Maple French Toast and Bacon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Cinnamon Frosting

Inspiration: There's nothing like "syrup bacon". Except for syrup bacon with a side of french toast.

Gosh, here I am starting a blog, and it takes me like a week to update... Well, it's been sort of a long week; life's been pretty crazy, but here's to finally finding time to work on some recipes!



I tend to not be much of a breakfast person, unless French Toast is the main course. (Cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla, etc...) Mmm!
And bacon???
Let's face it, who can resist bacon?

The following recipe definitely does have potential, but it was not exactly what I was looking for. I used more bacon than what the recipe called for, and it ended up being a great amount; however, next time I think I would cut the bacon into larger pieces. (For some reason, I cut the bacon after I cooked it.)

I really enjoyed the frosting; it was nice and cinnamon-y and sweet! (How technical of me.) It added a much needed moistness to the cupcake. (The cupcakes were not dry, but just not as moist as I like.)

Notes for next time:
Chop bacon straight out of the freezer
Use all cake flour, rather than half and half with all-purpose
Maybe more cinnamon???
Maybe DARK brown sugar instead of light???
Look for an update of this recipe, with a few tweaks!

Thanks for visiting!

Cupcakes & Kisses
Paula-Marie


Ingredients
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 egg whites, 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 (softened)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 strips bacon, cooked and chopped (optional)

Directions

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.

Meanwhile, prepare the 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.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/maple-french-toast-and-bacon-cupcakes-recipe/index.html