Inspired by Voodoo Doughnut...

Last weekend, my brother, sister-in-law, and niece were in town to visit. I don't usually go to cupcakeries because I'm a baking snob and I know what good quality baking is. However, I decided on a whim to make an exception because we were in the vicinity of a cupcakery that people at work have recommended to me multiple times. And yes, these same people have all eaten my baked goods, and this was also the first cupcakery they have lauded.

The thing with me is I will pick desserts or flavors that I don't usually make. My sis-in-law and I saw a cupcake that sounded deceivingly similar to the beloved Bacon Maple Bar that we've had at Voodoo Doughnuts, and we decided to get that to try.

We ate it and we were disappointed, maybe because we thought we were getting the Bacon Maple Bar in cupcake form. It wasn't. This cupcake had different flavor profiles and we recognized what was good about it, but it still wasn't what we wanted.

Fast forward to today. I'll be celebrating my friend Lisa's birthday tonight, and her favorite doughnut is the Bacon Maple Bar. I decided to try making my version of it in cupcake form to give to her.

For the Cupcakes (original recipe from Penzeys but I can't find it online to link)
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp double-strength vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a muffin pan with liners.

2. Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl.

3. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.

4. Spoon the batter into the cupcake papers, half full.

5. Bake 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

For the Maple Glaze
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp maple extract

Mix together. I don't normally add maple extract, but I did this time for more flavor since I only had grade A maple syrup.

Bacon was prepared in the oven and broken into sections to fit across the cupcake.