Bacon Streusel Maple Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Stats, spreads, percentages…um, let’s talk about what really matters during the Super Bowl. Commercials, the half-time show and of course — food! All the other stuff is extraneous, unless of course you win the pool, in which case football is great.

As for the food, the Super Bowl calls for a dessert sophisticated enough to bring to an event, but crowd-pleasing enough to…well, please a crowd. Enter the Super Bowl Cupcake.

The streusel on top framing that thick cloud of maple cream cheese frosting is not your everyday streusel. That my friends, is crushed bacon wrapped in some cayenne and brown sugar for a sweet and spicy flavoring, then paired up with some crushed almonds for added nutty goodness. This is the kind of killer combination that will make you glad you publicly declared to eat better for your New Year’s resolution.

Bacon Streusel Maple Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcake

· 1 cup sour cream
· 1 teaspoon baking soda
· 2 cups flour
· ½ cup Dutch process cocoa powder
· 1 cup unsalted butter
· 1 cup granulated sugar
· ½ cup light brown sugar
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
· 1 tablespoon vanilla

1. In a bowl, mix sour cream and baking soda together; set aside. Sift flour and cocoa powder; set aside. Using a mixer beat butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add in salt and beat until combined. Add in eggs and beat until combined. Add in egg yolks and vanilla and beat until combined.

2. Turn off mixer and, using a sturdy spatula or a wooden spoon, add in sour cream mixture and flour mixture, alternating in thirds. Fold in each rotation, beginning with the sour cream and ending with the flour mixture, mixing each rotation until just combined. Fill cupcake liner two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20-25 minutes.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

· 1 cup cream cheese, softened
· ½ cup butter, softened
· 2 cups powdered sugar
· 1 teaspoon vanilla
· 4 tablespoons maple syrup

1. Using mixer beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy on medium low speed. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Add in vanilla and maple syrup and beat until combined.

Bacon Streusel

· 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
· 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
· 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
· ½ cup slivered almonds
· 8 pieces of bacon

1. In a bowl whisk black pepper, cayenne, brown sugar almonds. Transfer mixture and cooked and cooled bacon to food processor bowl fitted with a blade and pulse in three 2 second bursts. Alternatively, place contents in a Ziploc and crush with a rolling pin.

Top cupcakes with frosting, then bacon streusel. Enjoy the game…or at least the food.

More cupcake goodness from Sweet Fiend:
Mudslide Cupcakes
Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes
Chocolate Ginger Cheesecake Cups

More Bacon: Recipes, raves and other bacon bits in Endless Bacon.

All cupcake recipes in Endless Cupcakes