Theseย maple bacon cupcakesย are the perfect mix of sweet and salty! They're soft, fluffy maple cupcakes topped with creamy maple buttercream and crispy bacon. Each bite has aย rich maple flavor, buttery frosting, and smoky, crunchy bacon. They're easy for home bakers to make but taste like they came from the bakery!
If you're aย bacon loverย that's never tried bacon in a dessert before,ย maple bacon cupcakesย is the best place to start.
These cupcakes are the perfect mix of sweet maple and salty bacon, topped with a swirl ofย maple buttercream frostingย for extra cozy flavor. They're basically breakfast and dessert rolled into one!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Theseย maple bacon cupcakesย hit that perfect sweet-and-salty balance. The smoky, crispy bacon pairs so well with the deep, cozy maple flavor.
The cupcakes are incredibly tender thanks to the reverse creaming method. Instead of creamingย butterย and sugar together first, theย butterย is mixed into the dry ingredients. This coats the flour in fat before the wet ingredients are added, which limits gluten formation for plush cupcakes with a melt-in-your-mouth crumb.
I used the same technique to make these tiramisu cupcakes, dulce de leche cupcakes, and honey cupcakes!
Key Ingredients
- Bacon-ย Use thick-cut bacon. Mine was hickory smoked, but you can use any flavor you like, including maple for more flavor!
- Cake flour-ย This is a finely milled flour that makes cupcakes extra soft! Allย purpose flourย also works here, but the cupcakes will be slightly more dense (but still delicious).
- Unsaltedย butter-ย You needย butterย for the cakeย batter and the frosting. Make sure theย butterย isย room temperatureย so it incorporates into both smoothly.ย
- Oil-ย The cupcakes are made withย butterย and oil.ย Butterย adds a rich flavor, while oil keeps them moist. Use a neutral oil (like canola or vegetable) to not overpower the maple.
- Maple syrup-ย Useย real maple syrup (not artificialย pancakeย syrup) for the best authentic maple flavor! It needs to be grade A 100%ย pure maple syrup.ย Dark maple syrup had the strongest flavor when I was testing this recipe.
- Eggs-ย Twoย eggsย bind the ingredients together and add lift. Make sure the carton is labeled "largeย eggs". Medium or extra largeย eggsย can throw off the recipe ratios.
- Greek yogurt-ย This adds more richness and just a bit of acid to snip the gluten strands, making the cupcakes extra soft. Make sure to use plain yogurt, andย sour creamย is a great substitute!
- Milk-ย Any type of dairy or non-dairy milk works.
For the full ingredient list and quantities, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1:ย Arrange slices of bacon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pop it in the oven, then set the temperature to 400ยฐF, baking until crispy.
Once the bacon is done, line a plate with paper towels and use tongs to transfer the bacon to the plate. The towels help absorb extra bacon fat.
Step 2: Reduce the temperature to 350ยฐF, then line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
Then stir the cake flour, granulated sugar, bakingย powder, andย saltย together in a large bowl.
Step 3: Beat softenedย butterย into the dry ingredients with a mixer on medium-low speed until the mixture looks like wet sand.
Step 4: In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and yogurt together. Then whisk in the milk.
Step 5: While mixing on low speed, stream the wet ingredients into the dry. The batter will be very thin, which is normal!
Step 6: Fill the cupcake liners โ full with batter so they don't overflow in the oven, then bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs attached (means the cupcakes are still moist).
Step 7: Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
While they cool, make theย maple buttercream frostingย by beatingย butter, powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, andย saltย together.
Step 8:ย Add the frosting to aย piping bagย fitted with a large piping tip (I used the Wilton 1M) and pipe a generous swirl on top of each cupcake.
Cut the bacon into thirds, garnish the cupcakes with them, andย drizzle maple syrupย on top!
Expert Baking Tips
- Preparing the bacon.ย Cook the bacon any way you like- pan fried, baked, or in the microwave. Everyone has a different tried and true method! I baked mine, throwing it into a coldย ovenย since the fat renders better that way. I tried covering the bacon with a sheet ofย parchment paperย to prevent splattering (saw this tip on Reddit), but it kept the bacon from getting crispy, so I removed it.
- Crumble the bacon.ย I opted to add big strips of bacon to each cupcake. If you want a more pronounced bacon flavor and some crunch, cook your bacon extra crispy and crumble it on top of the cupcakes for bacon flavor in every bite!ย Thinner bacon stripsย bakeย up crispier.
- Measure the flour correctly.ย For the best results, measure the flour in grams with a kitchen scale. If you don't have one, useย the spoon-and-level method. Fluff the flour, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it off. This prevents dry cupcakes!
Storage Tips
Room temperature: If the cupcakes are unfrosted, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Refrigerator: For cupcakes with frosting, it's best to store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
I recommend taking the bacon off the cupcakes before refrigerating and storing it separately. That way you can reheat the bacon before serving the cupcakes. Bacon tastes best slightly warm or at room temperature!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can bake the cupcakes a day in advance, let them cool, and store them covered at room temperature. Frost and top with bacon the day you plan to serve them.
Yes! Fill mini liners halfway andย bakeย for about 10-12 minutes, or until aย toothpickย comes out clean.
Cupcakes can turn out dense or dry if the batter is overmixed, the flour is measured incorrectly, or the ingredients aren't at room temperature. Overbaking is another common culprit, so check on your cupcakes a few minutes early so they stay moist.
More Cupcake Recipes to Try
๐ Recipe
Maple Bacon Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream
Equipment
- 1 Electric hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment
Need Metric or US Customary Measurements?
Use the buttons below to toggle between grams and cups!
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 6 slices bacon thick cut
- 186 grams cake flour
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- 56 grams unsalted butter room temperature
- 80 grams vegetable oil
- 100 grams maple syrup
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 56 grams plain Greek yogurt room temperature
- 120 grams whole milk room temperature
Maple Buttercream Frosting
- 226 grams unsalted butter room temperature
- 240 grams powdered sugar
- 66 grams maple syrup
- ยฝ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ยพ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Bacon
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the bacon slices in a single layer. Pop in the oven and set the temperature to 400ยฐF (200ยฐC) until crispy, about 15-20 minutes depending on thickness.6 slices bacon
- Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess fat.
- Let the bacon cool, then cut into thirds for topping.
Cupcakes
- Reduce oven temperature to 350ยฐF (180ยฐC) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.186 grams cake flour, 100 grams granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ยฝ teaspoon salt
- Beat the softened butter into the dry ingredients on medium-low speed with a mixer until the mixture resembles wet sand.56 grams unsalted butter
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, syrup, eggs, vanilla extract, and Greek yogurt. Then whisk in the milk until smooth.80 grams vegetable oil, 100 grams maple syrup, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 56 grams plain Greek yogurt, 120 grams whole milk
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter will be thin, which is normal.
- Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners, filling each about โ full. Bake for 13-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Maple Buttercream Frosting
- Beat room temperature butter in a large bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy.226 grams unsalted butter
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then gradually beat in powdered sugar, about ยฝ cup at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition.240 grams powdered sugar
- Once all the sugar is added, pour in maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix on medium speed until smooth. Increase to medium-high and beat for 1-2 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.66 grams maple syrup, ยฝ teaspoon vanilla extract, ยพ teaspoon salt
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a large tip (like Wilton 1M) with the maple buttercream. Pipe a generous swirl onto each cooled cupcake. Top with the bacon pieces and drizzle with maple syrup.
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