A Southern Grace: i'm all shook up

June 17, 2012

i'm all shook up

Yum


As you might imagine, I make many, many treats for my friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers, and some are outright experiments. All are appreciated, but a rare few inspire hugs, squeals of delight, and requests for more. These cupcakes fall into that category.


If I had any idea that simply including bacon in one of my creations would generate such a positive response, I would've done it much sooner. With all the buzz about the unveiling of Burger King's bacon sundae, I guess I should've known the cupcakes would be a hit.

So, what are they? Well, I'll tell ya. Elvis was my inspiration, and what a lovely inspiration he was. Banana cupcakes were filled with a fluffy and decadent peanut butter mousse and topped with smooth vanilla buttercream frosting. The finishing touch was a generous sprinkling of crispy bacon.


I think most people would love these, even if salty and sweet isn't their thing. While the bacon is undeniably salty, it's not overwhelming. Plus, the crunch is terrific. The mousse is lovely, too, and I'm thinking some fluffernutter cupcakes might be in order next. After all, marshmallow frosting is amazing.


In the words of Mr. Presley:
A little less conversation, a little more action please
All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me
A little more bite...{of cupcake! Posthaste!}

The King's Cupcakes
(makes 28!)

One batch of banana cupcakes

Peanut butter mousse:
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
Pinch of salt
1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream, divided
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla buttercream frosting:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk, room temperature
2-3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

5-6 slices bacon, more or less, as suits your bacon needs, cooked crispy and chopped

Make the cupcakes and let them cool completely.
To prepare the mousse, using an electric mixer, beat peanut butter, brown sugar, and coarse salt in medium bowl to blend. With mixer running, gradually beat in 1/4 cup cream. Add another 1/4 cup cream and beat just to blend. Beat remaining 1/2 cup cream, sugar, and vanilla in another medium bowl until peaks form; fold into peanut butter mixture in 3 additions. Chill until ready to use.
To make the frosting, beat the butter with an electric mixer for a few minutes. Add the vanilla and milk and briefly blend. Add the powdered sugar gradually until the frosting is thick enough to spread easily. If the frosting is too dry, add additional milk until the desired consistency is reached.
To fill the cupcakes, carve out a cone-shaped hole (and immediately eat the cone)(after plopping on some frosting, of course) and carefully squirt or spoon the peanut butter mousse inside. Apply frosting generously to cupcakes, sprinkle the tops with the chopped bacon, and devour.
Note: The longer these go uneaten, the soggier the bacon gets. However, I don't think they'll go uneaten for long.

43 comments:

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Those have my name written all over them! Amazing.

Cheers,

Rosa

Beth said...

I haven't tried bacon with dessert yet - I'm not sure that I need to cultivate any new vices! Sounds like your cupcakes were a true hit.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I think the King would have enjoyed these a lot!!!!!!!!

Haddock said...

Rosa has got it all wrong.
Its my name written there :-)

Elizabeth said...

I've never baked with bacon before!

Neno said...

Hii I am from Indonesia, when I see pictures like kue kukus in Indonesia. It looks very nice :D

Anonymous said...

hahahahahahha! Elvis would have loved your lovely the King like cupcakes! :) ooh yeah!

Mimi said...

What a delicious little cupcake.
Mimi

Sue/the view from great island said...

Vanilla, peanut butter, and bacon...I can die now.

Kerstin said...

Oh yum, I normally don't love bacon on desserts, but I think this would be really great! I had a burger this weekend with an Elvis twist. Peanut butter BBQ sauce, bacon, and fried bananas on top - very unique!

Anonymous said...

wow oh wow those look incredible! thanks for sharing! yummmmmm!

Choc Chip Uru @ Go Bake Yourself said...

What a stnning combination in a cupcake :D

Cheers
Choc Chip Uru

tania@mykitchenstories said...

What a great gorgeous recipe. I love a trend and a sweet and salty treat . Yum!

Barbara said...

I tried the bacon/sweet thing in a restaurant and wasn't thrilled. As I remember, it was a pecan pie. But bacon and pb together make a super sandwich so I bet these cupcake are a delight, Grace. I love the name! Elvis has NOT left the building if these cupcakes are in the kitchen!

Joanne said...

My coworkers and I are always debating whether or not bacon in baked goods is delicious or gross. Perhaps i'll have to make these and we can have a vote...

vanillasugarblog said...

High five Grace!
You know I love this!
LOL

Monet said...

Oh yum! These are delicious. I wish I had one now. I'm a big fan of bacon and sweets. I think it ends up being a love crunch/salt/sweet/gooey flavor explosion. Thank you for sharing!

Lynda said...

Fantastic creation Grace..... they say everythings better with bacon, and I have to agree. I have to admit I haven't tried bacon in any of my desserts yet, I can see that it would bee a real tasty addition. Great job!

Erica said...

WOW!!!!Absolutely love anything sweet cooked with bacon, it makes everything so delicious, you always make delicious cupcakes,Grace. It’s a shame we are not co-workers. :-)

vianney said...

bacon makes EVERYTHING =better, yummy!

Pam said...

I could go for one of them right now. Everything's better with bacon and these look incredibly good!

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

They sound amazingly good Grace! I'm all over anything bacon, sweet or salty. One of my favourite items (and most popular posts) is bacon jam. Oh how some jeered when they first heard it but then they tried it! ;)

Lori said...

Oooooh, yeah, yeah. I need a bite of that right now.

Faith said...

Oh, I think I'm in love! That crunch on top from the bacon, along with the salty/savory factor make these irresistible.

Lisa-Marie said...

Yum. I love bacon-saltiness in sweet things, but wouldn't have thought to do it with banana a peanut butter. There is a tiny bit of me that wants to do this with chocolate icing. I suspect the tiny bit will become big!

Pam said...

Excuse me Grace while I wipe the drool off of my keyboard.

They look and sound AMAZING and I really wish you were my neighbor right now!!!

TKW said...

Bacon! Hooray for Bacon! Bacon makes anything mo' betta. These are beautiful!

lisa is cooking said...

I love the mix of salty and sweet. The peanut butter mousse and banana cake sound divine together. But. You know where this is going. I just don't eat much meat anyway. They look gorgeous!

Andrea said...

Um yes please!! These look amazing!

Julie M. said...

Seriously Grace! WHEN are you opening your cupcake shop? You have some sinfully delicious flavor combinations going on. This one is no exception.

Jackie @Syrup and Biscuits said...

This a creation fit for a King!

shaz said...

Oh be still my heart! Or should that be "my arteries"? I LOVE the idea of bacon and cupcakes but I highly doubt anyone else in my family will be convinced. But then again, I have been known to sneak stuff into their meals...

Juliana said...

Honestly I never had a dessert with bacon...but I'd love to try...since the combination of sweet and salty is very appealing to me. Beautiful pictures.
Hope you are enjoying your week Grace :)

kellypea said...

Holy bacon, Batman :$ I will admire safely from afar. Recovering from pie yesterday so have my dessert quota filled for the week!

Blond Duck said...

Bacon makes everything better.

Lucy @ Lucyeats said...

That actually sounds kinda yummy.. I think I'm going to have to hide the fact there's bacon on the top if I'm going to convince my boyfriend to try any!

Marjie said...

My boys swear that bacon makes everything better. I'm sending them to you for some of these.

Carolyn Jung said...

All I had to see was the bacon on the frosting and I was hooked! I'd eat these for breakfast. LOL

Robin said...

Bacon Sprinkles FTW!!

foodhoe said...

I tried the BK bacon sundae, it was not so good... this on the other hand looks like it will delight the tastebuds in a most satisfactory manner, as it contains so many gustatory delights

Deborah said...

I am all about the bacon! Love these!

Rosita Vargas said...

Una verdadera delicia Grace luce muy lindo y tentador me encanta.

Unknown said...

I just love the sweet/salty taste that is in vogue now... and when my name is Bacon... I just HAVE to give these a try!!!