Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour with baking soda and baking powder; whisk until well mixed. Add the ground bacon, whisk again and set aside.
In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine butter, bacon grease, and maple sugar; process until mixture gets creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add maple syrup and buttermilk; process until well blended. Add maple extract and vanilla extract; mix for 15 seconds.
Add dry ingredients and process on low speed until just combined, stopping to clean the sides of the bowl. Add grapeseed oil and process for 15 seconds.
Using an ice cream scoop, divide batter among the muffin cups and fill them up to 2/3. Tap the muffin pan to remove any trapped air bubbles. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean with a few crumbs. Remove from the heat and let them cool off in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the buttercream; In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add cream cheese and butter; process until nice and creamy. Add maple sugar and confectioners’ sugar, both sifted, and process on low before increasing to speed 8. Add the remaining confectioners’ sugar and repeat; low speed at first and increase to 8.
Spoon buttercream into a piping bag with large tip and pipe the cupcakes. Add crumbled bacon on top before serving. Makes one dozen.
