Elvis Cupcakes — The Sweet Note That Closed Marcus’s Father’s Day Table

Father's Day and Juneteenth are adjacent this year again though not the same day, and I observe them both in their own right now, which feels correct. Father's Day is personal and Juneteenth is communal and they are not in competition. They are just both necessary in June.

I made Marcus's favorites for Father's Day dinner: smothered pork chops, white rice and gravy, snap beans, cornbread. It has been five years since he died and I still make this meal on this day and I will continue making it as long as I can cook. CJ drove down for the day — Shanice is too late in the pregnancy for long car trips, she stayed in Huntsville — and he sat at the table in his father's usual seat. He has been doing this for two or three years now, quietly, without discussion. I have never mentioned it. It is his to do. The seat belongs to whoever is the man of the family who is present, and CJ is present, and sitting there is his way of honoring what he inherited and what he is continuing.

He had pork chops twice. His father would have done the same. I watched CJ eat his father's food in his father's seat on his father's holiday and I thought: this is what it looks like, the thing James called turning toward. This is the table that turns toward the people who are gone and the people who are coming and somehow holds them all at the same time. Caleb Marcus Simms will sit at this table someday. He will eat these pork chops. He will know who made them and whose recipe it was and why we make them on this particular Sunday in June. The table holds the whole story. That is what a table is for.

Marcus had a sweet tooth he never much advertised, but anyone who knew him knew he would have found a way to the dessert tray before the table was even fully cleared. These Elvis Cupcakes — banana cake, creamy peanut butter frosting, and a little crumbled bacon on top — were his kind of thing: unapologetically Southern, a little bit extra, and worth every bite. CJ took two of these too, same as he did the pork chops, and I did not say a word about that either.

Elvis Cupcakes

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 22 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 3/4 cup)
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• For the peanut butter frosting:
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 3–4 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• For topping:
• 4 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
• 2 tbsp chocolate sauce or melted chocolate chips, for drizzling (optional)
• Banana chips, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Heat oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
2. Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
3. Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar with a hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Add the banana. Mix in the mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla extract until fully incorporated. The batter will look slightly curdled — that is fine.
5. Combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix or the cupcakes will be dense.
6. Fill and bake. Divide batter evenly among the lined cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake 18–22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops are lightly golden. Cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
7. Make the frosting. Beat peanut butter and softened butter together until smooth and fluffy. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, alternating with heavy cream, beating on medium until the frosting is thick and spreadable. Add vanilla and beat 1 more minute. If the frosting is too stiff, add cream a teaspoon at a time.
8. Frost and finish. Pipe or spread frosting generously onto each cooled cupcake. Top with crumbled bacon, a light drizzle of chocolate sauce if using, and a banana chip for garnish. Serve the same day for best texture.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 345 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Carbs: 41g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 230mg