bowl and place over a pot of simmering (not boiling) water, whisking constantly and gently until temperature of the egg/sugar mixture reaches 160F, or until the mixture is hot and granules of sugar cannot be felt when rubbing the mixture between your thumb and finger.
- Using a sieve, strain the egg white/sugar mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Mix on medium speed with the whisk attachment until the mixture is glossy, reaches stiff peaks and the outside of the bowl is no longer warm. You cannot add butter to the bowl if it is warm or the butter will just melt when added.
- Once the mixture reaches stiff peaks, switch out the whisk attachment for the paddle attachment and begin mixing on low speed.
- Add the softened butter cubes, a couple at a time, until incorporated.1 ½ cups unsalted butter, cubed, room temperature
- Let the buttercream mix. It might curdle or look lumpy but that’s ok. Keep mixing. This could take some time.
- Keep mixing on low and add the salt, vanilla and maple extract, if using. Mix until everything is fully incorporated. The buttercream is ready when it is smooth, satiny and creamy.½ teaspoon fine sea salt, ¼ - ½ teaspoon maple extract, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Using a sharp knife, cut a hole into the center of the cooled cupcakes to create a space for the blueberry jam. The piece you removed will be the shape of a cone.
- Spoon the blueberry jam inside each carved out cupcake. Fill the cupcake with the filling to the top, about a heaping teaspoon full. Slice off the pointy end of the cone piece you removed so that it can fit on top of the filling. Place on top of the filling.½ cup blueberry jam
- Top the cupcakes with maple buttercream, a drizzle of maple and top with bacon bits.
Nutrition
Calories: 614kcalCarbohydrates: 70gProtein: 6gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 112mgSodium: 372mgPotassium: 164mgFiber: 1gSugar: 54gVitamin A: 918IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 105mgIron: 1mg
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