Cupcake Challenge 4: Bacon Cupcakes with Maple Syrup Cream Cheese Icing

Bacon Cupcakes with Maple Syrup Cream Cheese Icing

So before you are utterly repulsed, let me explain the background and reaction to these cupcakes. My friend, Julie, heard a segment on NPR about a man and his wife who own a bakery where a hot item is bacon cupcakes. Eager to try this out, I decided I'd rather experiment myself then search for a recipe online--as with all of my "challenge" cupcakes, I don't think there'd be a point if I didn't complete the recipe myself.

So I started with maple flavored bacon. I cooked a few strips in a skillet, patted every last bit of grease and moisture out of them, rolled them in a cinnamon sugar mixture, and folded them into a standard yellow cake. When they came out of the oven, it took me a solid hour to work up the courage to try them. I took a bite. Unsure of whether or not it disgusted me, I finished the cupcake and forced my brother to try it, too. He gave it the okay and I set to work on the maple syrup cream cheese icing, which I definitely think will make a comeback on another cupcake very soon. Once I frosted it with that, Thomas said it was definitely ready to go.

I brought it to a friend, Shana's house first for her and her mom to try. They liked the icing enough that the cake didn't disgust them. Then I brought a trayful to poker night at my friend Mary's house. I gave the cupcakes a huge disclaimer: "They're hit or miss, you might not like them, I won't be offended, don't try it if you don't want to, tell me what you think honestly, etc etc." Three boys took the challenge first--and loved them. I thought they must be joking, because I definitely didn't harbor that much affection for these cupcakes. But they actually enjoyed them! I thought they must be a "man cupcake", until two girls took the plunge and liked them too. As one friend said, "I don't even like bacon...but I like these."

So they may not be kosher, or even socially acceptable, but these cupcakes were pretty successful in my opinion. If I make the recipe in the future, I might try using a spice cake instead to aid the bacon's flavor.

Flavor suggested by: Julie T. and Sam J.