Pancake Bacon Breakfast Cupcakes for Dinner!

I am a fan of breakfast.

Breakfast for dinner especially.

And bacon is getting classier all the time.

I would like to have a breakfast for dinner party sometime, and I'd bring my own creation to share.

Maple-Maple-Pancake-Pancake-Pancake-Maple Syrup-Candied Bacon Cupcakes ♥

(If you got lost, I started from the bottom and went up in that list).

An entire meal in a cupcake needs a fork.

The cupcake is made with a yellow cake mix as a base, but you'd never know because I don't follow any of the rules on the box. So for the cake mix nixers: Don't hate, just bake. You'll love it. I guarantee. I basically use the box for my base dry ingredients. The added ingredients are Pure Maple Syrup, Maple Extract, Butterscotch Pudding, Eggs, Buttermilk, Vanilla Extract, and Oil.

Reason for the Butterscotch Pudding:  I wanted to use something to substitute the brown sugar flavor.  Before butterscotch is made, one of its crucial ingredients is brown sugar.  It worked! You don't even taste the butterscotch, all the flavors blend together and create a rich maple/pancake flavor.

While the cupcakes were baking, I made candied bacon (recipe below) and I whipped up my favorite pancake recipe on a skillet by scooping the batter onto the skillet with a mini cookie scoop. (This takes time and patience and a love for mini pancakes but the result is adorable)! You can use Bisquick if you don't make pancakes from scratch, or see below:

If you don't have time to make your own mini pancakes, Eggo brand sells mini pancakes in the freezer section at select grocery stores and they look like this on top of cupcakes. I made these at a different time, for a wedding.  To turn pancake bacon cupcakes into a bridal event, I switched the maple frosting out with a light white whipped cream frosting.  Who doesn't love a little whipped cream on their pancakes?

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A mini video on how I stacked the pancakes on top of the pancake bacon cupcakes:

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An entire local cable TV segment, step by step on how I made the pancake bacon cupcakes:

Maple Pancake Cupcakes with Candied Bacon.

Printable Recipe
Makes about 15-18 cupcakes

1 box of yellow cake mix
1 packet of butterscotch pudding, in dry powder form, not prepared
1 Cup Buttermilk (room temperature)
¼ Cup Maple Syrup
1 teaspoon maple extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup oil
4 eggs

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325.  Line cupcake pan with cupcake wrappers.  Pour dry yellow cake mix and dry butterscotch pudding in bowl and set aside.  Measure ¼ cup pure maple syrup and set aside.  Measure 1 cup buttermilk and set aside.  In stand mixer, cream eggs, oil, and extracts together.  Gradually alternate the addition of dry ingredients, syrup and buttermilk to the creamed mixture until all is mixed together. Scrape bowl down to make sure there are no leftover ingredients stuck on the bottom of bowl and re-mix. Using an ice cream scoop, fill cupcake wrappers a little over half full and bake for about 24 minutes or until cupcake springs up and doesn’t sink in when touched. While cupcakes are baking, you can bake mini pancakes and candied bacon in preparation to decorate the cupcakes.

Maple Buttercream
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4-6 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons dry butterscotch instant pudding
2 teaspoons maple extract
1/4 cup buttermilk or milk

Using a flat beater attachment, cream the butter and the dry butterscotch instant pudding on high speed until fluffy.  Add syrup, maple extract, and liquid.  Scrape bowl down to make sure all ingredients are evenly mixed.  Gradually add powdered sugar until frosting is stiff enough to pipe on top of cupcake.

Candied Bacon
Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray and line with aluminum foil.  Lay bacon strips out on aluminum foil and lightly sprinkle each piece of bacon with light brown sugar. Bake the bacon at 450 for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned.  Once bacon is done baking, remove immediately from pan and let cool on a plate.  Tear the bacon up in little pieces to decorate the top of your pancake bacon cupcake.

Pancakes for Dinner ♥

Want to come over for dinner?

I believe that breakfast for dinner is more delicious than breakfast for breakfast. ♥

I also believe that dessert for breakfast might actually make you live longer..because the joy of it all can revive your spirit♥

My latest invention.

The Pancake Cake.

(6 layers high).

It's like Dr. Seuss, Alice In Wonderland, and Amanda Cupcake have a dinner party.

With Colorful Sprinkles

.....and mini chocolate chips in the pancake batter ♥

Layer 1:

A Pancake, Glitter Bacon, Chopped Strawberries, and Sprinkles.

Layers 2 & 3:  More Glitter Bacon..Chopped Strawberries..Sprinkles..a Pink Pancake..and some Maple Buttercream.

Innocent little chocolate chips lost somewhere inside the fluffy pancake layers!

When I open my bakery, this is going on the menu. ♥

Can you imagine falling in love over a sparkly pancake cake for two?

And then eating cake pops for dessert?

And you know me..I like to cut into things to see how pretty they are on the inside! I love that the strawberries look like they are adding red & white stripes to sprinkles and sparkles and fluff.

Some quotes about my pancake cake:

(I can't believe there are already memorable quotes?!)

"Will travel for pancakes stacked with delicious, and smothered in tears of joy."

"This is now added to my list of things to do before I die."

"Holy Wow, This One is Talking to My Tummy's Soul."

♥

The Pancake Cake Recipe:

The Pancakes: 

1 1/2 Cups Flour

2/3 Cup Funfetti or Yellow or White Cake Mix

1 T Sugar

3/4 tsp baking powder

2 Eggs

1tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Cup Milk

Sprinkles

Combine Flour, Cake Mix, Sugar, and Baking Powder in Kitchen Aid Mixer Bowl. Gradually add Eggs, Vanilla Extract, and Milk.  Once all ingredients are blended, sprinkle your confetti sprinkles and mini chocolate chips into the batter. Use a spatula or a wooden spoon to mix into the batter.

Pour your sprinkled batter 'o' joy in 1/4 cup measurements onto a preheated breakfast skillet. (temperatures vary but preferably at around 250-300)

How to tell if a pancake is done: the edges of the pancakes bubble. ♥ And after you flip your pancake a few times, insert a toothpick inside the pancake. All that should be there is fluff, no gooey batter!

♥

Maple Buttercream Frosting Recipe:

Recipe Adapted for Amanda Cupcake's Pancake Cake by: Pass The Sushi

1 Cup of Unsalted Butter

4 oz Cream Cheese

2/3 Cup of Dark Brown Sugar

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 Cup Maple Syrup

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

2-3 Cups of Powdered Sugar

Instructions:

1.  Cream Butter, Cream Cheese, and Brown Sugar Until Fluffy ♥.

2.  Add Salt, Maple Syrup, and Vanilla Extract to this fluffy blend

3.  Gradually add Powdered Sugar until frosting is the thickness you desire (depending on how textured you want the frosting.  If you want it to be more of a glaze, you only need around 1/2 Cup-1 Cup of Powdered Sugar).

***If you are decorating cupcakes with the Maple Buttercream frosting, let the frosting chill for about an hour before decorating.

Glitterized Candied Bacon:

Bacon Slices (as many as you want to make)

Brown Sugar

Maple Syrup

Sprinkle Brown Sugar and Maple Syrup on your Bacon on Cookie Sheet and bake in your oven at 400 degrees for around 5 Minutes. After 5 minutes, flip your bacon over. Then sprinkle more brown sugar and pour more maple syrup on your bacon.  Bake another 5-10 minutes until bacon looks caramelized with deliciousness.

For Glitterized Bacon: Sprinkle on Hologram Gold Disco Dust! 

My pancake cupcake with glitterized bacon.

Photo by Rachel, Cupcakes Take The Cake (I met her in February. She ate one and loved it!)

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The next part is up to you and your adventurous spirit!

This is what I used to decorate and stack my pancakes:

• Gold Hologram Disco Dust sprinkled on my candied bacon
• American Red Disco Dust sprinkled on my Strawberries
• Fresh Sliced Strawberries
• Maple Buttercream
• Colorful Sprinkles
• Mini Chocolate Chips