Growing up, I wasn’t that interested in sweet potato pie. My grandma, mom, and older cousins loved it because it reminded them of Mississippi and the women who made it for them.
Sweet potato pie beats the pants off any pumpkin pie, but given a choice, I’d rather have Aunt Fannie’s chocolate meringue pie, Uncle Clarence’s German chocolate cake, or my Grandma Dorothy’s banana cake.
But as it’s gotten harder to hold onto memories of my relatives, I’ve been craving those original family recipes. I found it in a delicious pour-and-bake sweet potato pie batter from Mamie & Makhi’s. The founder Lois grew up in Berkeley, but her Grandma Mamie is from Mississippi, just like my family and it tastes just like I remember.
I’ve been making pies, smoothies, pop tarts, and pancakes with her batter, which led me to these Sweet Potato Pie Cupcakes With Maple Bacon Frosting. They capture the flavor of sweet potato pie pancakes with maple syrup and bacon. I made them as mini cupcakes, because they’re so cute, and you don’t feel as guilty about eating them.
Start by making a few pieces of thick applewood smoked bacon–the better the bacon, the better the flavor. I found a Fluffy Maple Frosting recipe on The Spruce Eats, and replaced a tablespoon of butter with a tablespoon of bacon grease. The cake recipe is from Mamie & Makhi’s website. Try the recipe and let me know what you think:
For the Frosting
- 3 slices thick applewood smoked bacon, cooked until browned, oil reserved
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark, packed)
- 2 1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons light cream (or half-and-half, milk, or evaporated milk; more as needed)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional: 1 tablespoon bacon fat
1. Cook the bacon over medium heat until brown on both sides, but not burned. Blog the bacon and reserve the grease. When the bacon is cool, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch slices.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the maple syrup, bacon fat, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until the brown sugar has dissolved.
4. Remove the syrup mixture from the heat and let stand until completely cooled.
5. Pour the cooled syrup mixture into a mixing bowl. Gradually beat in 2 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar and the evaporated milk. Add the vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Add more confectioners’ sugar or more milk, as needed to make a spreadable frosting.
The frosting makes enough for a two-layer cake, a rectangular cake, or about 18 to 24 cupcakes.
For the Cupcakes
- 2 cups cake flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch sea salt
- 2-1/2 cups Mamie & Makhi’s Sweet Potato Pie Batter
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup evaporated milk (only as needed)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Combine the sweet potato pie batter, the egg and the vanilla, then fold into the dry ingredients to form a moist batter. If the batter is too thick to pour into your cupcake liners, add 1/4 cup milk, up to 1/2 cup only as needed.
3. To bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake mini cupcakes for 15 minutes, being careful not to over cook or they will be dry! Stick a toothpick into one and if it comes out clean, they’re done.
4. When the cupcakes are cool enough to handle, frost them with the Maple Bacon Frosting. Top each one with a little slice of bacon and garnish with gold decorative sugar if you like.
Makes about 6 dozen mini cupcakes
