Maple Bacon Cupcakes

These maple bacon cupcakes are just like breakfast in dessert form. This maple bacon cupcake recipe is made with moist and tender maple cinnamon cake, frosted with maple buttercream frosting, drizzled with salted caramel sauce and sprinkled with crumbled bacon. Eat these cupcakes for breakfast or dessert!

Ingredients for Making Maple Bacon Cupcakes

Maple Cupcakes

• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Granulated sugar
• Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
• Vegetable oil – Use your preferred neutral baking oil.
• Egg – Large egg, room temperature.
• Sour cream – Room temperature.
• Maple syrup – Use pure maple syrup rather than artificial pancake syrup for the best flavor.
• Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract. You can substitute maple extract if you want more intense maple flavor.
• Milk – Room temperature.

Maple Buttercream Frosting

• Unsalted butter – Room temperature, softened butter.
• Powdered sugar – Confectioners’ sugar/icing sugar.
• Vanilla extract – Vanilla extract adds great underlying vanilla flavor and enhances the maple flavor.
• Salt – To contrast the sweetness of the frosting.
• Maple syrup – Just as the cupcakes, use pure maple syrup for the best maple flavor.
• Heavy cream – To make the buttercream smooth and creamy.

Additional Ingredients

• Salted caramel sauce – Check out my recipe for homemade salted caramel sauce. You could also use store-bought if you prefer.
• Bacon – Cooked, crumbled bacon.

How to Make Maple Cinnamon Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcakes liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt). Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, use an electric hand mixer to cream the granulated sugar, butter and vegetable oil until pale and creamy. Add the egg, sour cream, maple syrup, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
4. Add half of the flour mixture to the batter and mix on low speed until mostly combined. Slowly pour in the milk, continuing to mix on low. Add the remaining half of the flour mixture and mix until the batter is smooth.
5. Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop, about 3/4 full.
6. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes bounce back when gently touched. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

How to Make Maple Buttercream Frosting

1. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip the room temperature unsalted butter for 5 minutes on medium-high speed until it is light, pale, and fluffy. 
2. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined.
3. Add the vanilla extract and salt.
4. Slowly drizzle in the maple syrup followed by the heavy cream while mixing on low speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is well combined. 
5. Turn the speed on the mixer to medium speed and whip for 3 minutes until the buttercream is light and fluffy.

Assembling the Cupcakes

1. Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip with the maple buttercream frosting.
2. Pipe a generous swirl of frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.
3. Drizzle salted caramel sauce over the cupcakes and sprinkle with crumbled bacon.