Maple Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes
When I was in school, We had to come up with a chocolate candy for an assignment. However, I apparently had sweetened out my husband with all my experiments over the last several weeks…I know, I didn’t know a person could get sweetened out either. My husband is a bit weird. Anyway, He was my only tester at the time and I had to come up with something. I ended up making a small chocolate covered almond that was infused with bacon and cayenne pepper. It was sweet, spicy and savory. He loved it. This cupcake was inspired by that little candy. I wanted to create a cupcake that had a little sweet, a little spicy and of course bacon makes everything taste better. Even chocolate. We hope you enjoy!!!
Ingredients
Ganache:
- 1 ¼ cup of heavy cream
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (Can also use vanilla extract)
Chocolate cupcakes:
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
- 2 cups sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste (Can also use vanilla extract)
- 1 cup sour cream
Spicy Chocolate Bacon:
- 4 chocolate bars of your choosing
- 1 lb. of bacon.
- 3 tablespoons of Honey Alepo Pepper (Cayenne pepper & Brown sugar evenly combined.)
- 1 cup of walnuts
- 4 tablespoons of brown sugar
- Nonstick butter Pam (AS NEEDED)
Maple Walnut Butter Cream Frosting:
- 2 cups of softened butter
- 5 ½ cups of powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons of maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste (Can also use vanilla extract)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
Instructions for Ganache:
- Gather all your ingredients for the Ganache and a small Saucepan.
- Using the small saucepan, pour in your heavy cream, corn syrup, chocolate chips and vanilla bean paste and turn heat to med/high.
- Stir Constantly until ganache is silky & smooth.
- Remove from stove and put in medium bowl and let cool for 10 minutes (Ensure to whisk occasionally) Once your ganache has cooled for 10 minutes. Put in refrigerator for about 30 minutes (Also stirring occasionally.)
Instructions for Chocolate Cupcakes:
- Gather your ingredients together
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line your 12 cup standard muffin pans with paper cupcake liners (2 pans total)
- Get two baking sheet pans and line them with parchment paper and place your muffin pans on the baking sheet pans. (This ensure easy clean up if you have any spills)
- In a large bowl, add your cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt.
- Whisk ingredients together and set aside.
- Let’s get your mixer ready, first you will need to attach a paddle attachment.
- Then add your butter and sugar into your mixing bowl.
- Place mixer on medium speed and mix your butter and sugar until light and fluffy (This process is called creaming)
- Add in your eggs one at a time and beat well after each egg is incorporated (Always crack eggs into individual contains before adding to your mix. This will prevent a bad egg from accidentally mixing in and ruining your whole batch)
- After you have added your eggs, add in your Vanilla Bean Paste and turn mixer on low.
- While your mixer is on low speed, Add in your Cocoa flour mix.
- Once flour is incorporate and the mixer is still on low speed. Add in your sour cream and mix until fully blended. Now we will be scooping into our cupcake liners.
- Using your scooper, evenly distribute batter into your cupcake liners filling each one ¾ of the way.
- Once complete, Place into your preheated oven.
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until you can still a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool in pan for about 5 minutes,
- After they have cooled for about 5 minutes. Transfer your cupcakes from the pan to a cooling rack to completely cool off. Now let’s start on the Bacon Bark.
Instructions for Spicy Chocolate Bacon:
- Gather your ingredients together.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and line your bacon on the sheets.
- Sprinkle your honey Alepo spice or Cayenne/brown sugar mixture of the bacon.
- Place bacon in oven for about 15-20 minutes. (Keep an eye on it)
- On a small sheet pan. Line with parchment and place walnuts flat and spaced.
- Spray with Pam butter and sprinkle with Brown sugar
- Place in oven for about 5 minutes or until brown sugar is bubbly and golden
- Pull everything out of the oven to cool.
- On another large sheet pan, place a parchment paper and then place chocolate bars on top.
- Place your chocolate in the oven for about 4-5 minutes so they can melt.
- While your chocolate is melting, go ahead and chop your bacon in half.
- Once the chocolate is melted. Remove from oven. Using an offset spatula, evenly spread melted chocolate around the parchment.
- Carefully press bacon and then the walnut chunks into chocolate. (Chocolate will be HOT!!!!)
- Sprinkle a pinch of salt over your bark and set aside to cool (Can even place in fridge for a few minutes to speed up process!
- Once the chocolate is set and cooled. Break it into large shards or small crumbles and set aside. Time to start the Maple Walnut Butter Cream.
Instructions: Maple Walnut Butter Cream Frosting:
- Gather your ingredients together.
- Get mixer ready by attaching whisk attachment
- Add in your butter and brown sugar in mixing bowl
- Whip for about 1 minute on medium speed or until fully whipped
- Then add in your powdered sugar and whip on low speed until fully incorporated
- Now add in your maple syrup and Vanilla Bean Paste. Whip on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until airy & fluffy
- Scrap down the sides and add in your chopped walnuts.
- Give it one last whip for about 30 seconds until walnuts are fully incorporated
- Fill piping bag with frosting and tie it off and place in fridge until ready to assemble cupcakes. “Note: If you do not have a piping bag you can use a Ziploc and cut a whole in the corner when ready”
Instructions: Assembly
- Stir your ganache to make sure your consistency is dippable or spreadable. If ganache is ready, remove from fridge and place on your prep/work area
- Move your cupcakes and cooling racks over to your prep/work area and begin dipping your cupcakes into your ganache and setting them back on your cooling rack (You can also spread the ganache over the cupcakes with a knife)
- Now you will want to get your piping bag out of the fridge and begin piping your frosting over the ganache.
- Once that is finished, take a piece of bacon bark and either stick it in or crumble it on top of your cupcakes. We hope you enjoy!
