How to Make: Pancake Cupcakes with Candied Bacon on top!

I am a fan of breakfast. Breakfast for dinner especially. And bacon is getting classier all the time.

Maple-Maple-Pancake-Pancake-Pancake-Maple Syrup-Candied Bacon Cupcakes ♥ (If you got lost, I started from the bottom and went up in that list).

This cupcake is basically an entire breakfast. And an entire meal in a cupcake needs a fork.

The cupcake is made with a yellow cake mix as a base, but you’d never know because I don’t follow any of the rules on the box. So for the cake mix nixers: Don’t hate, just bake. You’ll love it. I guarantee. I basically use the box for my base dry ingredients. The added ingredients are Pure Maple Syrup, Maple Extract, Butterscotch Pudding, Eggs, Buttermilk, Vanilla Extract, and Oil.

Reason for the Butterscotch Pudding:  I wanted to use something to substitute the brown sugar flavor.  Before butterscotch is made, one of its crucial ingredients is brown sugar.  It worked! You don’t even taste the butterscotch, all the flavors blend together and create a rich maple/pancake flavor.

While the cupcakes were baking, I made candied bacon (recipe below) and I whipped up my favorite pancake recipe on a skillet by scooping the batter onto the skillet with a mini cookie scoop. (This takes time and patience and a love for mini pancakes but the result is adorable)! You can use Bisquick if you don’t make pancakes from scratch, or see below:

If you don’t have time to make your own mini pancakes, Eggo brand sells mini pancakes in the freezer section at select grocery stores and they look like this on top of cupcakes. I made these at a different time, for a wedding.  To turn pancake bacon cupcakes into a bridal event, I switched the maple frosting out with a light white whipped cream frosting.  Who doesn’t love a little whipped cream on their pancakes?

Maple Pancake Cupcakes with Candied Bacon
Ingredients:
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 packet of butterscotch pudding, in dry powder form, not prepared
1 Cup Buttermilk (room temperature)
¼ Cup Maple Syrup
1 teaspoon maple extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup oil
4 eggs

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325.  Line cupcake pan with cupcake wrappers.  Pour dry yellow cake mix and dry butterscotch pudding in bowl and set aside.  Measure ¼ cup pure maple syrup and set aside.  Measure 1 cup buttermilk and set aside.  In stand mixer, cream eggs, oil, and extracts together.  Gradually alternate the addition of dry ingredients, syrup and buttermilk to the creamed mixture until all is mixed together. Scrape bowl down to make sure there are no leftover ingredients stuck on the bottom of bowl and re-mix. Using an ice cream scoop, fill cupcake wrappers a little over half full and bake for about 24 minutes or until cupcake springs up and doesn’t sink in when touched. While cupcakes are baking, you can bake mini pancakes and candied bacon in preparation to decorate the cupcakes.

Maple Buttercream
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4-6 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons dry butterscotch instant pudding
2 teaspoons maple extract
1/4 cup buttermilk or milk

Using a flat beater attachment, cream the butter and the dry butterscotch instant pudding on high speed until fluffy.  Add syrup, maple extract, and liquid.  Scrape bowl down to make sure all ingredients are evenly mixed.  Gradually add powdered sugar until frosting is stiff enough to pipe on top of cupcake.

Easy Whipped Cream Frosting:
Ingredients:
2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1 Box Instant White Chocolate Pudding
1/3 Cup Powdered Sugar
Stainless Steel Bowl (put in freezer for 1 hour before making frosting)

1. Add whipping cream to the frozen cold bowl.
2. Begin to whip in stand mixer until stiff peaks form.
3. Add powdered sugar, and continue to whip at high speed just until peaks begin to form again.
4. Add White Chocolate Pudding mix, slow speed down and continue to whip until frosting sets up.

Candied Bacon:
Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray and line with aluminum foil.  Lay bacon strips out on aluminum foil and lightly sprinkle each piece of bacon with light brown sugar. Bake the bacon at 450 for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned.  Once bacon is done baking, remove immediately from pan and let cool on a plate.  Tear the bacon up in little pieces to decorate the top of your pancake bacon cupcake.