Looking back, I have this to regret, that too often when I wanted a cupcake, I did not have one.
-David Grayson
Life is to short to not enjoy cupcakes as often as you desire. Especially when those cupcakes are topped with a boozy buttercream, candied bacon & a syrup drizzle!
It has been very well established that I am a savory over sweet kind of girl, but my lord these whiskey cupcakes can convert anyone. They bring together every element that you could possibly look for in a dessert. You have a moist cupcake that is topped with a delicious sugary whiskey filled buttercream & a savory piece of bacon on top to bring all the perfection together.
I had the pleasure of making these for a friends birthday a few weeks ago & they were a HUGE hit. [Don’t worry, everyone at the party was over 21 so it was also audience appropriate]. Not only was it fun to provide an adult beverage inspired dessert, but the bacon & maple flavored cupcakes were such a unique spin on a classic treat! 
Yall, this candied bacon has my heart!
You can make a small batch of my candied bacon recipe in order to make these cupcakes. It is necessary to make between 4-5 pieces so that you can not only create large bacon chunks for decoration but also have crumbles to drizzle over the top as well.
A disclaimer about the Whiskey Cupcakes pictures:
I apologize I was so excited when making these cupcakes (I made half a batch of vanilla & half whiskey cupcakes) & forgot to take a picture of what the cupcakes that have crumbled bacon in them look like before the baking process. While they looked similar, the bacon crumbles that were cooked added a savory kick to an otherwise normal cupcake!
How to assemble your Maple Bacon Whiskey Cupcakes:
After you allow the cupcakes to cool, you can now add your boozy buttercream. Next cut majority of your candied bacon into large chunks and leave a few pieces to break into crumbles to put on top. Finally drizzle maple syrup overtop the cupcakes to put the finishing touches to your treats!
I have all the heart eye emojis for these cupcakes. They are the perfect mixture of both savory and sweet as well as add a fun twist on your dessert!
**To make this dessert child friendly, remove the whiskey from buttercream**
ENJOY!
- 1-1 1/2 cup boozy buttercream frosting *recipe link below*
- 1 tbsp maple syrup, optional for drizzle
- 4 pieces candied bacon
- 1 1/4 cup cake flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 5 oz whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 piece candied bacon, crumbled
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners & set aside.
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Into stand mixer add softened butter + sugar & beat on low-medium speed until fluffy. Add egg and beat for 1 minute.
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Next add vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, salt, milk & syrup into the mixer. Beat on low speed & slowly add in flour. Beat for 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed until batter is formed.
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Fold in bacon crumbles to the batter.
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Scoop 2-3 tbsps worth of batter into each cupcake liner (you want it to be almost all the way filled).
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Bake cupcakes in oven for 20 minutes until edges are slightly golden brown.
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Allow cupcakes to cool completely (10-15 minutes) before adding frosting.
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Using the Boozy Buttercream Frosting recipe, whip up the whiskey frosting to top your cupcakes. Using a piping bag, pip frosting to all 12 cupcakes.
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After whipping up a batch of candied bacon, slice 3 pieces of bacon into 4 large pieces. Add 1 piece to each cupcake. With the remaining bacon, crumble & add to cupcakes.
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Finally drizzle maple syrup onto the cupcakes. Serve & enjoy!
Hi! The links for your candied bacon and boozy buttercream don’t work! Help please!
Sorry about that! I fixed the links so they all connect now so you can find the recipes for the buttercream and candied bacon!
Hi, there are no links to the recipes…
I just tried them and all of the links worked….which recipe are you looking for? I can try to directly send it, also all recipes for the site can be found in the search bar!
When do you add the granulated sugar? I see it in the ingredient list but am missing it in the instructions.
The sugar should be added in Step 2, sorry. beat the butter and sugar together first then add all other ingredients in!
followed recipe exact and got a huge mess of over flowing cupcakes..
Can I bake this a a cake instead of cupcakes?
I followed the recipe and these turned out SO GOOD.
I love getting to the point of a recipe and not having to scroll past a long story about how this dish changed your life, but you left out the buttercream recipe that gives these cupcakes it’s namesake. Glad I double checked before starting the recipe. Would like to try this out if it gets corrected.