Sunday, April 24, 2011

Mocha Tiramisu Cupcakes

Mocha Tiramisu Cupcakes

I’ve been craving for some Tiramisu lately.  It’s one of my favorite desserts.  Hm…guess I really have a long list of favorites.  Anyhow, I can’t seem to find ladyfingers anywhere, which is one of the main ingredients in making Tiramisu.  I’ve tried to bake the ladyfingers but unfortunately, they weren’t that successful.  (Yeah, not everything came out of my kitchen are perfect.  Let’s be real.)  The homemade ladyfingers were not good enough for me to use them in my Tiramisu!  Fortunately, I came across the idea of Tiramisu Cupcakes (before I had a chance to drive down to a bakery to get my Tiramisu fix)!  What a genius idea, right?!   So, in the kitchen I went….

Mocha Tiramisu Cupcakes

Instead of just regular Tiramisu cupcakes, I kicked it up a notch with a little more flavor, my favorite MOCHA!  Chocolate and coffee/espresso were just perfect for each other.  Since I filled up my inventory in Valrhona Cocoa Powder on my last trip to Whole Foods, I just couldn’t resist not to add it to my recipe!  :P  They were really chocolaty and addictive!   After you’ve tried Valhona’s Cocoa Powder, you’ll not go back to any other brand.  At least, that’s the case for me.  It’s a little bit more pricey, but totally worth every penny.  (By the way, I’m not compensated in anyway for saying these—although I wished they would pay me in chocolate/cocoa powder.  hahaha….These are just my own opinions.)

Mocha Tiramisu Cupcakes

With Tiramisu in cupcake forms, it’s a perfect way to portion control!   Yes, I needed serious controls over these Mocha Tiramisu Cupcakes.  The cake itself was moist, with a lovely mocha flavor and a hint of Kahlua.  The syrup really did wonders to the cupcakes.  The Mascarpone frosting was light, creamy, smooth and fluffy.  Just like eating clouds….clouds that were packed with Tiramisu flavor.  If you love Tiramisu, you’ve got to try this recipe out.  It’s much easier than making the traditional Tiramisu.  At least I didn’t have to drive around to find the ladyfingers.  There’s no dipping or layering involved.  But the end results were as stunning and delicious as the traditional ones. 

Mocha Tiramisu Cupcakes

Hm…nom nom nom….

Mocha Tiramisu Cupcakes

Heavenly…..

Mocha Tiramisu Cupcakes

Need I say more?
















Mocha Tiramisu Cupcakes:  (inspired by Martha Stewart’s Tiramisu Cupcakes)
Makes 14 cupcakes

Ingredients for the Chocolate cupcakes: 
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup good cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


Ingredients for the Espresso-Kahlua Syrup:

1/4 plus 2 tablespoons cup freshly brewed espresso
3 tablespoons Kahlua
3 tablespoons sugar

Ingredients for the Mascarpone Frosting:1 1/2 cup heavy cream
12 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons Espresso-Kahlua Syrup (see above recipe)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

For the Chocolate cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs, 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended.

Divide the batter among the cupcake pans, around 1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.

For the Espresso-Kahlua Syrup:

Stir together, espresso, Kahlua and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Let cool. (Reserve 3 tablespoons of the Syrup for the frosting.)

For the Mascarpone Frosting:
With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside. In another bowl, whisk together mascarpone and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Then beat in 2 tablespoons of the reserved espresso syrup and vanilla extract until well combined and smooth. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture until completely incorporated.

To Assemble:
Brush tops of cupcakes evenly with the remaining coffee-Kahlua syrup; repeat until all syrup has been used. Allow cupcakes to completely absorb liquid. Place frosting into a pastry bag with large round tip. Generously pipe frosting on cupcakes. Dust with cocoa powder just before serving.

This recipe is linked to:
Foodie Friday
Sweets For Saturday
Sweet Tooth Friday
Seasonal Saturday
Everyday Sister Sharing Sunday

39 comments:

  1. YUM! Too Ironic! i just made my own concoction of Tiramisu yesterday for Easter family luncheon! Your recipe sounds so delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fantastic!! What a way to satisfy a craving.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh my! I'd have no self control around these cupcakes. Yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nom, nom indeed! They are beautiful and I'll look for that cocoa powder:@)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yum! These look amazing! Tiramisu is always a tough one for us, because there's only 1 store around here that carries gluten-free lady fingers, and they don't always have them on the shelves. I never thought about doing a tiramisu cupcake. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is a beautiful cupcake. I couldn't have stopped at one cupcake though. . lol. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Pretty to look at and I can bet they were yummy to eat too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your cupcake is beautiful! Looks really good too! Lovely with a cup of hot black coffee!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Those look fantastic. You should open a cupcake shop,

    ReplyDelete
  10. What beautiful cupcakes Amy.I love tiramisu.Your cupcakes look so wonderful with mascarpone frosting.Love these.The second picture is gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your cupcakes are so beautiful, love that hi-hat icing.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh my goodness! These are heavenly! I want one now!:)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Lovely cupcakes, Amy...and I'm sure, yummy too!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Yumm! And what a great idea to deliver these in "these individual serving sizes"...I think that it would still be so hard to resist and stick to just eating one! :o) ...I love cupcakes and tiramisu, so the combination is perfect!

    Blessings & Aloha!
    ah! limited blog time again...but I had to stop and say hello!

    ReplyDelete
  15. This sounds simply amazing! Thanks for sharing another fabulous treat.
    Kristy

    ReplyDelete
  16. Those cupcakes look so chocolatey and perfect. I love the hi-hat icing. I love that you keep it realy too and admit that not every recipe is a perfect success.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I have a hard time finding lady fingers too. But this looks like an awesome substitute for the dessert. Mmm, looks so so good!

    ReplyDelete
  18. WOW! These look amazing! I found you on Sweets for a Saturday and am your newest follower!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi! I have a linky party going on at my blog called A Themed Baker’s Sunday where this week’s theme is chocolate! I’d love for you to link up! Hope to see you there!
    http://cupcakeapothecary.blogspot.com/2011/05/themed-bakers-sunday-3.html
    Alyssa

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi, I noticed this post at the sweets link up. I love tiramisu, you should check out the one I just recently made. I too had the problem of trying to find ladyfingers until one store clerk looked at me and said, "oh sure we always have them"...yes success 3 stores later!

    ReplyDelete
  21. These are beautiful! Almost too pretty to eat. Almost.

    I'd like to invite you to share this recipe on my weekly link-up, Sweet Tooth Friday. I hope to see you there. http://alli-n-son.com/2011/05/05/homemade-coffee-creamer/

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hi! I'm visiting from A Well-Seasoned Life's Sweet Indulgences Sunday. Your cupcakes look amazing.

    Kim

    http://www.wellseasonedlife.com/2011/05/sweet-indulgences-sunday-3.html

    ReplyDelete
  23. WOW! Next trip to Whole Foods will definitely bring home cocoa powder, and the next time i have a couple of kid free hours, I will be making these scrumptious cupcakes!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Oh my, how awesome to enjoy tiramisu in a cupcake! Great job with superb photos! Would love for you to add this on my weekend foodie blog hop going on right now until Monday evening!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Congrats! You were in the top six for last weeks themed linky party. Hope to see you back for this week theme: bread.

    ReplyDelete
  26. This frosting looks amazing. Would it be good on a regular chocolate cupcake?

    ReplyDelete
  27. @ Eric: This frosting is really divine. I'm sure it'll be good on any cupcake. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  28. I LOOOOOOOOVE these cupcakes...what a masterpiece!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Beautiful cupcakes, Amy! I also love the argyle look of the teacups:)

    ReplyDelete
  30. Thank you for stopping over and sharing these beautiful cupcakes on Fresh Clean and Pure Friday. I selected your post as one of the featured blogs today and hope you can stop by, check it out, and hopefully share another post! Now following you, so I don't miss a treat!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Your cupcakes have made quite a splash. They were the Top #1 spot for last week's Sweets for a Saturday!!!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Amy yours Tiramisú are georgeous! I love them gloria

    ReplyDelete
  33. Thanks so much for linking up a Muffin Monday! Hope to see you again this week!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Holy macaroni! Those tiramisú cupcakes must be heavenly delicious! They're so cute and look so tempting, I definitely must try them! Will do it soon and share my results with you, the expert! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  35. Congrats again! You were featured in A Themed Baker's Sunday Best of 2011!! There is a button you can pick up at my blog for being featured. Please come back this Sunday where the theme will be Citrus's! Looking forward to seeing you!
    Cupcake Apothecary


    http://cupcakeapothecary.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20Themed%20Bakers%20Sunday

    ReplyDelete