Chocolate beer cupcakes with maple syrup bacon frosting

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 120 g beer (Guinness)
• 125 g butter
• 60 g cocoa powder
• 120 g dark chocolate
• 240 g flour
• 80 g sugar
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 75 g yogurt, Greek
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 slices of bacon
• maple syrup
• 240 g cream cheese
• 125 butter
• 120 powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp fat (bacon fat)

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes

for 24 cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 175°C and place about 24 cupcake cones into a muffin tin. Batter: Put the butter and beer in a saucepan and melt slowly on the stove. If you don’t have any Guinness at home, dark or altbier will also work. Gradually add the cocoa and dark chocolate and mix until smooth, then let it cool slightly. In the meantime, mix the eggs, vanilla extract and yogurt in a bowl, then add the cooled chocolate mixture. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and add to the chocolate mixture. Pour the batter into the muffin tins until they are about half full or a little more, then bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Bacon: Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil to catch the bacon drippings, place a baking rack on top and arrange the bacon slices on it, brushing them on both sides with maple syrup. Increase the oven to 180°C and bake the bacon slices for about 8 minutes, then turn and bake for another 8 minutes. Brush with maple syrup halfway through, then remove from the oven and let cool. Caution: Please stay still during baking, as the syrup will burn the bacon slices very quickly! Depending on your oven, lower heat or a shorter baking time may be sufficient. If you want to be on the safe side, reduce the heat to 150°C and shorten the baking time. This will make the bacon less crispy but also less burnt. Frosting: Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the butter and cream cheese. Sift the powdered sugar until there are no lumps and add it to the maple syrup and the reserved bacon fat. Mix until the mixture forms a smooth cream. If the cream is too thick, add a little more fat or milk; if it is too runny, add a little more powdered sugar. If you don’t have any cream cheese at home, you can also use squeezed-out quark, yogurt, or ricotta. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and pipe spirals onto the cooled cupcakes. Chop the caramelized bacon into small pieces and spread it on top of the frosting. You can barely taste the beer; it just makes the chocolate flavor richer and more full-bodied. The bacon is amazing.