Maple Bacon Cupcakes
These Maple Bacon Cupcakes are an extraordinary treat that is sweet and salty at the same time. Soft maple cupcakes with a hint of bacon topped with maple buttercream frosting, crispy bacon bits, and a touch of maple syrup.
Table of Contents
Desserts with bacon started sweeping the food scene a few years ago. It was such a craze that people tried adding bacon to just about every sweet treat. Maple/bacon and chocolate/bacon seemed to be the most popular combinations. Although, maple and bacon flavors have been together for a long long time already and have always been quite popular.
So I can definitely see how maple/bacon desserts became so popular. It’s not just cupcakes that feature that flavor combination, I’ve seen it in donuts, muffins, waffles, pancakes, and cookies.
These unusual cupcakes feature soft and fluffy cakes infused with maple syrup and bacon flavors. On top, I drizzled a little more maple syrup and paired it with buttercream frosting. Of course, as a finishing touch, there are lots of crispy bacon bits and maple syrup on top.
How To Make Maple Bacon Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. (I recommend parchment paper liners but you can use any you prefer.)
PRO TIP: Make sure your other ingredients are measured and ready before starting the batter!
Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder together and set aside.
Combine vegetable oil, bacon grease, vanilla extract, and maple syrup. (And maple extract if using.)
In a bowl of an electric mixer (use paddle attachment), beat egg whites for about 30 seconds and slowly start pouring in sugar. Beat for 2-3 minutes, until white and fluffy.
Start pouring in oil mixture, slowly, as the eggs are still beating on medium-high. Lower the speed to low.
Alternating, add flour mixture and buttermilk in two parts. Mix until just combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and low mix a couple more seconds until incorporated.
Divide batter among the cupcake cups, filling them about ⅔ of the day. (I recommend using an ice cream scoop so all the cupcakes are even.) Tap the cupcake pan on the counter a couple of times to help air bubbles come up.
Bake for 18-20 minutes. Take them out of the oven and let them rest for 5-10 minutes. Gently take the cupcakes out onto the wire rack to cool. Drizzle about a teaspoon of maple syrup on top of each cupcake while they are still warm.
Cool completely before frosting!
How To Make Maple Buttercream Frosting
Beat softened butter in the electric mixer, on medium-high speed, for about 2 minutes.
Lower the speed to low and carefully mix in powdered sugar, salt, and maple syrup. Once sugar is incorporated, scrape sides and bottom of the bowl and raise the speed to medium. Beat for another 2-3 minutes.
Transfer the frosting into a piping bag with the desired tip attached (I used 1M). Pipe cooled cupcakes. Crumble crispy bacon and divide it on top of frosted cupcakes and then drizzle with some maple syrup.
Tips For The Best Maple Bacon Cupcakes
- Measure and prepare all of your ingredients before starting to bake the cupcakes!
- Measure properly! Make sure you spoon the flour into the measuring cup instead of dunking the cup directly into the bag! Then, cut the excess at the top with the back of a knife to level. If you dunk the cup, you’ll pack the flour into the cup and that could result in dense cupcakes.
- Use room temperature ingredients for cupcakes. Pull eggs and buttermilk for about 30-45 minutes before baking. Make sure to measure out the buttermilk first and then let it warm up. Pull the butter out of the refrigerator for about 30-45 minutes before making the frosting as well.
- Do drizzle maple syrup on cupcakes that are still warm so they absorb the syrup better.
- Do NOT try to frost warm cupcakes!
Make Ahead Suggestions
Bacon: Remember to save the bacon grease after cooking bacon! Store bacon and bacon grease in separate containers, in the refrigerator. Make sure both are covered and air-tight.
Cupcakes: you can also bake the cupcakes completely and once cooled to room temperature, cover them air-tight and store them in the refrigerator for a day or two. When ready, let the cupcakes warm up to room temperature while preparing the frosting. Frost and finish the cupcakes as directed in the recipe.
More Cupcake Recipes To Try
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Maple Bacon Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 4 egg whites room temperature
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup bacon grease grease from cooking bacon in the oven
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 cup low fat buttermilk
- Optional: 1 tsp maple extract
Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups powder sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
Toppings:
- 1/4 cup maple syrup for topping cupcakes
- 6-8 crispy bacon strips
- 1/4 cup maple syrup for topping frosting
Instructions
Bacon:
- Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and fit in a wire rack. Spread bacon in 1 even layer on the greased wire rack and cook it in the oven at 400℉ for about 20-25 minutes, depending on thickness.
- Save the bacon grease!
Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. (I recommend parchment paper liners but you can use any your prefer.)
- Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder together and set aside.
- Combine vegetable oil, bacon grease, vanilla extract, and maple syrup. (And maple extract if using.)
- Make sure your other ingredients are ready.
- In a bowl of an electric mixer (use paddle attachment), beat egg whites for about 30 seconds and slowly start pouring in sugar. Beat for 2-3 minutes, until white and fluffy.
- Start pouring in oil mixture, slowly, as the eggs are still beating on medium-high.
- Lower the speed to low.
- Alternating, add flour mixture and buttermilk in two parts. Mix until just combined. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl and low mix a couple more seconds until incorporated.
- Divide batter among the cupcake cups, filling them about ⅔ of the day. (I recommend using an ice cream scoop so all the cupcakes are even.) Tap the cupcake pan on the counter a couple of times to help air bubbles come up.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes. Take out of the oven and let them rest for 5-10 minutes. Gently take the cupcakes out onto the wire rack to cool.
- Drizzle about a teaspoon of maple syrup on to of each cupcake while they are still warm.
- Cool completely before frosting!
Frosting:
- Beat softened butter in the electric mixer, on medium-high speed, for about 2 minutes.
- Lower speed to low and carefully mix in powder sugar, salt and maple syrup. Once sugar is incorporated, scrape sides and bottom of the bowl and raise speed to medium. Beat for another 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer frosting into a piping bag with desired tip attached (I used 1M). Pipe cooled cupcakes.
- Crumble crispy bacon and divide it on top of piped cupcakes.
- Drizzle each cupcake with some maple syrup.
Notes
- Measure properly! Make sure you spoon the flour into the measuring cup instead of dunking the cup directly into the bag! Then, cut the excess at the top with the back of a knife to level. If you dunk the cup, you’ll pack the flour into the cup and that could result in dense cupcakes.
- Use room temperature ingredients for cupcakes and frosting. Pull eggs, buttermilk, and butter about 30-45 minutes before baking. Make sure to measure out the buttermilk first and then let it warm up.
- Storing: It’s always best to store frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator! Store them in an air-tight container like a large food storage container with a lid or in the muffin pan if it came with a lid. Frosted cupcakes should be good for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. You can let them warm up on the counter before serving.
- Can cook bacon ahead: you can easily cook bacon ahead of time, just make sure to save the bacon grease! Store bacon grease and bacon separately, in air-tight containers, in the refrigerator. Reheat the grease and bacon before using.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in March, 2015.
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
why are you re-working the recipe?
It seems that quite a few people had a problem with cupcakes deflating. Since it didn’t happen to me when I was making them, I need to figure out if there was an error in somewhere.
Have you made them before I took off the recipe, Sarah?
Hi Sarah,
I just wanted to let everyone know that I did post the new recipe. I really hope you will give them a try! Thank you 🙂
Your cupcakes look beautiful! My best friend loves maple bacon and I was looking for a recipe for a Thanksgiving treat. I’m so sorry about the previous cooks troubles but I would love love love to try this recipe. It’s the most appealing one I have found.
Please repost it! Or email me lib3rty007@gmail.com
Keeping my fingers crossed!
Hi Liberty!
This is long overdue. I have a new recipe for these cupcakes and I remade them using a different technique. It hasn’t failed be before and I’ve made this recipe a couple of times for my husbands work. I hope you will try them!
Thank you and I”m so sorry for taking so long.
I wish I’d read the reviews before I make I made these. Even after the adjustment was made for the amount of baking powder, they sunk down in the middle and were not very presentable. I was making these for a function for 100 people, and I cannot afford to replace the ingredients. Hopefully the icing will cover the deflated cupcakes.
I’m so sorry they sunk, Helen! I wish I could tell why they sunk in. I made 6 batches in a row of these and they didn’t sink. I feel terrible. I thin I will just hide the recipe and try to re-work it again. 🙁
I hope you and everyone enjoys the way they taste!
Mae these and followed the recipe perfectly, they are totally deflated like others mentioned. Sadly I’m baking tonight for a party and cannot go back out to the store to replace ingredients. I’m so sad because I am known for baking and this was a major fail 🙁
I’m so sorry about that!
I had a couple of crazy months due to family matters and the emails got away from me. I should have checked the comments above sooner. It was a mistake in the recipe. I dug up my notebook and in fact, it is 2 tsp of baking powder. I’m sorry about the fail and the mistake!
I’m sure you are still known as a great baker!
The previous reviews are correct, 2 tbsp of baking powder ruined these cupcakes. They were a disaster.
Hello! I made this recipe twice and both times the cupcakes deflated into a yucky mess. I think the previous review is correct, the baking powder amount is way off. I have made a lot of cupcakes in the past, so I don’t think my technique was off twice in a row. The frosting was tasty, though 🙂
Please recheck your ingredients. I thought 2 tbsp of baking powder seemed like too much but I followed your recipe anyway. Needed to say, it was a mess – and I had to throw everything away. – how wasteful! At least I can use the cooked bacon and icing butter for a different recipe. The pictures are lovely – too bad mine didn’t work.
These look so good! Donyou have to wait to put bacon and maple syrup on at the last minute before serving? Must you refrigerate?
Hi Diane!
Do you mean the topping? Do top with maple syrup and bacon otherwise maple syrup will soak the pancakes and make it soggy. You can refrigerate leftover and reheat later, just try not to add syrup to those you’re not serving so they don’t become soggy.
Oh goodness, I thought this was for the pancakes!! Lol, never mind the previous reply!
If it’s more than a few hours before serving, do refrigerate them. They will stay fresh better. Just pull them out about an hour before serving.
You can add bacon and maple syrup on top right away or before serving, that won’t matter much.
I am making these for work tomorrow. Do I need to refrigerate them?
I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you right away. I would recommend refrigerating if it’s more than just a few hours before serving just to keep them fresh. Cover and refrigerate and pull about an hour before serving so the frosting softens.
Hope you like them!
These look incredible! I could taste the salty-sweetness in my mouth just looking at your beautiful photos!
Awe, thank you, Becca!
Seriously I don’t think anything could taste any better than a maple and bacon cupcake. This sweet and salty combination is my favourite kind!
Yay! I hope you’ll give them a try then 🙂
Thank you, Thalia! (Beautiful name, btw.)
I LOVE these! They look so beautiful.
Thank you, Teresa!! 😀