Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Chocolate Bacon Beer Cupcakes

Or "Manly Cupcakes" as my husband refers to them.
I was a little apprehensive about bacon on a cupcake after a bad run-in with some maple bacon cupcakes from a bakery that smelled and tasted like dog treats.
This recipe is DELICIOUS and all of the flavors blend perfectly.
There are a lot of ingredients, and a lot of steps BUT they are easy and definitely worth it.
yield: 26 cupcakes

ingredients
for cupcakes
1C dark beer (I used Young's Double Chocolate Stout)
1C butter, room temperature
2/3C cocoa powder
2C all-purpose flour
2C sugar
1.5 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, room temperature
2/3C sour cream

for beer glaze
1/2C dark beer (I used Young's Double Chocolate Stout)
6 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs butter
2 tbs heavy cream

for maple buttercream
1C butter, room temperature
3C powdered sugar
1/4C maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract

for caramelized bacon
1/4C butter
1/4C brown sugar
1/2C crumbled bacon (make sure the bacon is crispy!)
1/2C dark beer (I used Young's Double Chocolate Stout)

directions
  1. for cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners (or grease pan if you're not using cupcake liners).
  3. In a small saucepan, heat beer and butter over medium. 
  4. Bring to a simmer.
  5. Remove pan from heat, stir in cocoa powder and let cool.
  6. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
  7. In a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), beat eggs and sour cream until well combined.
  8. Add cocoa/beer mixture to sour cream mixture and beat until combined.
  9. Slowly add flour mixture to the creamed mixture, mixing until well combined.
  10. Fill muffin tins about 2/3 full.
  11. Bake 16-18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
  12. Let cupcakes cool completely.
  13. for beer glaze: In a small saucepan, bring brown sugar and beer to a boil over medium heat.
  14. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
  15. Remove from heat.
  16. Add butter and cream, whisk until smooth.
  17. Dip tops of cupcakes into the glaze.
  18. for maple buttercream: In a medium bowl (or stand mixer), beat butter until fluffy, about 5 minutes.
  19. Slowly add powdered sugar, beating until well combined.
  20. Add syrup and vanilla, beat for 5 minutes.
  21. Pipe (or spread) buttercream onto cupcakes.
  22. for caramelized bacon: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter and brown sugar whisking until smooth.
  23. Add crumbled bacon, mixing until coated with caramel.
  24. Add beer.
  25. Increase temperature to medium-high, cook until beer is reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 10 minutes.
  26. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes (as to not melt the buttercream).
  27. Scoop a small amount of caramelized bacon onto each cupcake. 
  28. Enjoy!

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