Week 50, January 12, 2015 ~ French Toast and Sausage Cupcakes

Things got real weird this week. I can't really take full credit for the weird though it mostly goes to my "creative consultant"...I suppose that title has been earned. We were trying to come up with an idea for a savory cupcake and we saw some recipes for french toast cupcakes and a lot of them had bacon, and while I normally love putting bacon in cupcakes it seemed a little too predictable this time and I prefer to shock and amaze! :) Then I heard the magic works "how about sausage", I thought it was just so crazy it might work! Now this is truly a cupcake you can eat for breakfast! It is a french toast cupcake with crumbled maple sausage and topped with a maple cream cheese frosting. Most people could not wrap their heads around meat in a cupcake but breakfast food tastes best when its all mixed together! 

This recipe makes 12-14 cupcakes!

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/8 t, ground nutmeg
• 1/4 t salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted then cooled
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 t maple extract
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 lb crumbled maple sausage, cooked

1. Preheat oven to 350℉ and line cupcake tin.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a small bowl.
3. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the maple and vanilla extracts.  With the mixer running at medium speed, alternately add in flour mixture and milk, starting and ending with the flour mixture; beat until smooth.  Fold in sausage.
4. Scoop batter into cupcakes tins, 3/4 full.
5. Bake 22-25 minutes, Let cool completely before icing.

For the maple cream cheese frosting 

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1-2 Tablespoons cream
• 1 teaspoon maple extract

1. Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth.

2. Add confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup at a time and mix for 2-3 minutes

3. Add cream extract and mix 4-5 minutes, add more sugar or cream if needed to reach desired thickness.

4. Frost cupcakes!