Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes With a Maple Candied-Bacon Frosting

This is my entry for the "Cupcake Contest".

Inspired by an episode from the tv show "2 Broke Girls".  Max (Kat Denning) made a Beer Batter Maple Bacon Spring Break Cupcake.  The cupcake is so good that the girls decide to go to the Metropolitan Museum's Gala Ball so they can get Martha Stewart to try the cupcake hoping she would "take one bite and make them famous".

Since they never went into details on the ingredients on the show,  this was a make it up and see how it turns out.

The next time I make these cupcakes, I am going to add some of the mini chocolate chips to the batter.

Dry Ingredients

3/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa
2 cups Sugar
2 cups All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda

Wet ingredients

1 bottle Guinness Draught - room temperature
1/2 cup butter - melted
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
3 Eggs
3/4 cup Sour Cream

in separate bowls combine the dry and wet ingredients. 

Sifting your dry ingredients will prevent lumps and make a much smoother batter.  If you don't have a sifter you can get an inexpensive wire mesh strainer from the dollar store and it will work just as well.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until all ingredients are thoroughly blended together.

The most important thing to remember when working with little helpers ... it isn't done till everyone has had a turn helping stir.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

I always make a mess when I spoon batter into cupcake tins.  One solution I found that works well for me is I put the batter in a gallon ziploc bag and snip off one small corner to make an improvised pastry bag.  It lets you make a neat, controlled pour.

Fill the cupcake liners to approx 3/4 full to allow for expansion while baking.

Bake for 12 minutes.

Rotate the pans.

Bake 10 more minutes.

the cupcakes are done once they pass the toothpick test. (insert a toothpick into the middle of a cupcake.  when it comes out clean the cupcakes are cooked through.)

Maple Candied-Bacon

turn the oven up to 375 degrees

Line a cookie sheet with foil.

Brush 8 strips of bacon on both sides with maple syrup and arrange them on a baking rack.

Bake for 5 minutes.
Baste with maple syrup.
Bake 5 minutes.
Flip bacon and baste with maple syrup
Bake 5 minutes.
Baste with maple syrup.
Bake 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow bacon to cool.

Frosting

8oz softened Cream Cheese
8 Tablespoons softened Butter
1 cup Powdered Sugar
1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
1 Tablespoon Candied Bacon Drippings
4 slices of maple candied-bacon - finely chopped

blend together cream cheese and butter.
Add in sugar, syrup, and drippings. Blend until smooth.
Fold in finely chopped bacon pieces.

Let the frosting stand to firm up.  If you like to work with a stiffer frosting let it stand in the fridge for 10 - 15 minutes. 

Frost Cupcakes.

Take remaining four slices of maple candied-bacon and slice up into sixths.  Add a slice of bacon to each cupcake.

Serve and Enjoy!