Fat Elvis cupcakes

 

Now these are going to disgust some people because they are topped with candied bacon!  It’s always good to start a baking post with the admission you’ll be disgusting some people...is your mouth watering yet?  Bacon cupcakes were a big thing a couple of years back and I thought it was time I tried one.  Yes, I am about two years behind the curve on most things....never be an early adopter, that’s my motto!

Mr CC cannot even hear me speak of these cupcakes without grimacing.  He can’t get past the bacon.  I’ve tried rationalising it by asking him to ignore the bacon – pick it off if it appals him – and just focus on the banana cupcake with peanut butter cream cheese frosting.  He then admitted he has a problem with banana too.  I’m not going to convert him on this one, I can tell!

Seriously though, the bacon is a gimmick to tie it in to Elvis.  Simply omit it and you have a far more ‘normal’ cupcake.  The cupcake takes its – admittedly rather cruel – name from Elvis Presley’s alleged penchant, late in his life, for peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwiches.

I loved this cupcake.  The banana sponge is surprisingly light (lighter than say, banana bread) and more banana flavoured than eating a banana.  I know that’s impossible but it tastes so intense.  The cream cheese peanut butter frosting is thick and smooth and one of those things you want to roll around in your mouth because it feels so nice (oh....just me then?)

The bacon.  The bacon is AWESOME!  I went for unsmoked back bacon to stop it being too salty – the peanut butter is salty and I wanted to keep it a balanced, mostly sweet cupcake.  Cooking the bacon in the maple syrup was a special kitchen moment for me – close to spiritual.  The smell!  The look!  The taste!  Sigh.....!  Here are the three stages of the bacon:

I am aware that a lot of food sites are starting to promote Valentine’s baking...and I’ve made Fat Elvis cupcakes.  Perhaps not the most romantic of bakes.  I do have some Valentine’s bakes up my sleeve, but this weekend was more about the food of gluttony rather than the food of love!

Ingredients

For the sponge:

125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
125g caster sugar
2 eggs
125g plain flour
2tsp baking powder
2 small/medium ripe bananas, mashed

For the frosting:

180g icing sugar

230g cream cheese, room temperature

115g unsalted butter, room temperature

130g smooth peanut butter

Optional: a handful chopped salted peanuts

For the glazed bacon:

4-6 rashers of bacon, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
2-3 tablespoons maple syrup

Method

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/fan oven 160ºC,350°F/ Gas mark 4.

Line a cupcake pan with 12 paper cases.

Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Don’t skimp on this stage.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a little of the flour if it looks like it might curdle.

Beat in the remaining flour and baking powder.

Fold in the mashed bananas.

Spoon into the paper cases and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the sponge comes out cleanly. (They take a little longer than normal sponges because of the large amount of banana – it makes the batter rather wet)

Leave to cool - out of the tin – on a wire rack.

The sponges can be made a day or two in advance if stored in an airtight container.

Now make the frosting:  Sift icing sugar into the mixing bowl.

Add the cream cheese, butter, and peanut butter and beat until smooth.

If the frosting is soft, ten minutes in the fridge will make it the perfect consistency.

Spread or pipe the frosting over the banana cakes and sprinkle with chopped salted peanuts (if using).

Again, the frosting can be made and applied to the cupcakes a day in advance of serving but need to be kept in the fridge because of the cream cheese.

To make the bacon: Start by cutting the bacon into 1.5 inch pieces.

Dry fry the bacon and pour away any fat that comes out.

Add maple syrup and cook until dark brown.  Be patient with this – it takes a while for the liquid of the maple syrup to evaporate and turn into a thick, treacly coating. Don’t rush it!  When it becomes difficult to turn the bacon because it sticks like glue to your spatula...it’s ready!

Leave the glazed bacon to cool – ideally on a non stick surface as it’s pretty sticky!

It can be made a day in advance and kept in the fridge.

Use as a cupcake topper.  I chopped each piece into three, so there wasn’t a huge chunk of bacon on top of the cupcake.

Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.

Eat.