MINI ELVIS CUPCAKES

Mini Elvis Cupcakes image

Elvis loved his banana, peanut butter and bacon sandwiches and I've been loving my experiments with mini cupcakes. I decided to combine the two ideas and made banana cupcakes filled with peanut butter, topped with a creamy peanut butter frosting and sprinkled with candied bacon. They're rich and yummy, a little over the top, and...

Provided by Linda Dalton

Number Of Ingredients 23

Previous Next

Ingredients

CUPCAKES
2 c ap flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
2 Tbsp canola oil
3/4 c splenda no calorie sweetener
2 large eggs at room temp
1 large egg white at room temp
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 very ripe bananas, the browner the better
1/2 c light sour cream
PEANUT BUTTER FILLING
1/4 c creamy peanut butter
FROSTING
8 oz low fat cream cheese at room temp
1/2 c unsalted butter at room temp
1/2 c creamy peanut butter
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 c confectioners' sugar
BACON TOPPING
4 slice bacon
1/4 c splenda brown sugar for baking

Steps:

1. Although there are many components to this recipe, it's rather easy and fun to put together. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees and line mini cupcake tins with paper liners and lightly mist with cooking spray. In medium size bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Mix with a spoon or fork to combine. Set aside.
2. In small bowl mash bananas and add sour cream. Mix well and set aside. Using an electric hand or stand mixer beat butter, oil and Splenda until incorporated (about 3-5 minutes). Add eggs, egg white and vanilla. Mix until combined. Add half the dry ingredients and mix until almost incorporated. Now add the creamy banana mixture and gently fold into batter. Add the rest of the dry ingredients, mix until incorporated and spoon into lined mini cupcake pans. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, remove from oven and let cool.
3. After the cupcakes have cooled about 30-40 minutes, get ready to do a little surgery. With small paring knife, cut a 1/2 inch conical circle in the middle of the top of the cupcakes to make a well.
4. Pull out the little coned plug and set it aside. You won't be using these again so feel free to munch on them while you're finishing the rest of the cupcakes.
5. Fill each hole with peanut butter and set these little darlings aside and get ready to make the frosting and candied bacon.
6. To make the bacon, dredge both sides of bacon slices in the Splenda Brown Sugar Blend. Place on foil lined baking sheet and bake 10 minutes in 350 degree oven. Turn and bake another 6-8 minutes. I checked my oven every 2 minutes because you don't want this important part of your dessert to be burned. Place cooked bacon on plate to cool. Do not put on papertowels as I'm used to doing with bacon, or it will stick! Chop bacon in chunks or in small crumbles. I couldn't decide, so went with both.
7. Set chopped bacon aside and make the simple frosting. In large bowl combine cream cheese, butter, peanut butter and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Add the confectioner's sugar, mix again and get ready to top the cupcakes. Take a dollop of your frosting (approx 1 T) and place atop your peanut butter filled banana cupcke. You can fancy this up with a piping bag, but I haven't mastered this yet. Plus Elvis would like it free form I believe. Now sprinkle on your candied bacon bits.
8. Or insert a larger slice of candied bacon to the frosting and let it shine alone on top. Either way you serve these I think you'll be pleased. I brought them to work today and they were gobbled up in no time.