Tiramisu Cupcakes
It’s hard not to love cupcakes, those little handheld bites of joy that bring a smile to anyone’s face. In fact, I’d say that I like making cupcakes more than a layered cake as they’re a bit less technical and you can generally get away with them not looking bake shop-worthy.
Today, I’m going to be doing a beautiful cupcake hinted with the classic coffee and cocoa flavors of tiramisu. I’m going to make a chocolate cupcake accented with some espresso powder and a splash of Marsala wine, and I will finish it all with a beautiful mascarpone buttercream frosting.
It should be delicious!
Makes 12 cupcakes
For the Cupcakes:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp instant espresso powder (If you’re worried about caffeine, then an instant decaf powder will do the job just fine)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
For the Soak:
1/2 cup hot water
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp espresso flavored liquor
1 tsp instant espresso powder
For the Frosting and Decoration:
1 stick (8tbsp) soft unsalted butter
8oz mascarpone cheese
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup marsala wine (sub milk if non alcoholic)
6 ladyfingers, snapped in half
Cocoa powder, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 C and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, baking soda and salt until combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, brown sugar, oil, and buttermilk until combined. Add the flour mixture, and whisk until the flour mixture is moistened, but not much further.
Divide the batter amongst the muffin pan, and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
While the cupcakes bake, combine the ingredients for the soak in a heatproof bowl and whisk to dissolve the sugar. Set aside to cool.
As soon as the cupcakes come out of the oven, brush the top of each cake with some of the soaking syrup. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.
To make the frosting, combine the butter and mascarpone in a large bowl with an electric beater, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, until combined and creamy. Slowly add the powdered sugar until combined and smooth, then add the Marsala and stir to combine. Move the frosting to a piping bag lined with a star tip.
Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe the frosting onto each cake however you please. I like to pipe a bit in the center, then do a swirl around the edges that meet in the middle for a nice tall finish. To garnish, push half of a ladyfinger into the frosting of each cupcake, and finish with a dusting of cocoa powder.
Enjoy!
