Cooking Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until all ingredients are incorporated. Set aside.
3. In a separate larger mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar for two minutes until creamy and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Add in vanilla and maple syrup. Mix well to incorporate.
4. Slowly begin to incorporate dry ingredients into wet ingredients, only beating until flour mixture is blended through and you can no longer see clumps of flour. Do not over mix. Add in buttermilk and stir to combine.
5. Fill cupcake liners until they are 2/3 full.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs. Remove from oven and allow cupcakes to cool on a wire rack for five minutes before turning out of muffin tin to cool completely.
7. While cupcakes are cooling, crank oven heat up to 400 degrees F.
8. Line a baking sheet with foil and place bacon strips in a single layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Bacon should be golden brown and crispy, but not overdone.
9. Place bacon on paper towels to drain excess fat. Once cool enough to handle, chop into finely cut pieces and set aside.

 

To make buttercream:

In a mixing bowl, using electric mixer, cream butter on low speed for two minutes. Slowly add in one cup of icing sugar at a time, beating until incorporated and scraping down the sides as you go. Add in maple syrup and heavy cream. Mix to combine.

 

NOTE: Buttercream should be thick, but spreadable. If consistency is too thick, add in heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. If it becomes too thin, add in more icing sugar.

To frost cupcakes:

Using a small offset spatula or piping bag fitted with your choice of tip, spread or pipe buttercream over cooled cupcakes. Liberally apply chopped bacon atop buttercream and drizzle with pure maple syrup. Garnish with a generous piece of cooked bacon.