Notes of Orchid: Food adventures: Maple Bacon Cupcakes

This is my second attempt at baking, and I have to admit, it's getting easier as time goes on! I'd eventually like to invest in a standing mixer; I've always wanted one, and if I'm going to start baking at least once a month (for a 'munchies of the month club') I should probably get some better baking tools and whatnot.

I sadly did not come up with this recipe myself - I instead took this recipe and doubled it. When looking for my bacon chocolate chip cookie recipes, I stumbled across some maple & bacon combinations, which is pretty much breakfast on a plate. So I decided to give it a try, and share the love with my Philadelphia + out of town friends at a dance event. (On a side note, if you'd like to see why I spend so much time in Philadelphia, go here).

The recipe was pretty simple - it called for self-rising flour, which I'm still not sure the difference between that and regular flour, and maple syrup, and I have plenty of ingredients leftover that I can make this recipe at least twice more. I doubled the recipe for the cupcake batter and the cream as well. I also didn't really measure how much bacon I used, since I made bacon chocolate chip cookies at the same time and just used the leftover bacon after the cookies for the cupcakes. I wished there was more bacon in the cupcakes, although those who got some said the flavor was great.

The maple cream frosting was very sweet, but with the bacon and sea salt on top it was a wonderful contrast. I ended up with 17 cupcakes and this time got to enjoy a cupcake! I love sharing my goods with others so much I rarely get to enjoy them for myself. A special shout out to Laura, who was my baking assistant for the evening and helped me with all the cookies and cupcakes that we made. Thanks for all your help!

Here are the finished products and byproducts:
Slow cooked bacon bits and the rendered bacon fat. I saved the bacon fat for use with eggs, cooking, etc. It's wonderful!