Hi, Deb again from Cooking on the Front Burner with a recipe dedicated to bacon month! Did you know that August 31st is international bacon day? I didn’t until I read about it on Julie’s post. So when I was trying to decide on what to make for my semi-monthly dessert post, I thought why not try something with bacon. Everyone likes bacon, right?? But what to make was the question….
I wasn’t feeling too original in creating something myself… I didn’t want to screw this up. Waste not want not – that’s my bacon motto! So after some searching, this recipe appealed to me on many levels… bacon (duh), pecans and maple…. the combo of these flavors made for a tasty dessert. I did make one change to the recipe – I made only half and instead of using a 9×9 pan, I used a individual brownie pan that has 12 slots.
See how cute these look and they make a great single serving (or eat two!). These are best served warm but I did microwave some of the leftovers and that worked well too…
So how are you celebrating bacon month? I’m partial to BLT’s – with a fresh fat juicy tomato, 3 slices of super crisp bacon, garden leaf lettuce, toasted white bread and real mayo with fresh pepper and sea salt… my favorite sandwich that I only eat when fresh tomatoes are in season.
And for dessert… well, I’ll have one of these:
Enjoy!!
Mini Maple Bacon Upside Down Cakes
Ingredients
- 6 slices maple smoked bacon
- 3/4 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
- 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup real maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 box white cake mix
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
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Cook bacon over medium heat in a large skillet until crispy. Drain bacon on paper towels and then chop into large pieces. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon grease.
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Melt butter in the oven in a 9" x 13" baking dish, or in two-12 slot brownie pans.
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Cook pecans in reserved bacon grease until light brown, stirring occasionally. Add brown sugar, syrup, and vanilla to pecans; stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved. pour mixture into baking dish {or spoon into brownie pans}.
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In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix, sour cream, milk, oil, and eggs until combined and smooth, about 2 minutes. Whisk in almond extract. Pour batter over pecans.
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Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes.
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Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the dish. Place a heat proof serving plate (top side down) on top of the baking dish. Carefully flip the cake over and let sit for 1 minute. Remove baking dish and sprinkle with bacon! Serve warm...maybe with ice cream.
