Pancake Cupcakes with Maple Frosting and Bacon Sprinkles

Pancake Cupcakes with Maple Frosting and Bacon Sprinkles

You read that right. These are indeed pancakes, baked as cupcakes, then slathered maple flavored frosting and sprinkled with crispy bacon. And they are every bit as wonderful in real life as they sound.

These were John’s birthday treat this year. He’s not a dessert lover, so I have to conjure up some creativity when it comes to birthday celebrations for him. Last year I made these Guinness Cupcakes with Irish Cream Frosting, and those were every bit as wonderful in real life as they sound as well.

When I asked John if there was anything in particular he’d like this year he said Yes, those Irish car bomb cupcakes from last year. But he’s gluten free now, and Guinness is definitely not a gluten free ingredient. Here’s how the conversation in my head went: Let’s see…the only thing that John loves more than Guinness is probably bacon. Bacon is gluten free. But what goes well with bacon? Pancakes. That’s it!” But you know what was really strange about this train of thought? Someone else already had it. I’ve been blogging long enough to know that no matter what I think of, someone somewhere has already tried a variation of it. All it took was a quick Google search to find that what I thought was an original idea had already been done to perfection by the Brown Eyed Baker. I just tweaked her fabulous recipe to make it gluten free for John.

It goes without saying, everyone loved, loved, loved these pancake cupcakes. I think John devoured three of them before I could even look away. But here’s the really great thing about them – they’re not just for birthday celebrations. I left a few of them unfrosted and the kids gobbled them down for breakfast the next morning. They are a breeze to make, so now I keep a few cupcakes (without the frosting) in the freezer for mornings when we need to eat on the run. Cupcakes for breakfast – yay!

Pancake Cupcakes with Maple Frosting and Bacon Sprinkles
makes 12 cupcakes

For the Cupcakes:
1 cup Gluten Free Baking Mix (such as Gluten Free Pantry)
2 teaspoons baking powder (aluminum free)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon 100% pure maple syrup
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

For the Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 Tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon 100% pure vanilla (gluten free)
4 slices of bacon, cooked until crispy, then crumbled
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners, then spray with non-stick cooking spray. (This is very important, especially if making these gluten free.) Set aside.

Place baking mix, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl and stir with a whisk until combined. In another small mixing bowl whisk together the milk, eggs, maple syrup, and butter.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and lightly fold together using a spatula until all ingredients are moist. Do not over mix – lumps are okay.

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until tops are puffed and firm to the touch. Let cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the frosting:

Place the butter in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, mix butter on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the powdered sugar gradually, about 1/2 cup at a time, waiting until each addition is combined before adding the next. Once all sugar has been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then increase speed to medium high. Continue mixing until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the maple syrup and vanilla and continue mixing for 30 seconds.

Spread the frosting over each cooled cupcake. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Unfrosted cupcakes can be placed inside a freezer bag and stored in the freezer for up to one month.

recipe adapted from The Brown Eyed Baker.