I succumbed to bacon!

For several months now I've been reading about the beauty of bacon in cookies and cupcakes and decided to take the plunge.
I mixed up a batch of some of my favorite Devil's Food Cupcakes, adding additional cocoa and minced up the crispy bacon. I anxiously awaited the little devils as they baked. Finally, they were cool enough to handle and I took a big bite and...well where is it? Where's that savory goodness of bacon? I could hardly tell there was any bacon at all. I was disappointed.

When Joe, aka Mr. Tastebuds, got home from work, he wanted a cupcake and I said "yes". Which surprised the heck out of him because the cakes were not frosted yet and eating a cupcake sans frosting is a big NO-NO in my home! But he took a bite and then another bite and he asked "What's the little bits of dried stuff? Is it dried fruit? I don't like it." Oh well, at least I wasn't the only one that could not taste the bacon. But even if I bake the most fabulous cupcake ever, the best Joe could do would be "tasty", so really "I don't like it" is not that bad...LOL!!

So I decided to try and save the little buggers. Hey apple and brown sugar go great with bacon, so a new frosting was born. Let's hope it helps the bacon flavor but if all else fails it will still be a tasty cupcake with unidentifiable dried bits better left to the unknown.

Apple Brown Butter Cupcakes
Little Chocolate Devil's Food Cupcakes recipe adapted from Foodnetwork Kitchens

1 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch-process)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
2 large whole eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup water

My changes: I added an additional 2 TBL of unsweetened cocoa and 8 pieces of minced crispy bacon.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups with paper liners. Whisk the flour with the cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Beat the butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually add the sugar. Beat until light and smooth, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and beat in the whole eggs and yolk 1 at a time, incorporating each fully before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Bring water just to a boil in a small saucepan and remove from the heat. With the mixer at low speed, beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture in 4 additions. Drizzle in the hot water, about 2 tablespoons at a time, and mix briefly to make a smooth batter. Fold in the minced bacon.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups filling them 2/3 full. Bake until the centers of the cupcakes spring back when pressed gently, about 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the tin on a rack for 10 minutes then remove from the tin and cool completely before frosting.

Apple Feathered Brown Butter Frosting
Recipe developed in the kitchen of Big-Black-Dog

2 TBL butter or margarine, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 c. apple butter (I used my homemade apple butter but any brand is fine)
2 tsp meringue powder

With electric mixer, beat butter, cream cheese and vanilla until well blended. Gradually beat in both sugars until mixture is smooth and creamy.

*NOTE: You may need to add more powdered sugar depending on the moisture content of the apple butter.

The Recipe for the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting can be found in my blog here.

Assembly: Bakes 12 regular sized cupcakes. When cupcakes are cool load pastry bag with half Chocolate Cream Cheese frosting and half Apple Feathered Brown Butter Frosting using a size 2D Star Tip swirl on the marbled frosting. Sprinkle with chocolate jimmies.





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