Hi Everyone,
How was you Christmas? Today I have a Christmas treat for you! It’s the last full week of the year and I need to squeeze in one more not so healthy recipe, since I am starting over in January. So take this in mind that this is just a splurge treat that I had to share with you!! Somethings, no matter how bad, you just have to share! Sometimes it’s good to be bad! 🙂
This is my Cinnamon Cupcake with Maple Frosting and Bacon. Oh baby, the combination of this cupcake is just amazing! The cupcake is full of cinnamon, super moist, light and fluffy and the frosting is sweet, creamy and soft. Now let me get to the bacon. This is my recipe for Maple Glazed Bacon and it just needed to be topped on this cupcake. Sounds like a weird combo, but trust me when I say it tastes friggen amazing!! Drooling thinking of it!
I made these cupcakes because my Friend Michelle, and I were talking about crazy cupcakes. When I left work, I thought I must surprise everyone at work and make these for our Christmas party. Not really Christmasy, but since it’s coming from me, it will be a shock and I just love to throw people off with things like this. It’s so much fun! My Husband was a little shocked and happy!! Not only did he get to eat leftover bacon, he had to test the cupcakes out and ate two of them for his Sunday morning breakfast. Not exactly nutritious breakfast, but it fits the breakfast bill for him!
I really did try to lighten up these cupcakes. My original recipe the calories were up over 400 and no matter what, I could not make a 400 calorie cupcake!! So to lighten it up, I used only a 1/2 cup of sugar instead of one cup. I used egg substitute instead of two eggs and I went light on the frosting by only using 4 tablespoons of butter instead of two sticks! You get a lot of flavor and sweetness for not having a lot of sugar or frosting. The calories came out to 243. I know still a little high for cupcakes, but trust me, this is a great splurge and would be wonderful for serving your guests, especially during a football game. I can guarantee you will get a lot of talk about these cupcakes and a lot of happy faces!
Thanks to you Guys the cupcakes didn’t stick to the cupcake liner. I always have an issue when using paper cupcake liners, but earlier this year you told me to use foil liners and that was the best thing ever. The cupcakes unwrapped like a dream!! So thank you! I am not a fan of paper liners anymore.
- ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cake flour (not self rising)
- 1½ tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup egg substitute or 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
- 3 slices bacon, cooked and cut into pieces
- Maple Frosting:
- 4 tbsp butter, room temperature
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Line a muffin pan with foil or paper cups; set aside.
- In a bowl; sift together flour, cake flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl, add sugar and butter, beat until creamy. Add one egg at a time and beat until combined. Add maple syrup and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each.
- Divide batter between muffin cups, filling cups about ¾ ways full.
- Bake in oven for 16 - 20 minutes, rotating half way through. Cook until center comes out clean with a toothpick.
- Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
- To make frosting:
- In a bowl, add butter and maple syrup. Beat on high, gradually adding powdered sugar until it is the consistency that you like.
- Spread frosting over cup cakes and top with bacon.
- Cupcake portion adapted from Martha Stewart
I know what your thinking! Your thinking, Jen this is a health food blog! There is nothing healthy about this recipe. I know, I know. I just have fun creating off the wall things and I really love these cupcakes and thought they would be fun to share with you. I did my hardest to lighten it up without sacrificing the flavor. I can only imagine what the calories are of cupcakes at the bakery. Eck!!!
Well my Friends, I am off! I have lots of things to do today!! Time for Christmas clean up! Ugh!!
Have a fabulous day!
Toodles,
Jennifer
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Mmmmmmm these looks AMAZING!
OOOOOOO yes! SOOOOO delicious, I am drooling. I wish I could eat them!
Oh my, these look AMAZING!! I am drooling over that bacon…