Pancake and Bacon Cupcakes!!!

These sweet maple pancake flavored cupcakes are topped with syrup-coated bacon and real mini-pancakes.  The only question remaining is, will you eat them for breakfast???

My answer to that question is a resounding YES, I will eat them for breakfast, and any other time of the day too!

Did you know that today is National Pancake Lovers Day???  There is no better way I know of to celebrate pancakes than by making these!  [Plus, Monday is National Coffee Day, and believe me these go GREAT with coffee!]

These cupcakes were a complete experiment, and when they came out of the oven and I tentatively tasted one, I smiled. They taste like pancakes- they really do!  Here’s how we made them: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

Cupcakes:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 2 eggs
• 3 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup maple syrup (I didn’t use the real stuff– too expensive!)

Frosting and toppings:

• 2 sticks (1 cup) of salted butter, softened
• 2 sticks (1 cup) of unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla
• 8 pieces of bacon, cooked until very crisp
• 1/4 cup of maple syrup
• Pancake batter- enough for about 50 mini pancakes (I used the add water and shake Bisquick bottle, and it took about 2 cups of batter to make these up.

DIRECTIONS:

Cupcakes:

• Combine all dry ingredients and mix in medium bowl
• In large bowl, whisk eggs, whipping cream and vanilla together, add melted butter slowly while whisking.
• Alternately add dry ingredients and syrup to the egg mixture, whisking until thick and smooth.
• Scoop evenly into 18-20 cupcake liners placed in muffin tins. Don’t overfill!
• Bake at 350F degrees for 14-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Remove cupcakes from tin and allow them to cool completely.

Frosting and toppings:

• Crumble bacon into small pieces and toss with maple syrup until completely coated.
• Make mini pancakes on a hot griddle by using a small spoon and making just a tiny circle of batter.  Let these cool on a piece of parchment paper.
• Make frosting by placing butters, powdered sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beating on high for 3-4 minutes until very light and fluffy.
• Place frosting into a large zip top bag that has a decorating tip fitted into one corner.
• Pipe a circle of icing around the edge of the cupcake.
• Sprinkle with bacon.
• Place pancakes on top, using a small amount of frosting to stick them together into a stack.  
• Add a dollop of frosting on top and add sprinkles or a red “cherry” sixlet, like mine.
• ENJOY!!!!

My thoughts:  These are really good.  The sweet cupcake with that salty bacon….yum!  I was a little skeptical about the bacon, but it really adds a wonderful flavor to these!  If you are short on time, skip the mini pancakes on top and just frost these and sprinkle them with bacon.  You could even use a bottle of those real bacon bits, but I suspect that the freshly cooked bacon tastes best.  Happy Pancake Day to YOU!!!  Enjoy!! ~r

Other treats that you “could” eat for breakfast: