Maple & Bacon Cupcakes

Canada Day is this week, so what better excuse than to eat crazy amounts of maple syrup?!

So, hear me out: bacon cupcakes. They're delicious.

The combination of bacon with maple syrup is a winner. Don't judge before you try them - believe me!

Maple syrup is by far my favourite syrup.

So, because Canada Day is this week (30th June), and I have family in Canada, I thought I can't not bake some Canadian-inspired cupcakes.

Until the day I can finally get over there and visit them, I'll have to make do with these cupcakes.

My one demand if you make these, is that you use real Canadian maple syrup - please, please none of the fake stuff!!

These are packed full of delicious caramelised bacon in the centre. Every bite is scrummy maple sponge, maple buttercream, and juicy gooey sweet maple bacon.

I've never baked with meat before, and I have to say I was a little apprehensive. But the blend of sweet and salty bacon is a delicious combination.

I know you'll love these.

Have a go and let me know what you think!

Let's get Caking It.

---

Recipe

180C (170C fan)

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Prep: 15 mins

Bake: 20 mins

Assembly: 5 mins

Ingredients

Sponge

160g unsalted butter

120g caster sugar

4 medium eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

200g gluten free self-raising flour

1 tsp gluten free baking powder

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

2 tbsp sour cream

150ml Canadian Maple Syrup

Filling

8 rashers of bacon

2 tbsp Canadian Maple Syrup

20g butter

100g light brown sugar

Frosting

100g unsalted butter

400g icing sugar

80ml tablespoons Canadian Maple Syrup

----------------------------------------

Method: Sponge

Don't forget to wait until all the ingredients are room temperature before starting.

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Fill 12 muffin holes with cases.

2. With a fork, cream the butter until pale, then add the sugar and cream together until fully incorporated.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing with an electric whisk between each addition. Now add the vanilla extract and the maple syrup.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and xanthan gum with a fork, and then add this to the mixture, mixing until fully incorporated.

5. Spoon in the sour cream and fold until combined.

6. Fill the cupcake cases until they're 3/4 full, or around 2 tbsp in each.

7. Let the mixture sit in the cases for 20 minutes before placing in an oven for 18 minutes. A skewer or toothpick inserted into the cupcakes should come out clean.

Method: Filling

This crispy, salty, caramelised bacon filling is so delicious with the sweet maple buttercream.

1. Dry fry the bacon until crispy then lay onto kitchen roll until cool.

2. Add the butter, sugar, maple syrup to a saucepan and cook until bubbling.

3. Cut half of the bacon into small chunks and add to the pan. Once the bacon is fully coated remove with a slotted spoon into a bowl and leave to rest until the cupcakes are cool.

4. Cut the rest of the bacon into larger chunks to top the cupcakes, and coat these with the remaining syrup mixture. Lay them onto a baking tray a let the sugar bubble and the bacon crisp in the oven for 5 minutes on 200C.

Method: Buttercream

This buttercream is gloriously silky smooth.

1. While the sponges are cooling, move onto the maple vanilla buttercream.

2. Cream the butter until pale, and gradually add in the icing sugar until it is all incorporated. You can do this either with a standing mixer, an electric hand whisk, or a fork. At this point the mixture should be a little stiff.

3. Add the maple syrup and mix until a glossy buttercream is formed.

Assembly

1. Making sure the sponges are completely cool, scoop out the middle of the cupcake with an apple corer, taking care not to go right down to the bottom.

2. With a teaspoon, fill the middle with your maple bacon syrup.

3. Pipe your maple syrup buttercream on top, add a crispy caramelised bacon piece, and a splash on maple syrup.

4. Enjoy!