Thursday, August 12, 2010

peekfrostings

Tiramisu Cupcakes

Print Friendly and PDF

Tiramisu cupcakes, because they are served cold, are a refreshing way to beat the end of summer heat.  Making tiramisu cupcakes is not an original idea; many cupcake bloggers have made cupcake versions of tiramisu.  The common way of making tiramisu cupcakes is to start with a basic yellow or white cupcake recipe, flavor it with some rum and coffee, and top it with mascarpone, whipped cream, and cocoa powder.  While I would never turn down tiramisu cupcakes made that way, they miss out on what is to me the key feature of tiramisu - the topping to cake ratio.

Tiramisu has very little cake (ladyfingers) and LOTS of mascarpone and whipped cream topping.  Tiramisu's ladyfingers are like circus ringmasters: they keep everything together, but no one goes home talking about them.  The rum, coffee, mascarpone, whipped cream, and chocolate are the clowns, elephants, contortionists, unicycle rider, and man flying out of a cannon.  You simply won't forget them.  Because my tiramisu cupcakes start with just a small amount of "cupcake" (ladyfingers baked into cupcake wrappers), there is a TON of room for the "big top".

Witness:


Ready to make tiramisu cupcakes?

 Tiramisu Cupcake Recipe
- adapted from Tiramisu II on Allrecipes


Yield: 12 Cupcakes
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 3/4 C white sugar
  • 2/3 C milk
  • 1 1/4 C heavy cream
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 lb mascarpone cheese
  • 1 C strong brewed coffee, room temperature
  • 2 tbsp rum
  • ladyfingers baked in cupcake wrappers (see my post on ladyfingers for instructions.)
  • 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • a small amount of dark chocolate for chocolate curls (optional)
  1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until well blended. 
  2. Whisk in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. 
  3. Boil gently for 1 minute, remove from heat, and allow to cool slightly.
  4. Cover tightly and chill in refrigerator 1 hour.
  5. Remove from refrigerator and whisk in mascarpone until smooth.  Set aside.
  6. In a medium bowl, beat cream with vanilla until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
  7. In a small bowl, combine coffee and rum.
  8. Drizzle approximately 1 tbsp + 2 tsp of the coffee/rum mixture over each pre-baked ladyfinger.  Add it a little at a time and wait for it to absorb into the ladyfingers before adding more.  When it stops absorbing, stop adding more.
  9. Spread the mascarpone mixture over the soaked ladyfingers.
  10. Pipe or spread the whipped cream over the mascarpone.
  11. Sprinkle with cocoa powder. 
  12. Optionally, top with chocolate curls.  Make the chocolate curls using a vegetable peeler on a piece of chocolate.  It works best if the chocolate is slightly warm, but not melty.
  13. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours, until set.

64 comments:

  1. just the title of this post immediately caught my eye. now looking at that photo, my mouth is watering! :)

    <3, Mimi
    http://whatmimiwrites.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  2. It looks like Heaven in a cupcake liner !!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Why yes, I hoop also!August 12, 2010 at 9:44 PM

    Amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow I love that animation, makes me want to make tiramisu for breakfast! Wow, I'd forgotten how much I like a real tiramisu..yum!

    ReplyDelete
  5. great recipe...and i LOVE that picture of the eggshells in the sink! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love the animation! Cupcakes look fantastic - definitely a contender for TheHusband's upcoming birthday treats (he has a thing for tiramisu).

    ReplyDelete
  7. They look lovely, but how messy are they to eat?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Now I'm going to have to go to the store to buy the mascarpone cheese. They look fantastic! Thanks for the great recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Stacy - It's funny. I worried about that. When I served them, I gave people forks because I thought they would need them. But, they didn't need them at all. They held together really well.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The cupcakes look great. Just by the look of the pictures I would say they are heavenly.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I made tiramisu for a friend one time and ever since she has been begging me to make it again...I think I might try it in this cupcake form for a cuter (and less messy!) dessert :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Tiramisu is one of my fav desserts.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The animation is ... soo cool !!

    ReplyDelete
  14. OH. MY. GOSH. I just finished making these cupcakes, after eyeing the recipe for a while... These are seriously delicious! Thanks bunches for sharing the recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  15. These cupcakes look like art. They must taste even better than they look. Can't wait to try them. I am my Nancy. This is my blog - http://thekitchenbuzzz.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. I just made these today and all I can say is OMG!!! We happen to love tiramisu and I am on a cupcake binge right now. We must have exra large eggs, because the lady finger recipe made 30 cupcakes so I had to double the custard/whipped cream recipes. I am sure my coworkers won't mind a bit eating the extras.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi,

    I would love to make these cupcakes but would you recommend making them one day in advance? I know when I've made tiramisu cake before it always taste better the next day. Would it be the same for these?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Num - They were great the day I made them, but yes, they did get better the next day.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Just made these over the weekend and they came out fabulous. Seriously the best tiramisu I have ever had. I made a slight change - for the coffee I used Starbucks with a shot of espresso, and a dark jamaican rum- prob about 5 tbs and a large coffee. The recipe yielded about 20 cupcakes but probably would have been more because I added too much ladyfinger batter so I had a lot of soaking to do. I also added powdered sugar to the whipped cream mixture to taste. I've gotten rave reviews from them and am now directing people here. I will for sure check out your other recipes- thanks so much!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm thinking about making these for an event of 75 people. I'd want to do them in a mini-cupcake version for that many people. Any thoughts on whether that would work? Sounds like they could easily be assembled a day ahead and brought out at the end of the cocktail party.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Branda - There's no reason that these wouldn't work as minis. Go for it!

    ReplyDelete
  22. These were delish ..loved them

    ReplyDelete
  23. How many cupcakes will this recipe make? Someone said 20, but the instructions say 12.....

    ReplyDelete
  24. The recipe, along with the ladyfinger batter recipe makes significantly more then 12. Closer to 36 or 48, depending on how big your cookies turn out. I like the idea, but this recipe was not adjusted at all from a double-layer cake that uses an 11x8 pan in the original recipe on Allrecipes.com (tiramisu II)

    ReplyDelete
  25. All - I just wanted to let everyone know that, taking your comments into account, I updated the ladyfinger recipe with instructions to half it if it will be used for the cupcakes. Thanks for alerting me to the problem.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I just made these for a Coaches dinner! Wow!! Delicious!! I followed everything to a tee. I have a ton of whipped cream left over. That's the only thing I would do differently. Not double the whipped cream. We'll just use the extra on coffee and hot chocolate. Perfect recipe!! Thanks so much for sharing! Oh and the lady fingers recipe... perfection! And EASY! I'll never buy lady fingers when they're this simple to make.

    ReplyDelete
  27. my mascarpone mixture is very thin, i followed the directions as given. is there anyway to fix this? it sort of just runs everywhere

    ReplyDelete
  28. I made these cupcakes for my wedding in August. They were amazing and everyone loved them! Thanks for the great recipe; it really made my wedding "cake" unique!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Janel - Maybe it wasn't chilled enough?

    ReplyDelete
  30. Holy Tiramisu!!! These are the all time BEST cupcakes I have ever made, or tasted, for that matter. Everyone I gave these to was absolutely blown away and claimed they were the Ultimate Cupcake! This will become my "knock em dead" cupcake from now on. Thanks for the recipe!! If there's a way for me to post a picture, please let me know. They also look amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Just wondering how long in advance can you make this? 2days before a party? Will the taste be the same?

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hi there....

    I had gotten the tiramisu ingredients already and then read the comment just now... I was going to double the recipe thinking this current recipe only made 12 cupcakes.

    Stef, I read that you mentioned now to half the recipe? What is posted right now should be halved? Can you possibly change the Yield # instead?

    I need to make about 20 or so cupcakes for TG and not sure now what recipe measurements to follow.

    Thank you!

    Mo

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anon - Yes - 2 days will be fine!

    Anon - Make the ladyfingers recipe as written but double the timamisu recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  34. My marscapone mixture turned out disgusting... Reeks of cooked eggs-- but I followed the recipe just as it says? Is this how it should be?

    ReplyDelete
  35. Not trying to sound negative on the previous post... Fabulous recipe! Just trying to figure out where I went wrong... :/

    ReplyDelete
  36. can i use soy milk in replacement of milk? i'm lactose intolerant.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Anon who said it tasted bad - I have no idea what went wrong. I'm so sorry to hear that.

    Anon who is lactose intolerant - You could, but it wouldn't be as good. This recipe calls for both milk and heavy whipping cream. Soy just isn't going to taste the same. Sorry. You can use soy milk in most of my recipes that call for regular milk. I'm just skeptical about this one.

    ReplyDelete
  38. I am planning on making these for a special dinner. On the recipie it says to pour the coffee mixture on a pre-baked ladyfinger cupcake??? I am confused I thought the lady finger should be baked already or do you cook it after your pour the coffee?

    ReplyDelete
  39. nevermind i understand now :)

    ReplyDelete
  40. Love tirimusu, move cupcakes but, seriously, can't we have a dessert without making the ladyfingers from scratch? I bake all of the time, but can't imagine doing this recipe with having to start with making the ladyfingers. Entirely too much work for me, and I'm a big time baker - but I also have children and a busy life;

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can do it if I can do it. I've got two small children and i managed. I will say that I was in a hurry to make cupcakes for someone and used a vanilla cupcake recipe and although it wasn't as fabulous as the ladyfingers, it worked ok. I also made it with amaretto to make a tiramisu à l'amaretto. I hate rum unless it is in a mojito. ;)

      Delete
  41. I love Tiramisu and these cupcakes were delicious. I baked a test batch that recieved great reviews so I entered then in a cupcake competition and won 3rd place. They were sold out. Thanks. I'm making some more for home now...

    ReplyDelete
  42. for what thing I can substitute the mascarpone cheese ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 8-16 oz od cream cheese, 1/2 sour cream, and 1/4 heavy whipping cream. It worked and tasted great!

      Delete
  43. Just finished making these cupcakes. They are delicious. I too had about a dozen minis after i made 12 ladyfinger cupcakes. My cupcakes did dome a bit so I just cut that off so i would have more room for the cheese filling. I also added a bit of confectioners sugar to the heavy cream. They are a bit time consuming but are well worth the extra time. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes.

    ReplyDelete
  44. I made this and brought it in to work and everyone LOVED them!!! It was easy to make but I did have a lot of the mascarpone mixture left over, but it's okay because I will make some this weekend for my parents.

    I am not a big fan of tiramisu myself, but they looked so yummy that I had to try one and I thought it was great!

    This is a wonderful recipe and I know I will be making it again. Thank you so much for sharing!!!

    ReplyDelete
  45. Just made these for an Italian themed potluck at work. As my kids put it "I'm not domesticated" but the recipe was very easy to follow!

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Follow up - these cupcakes where a crowd fav at our company potluck! I pointed several folks to this blog =)

      Delete
  46. Wow thank you for this... I love cupcakes...

    ReplyDelete
  47. hmm...I bake a lot, and I had minimal problems following the recipe. However, my mascarpone mixture became a bit runny as well, and I think its because the egg mix was still warm, and the coffee and rum mix was warm. I forgot to cut the ladyfingers recipe in half, so I made 12 lady fingers and 12 cupcakes and used the left over custard to make a small tiramisu in a pan. I think if the directions where changed to refrigerate until chilled instead of just an hour it might come out better? otherwise, VERY tasty recipe!!

    ReplyDelete
  48. Just made these and WOW! They taste just as good as they look, if not better! Time consuming since you have to make the ladyfingers, and chill the egg mix, which should be done for LONGER than an hour until chilled, mine was a bit runny but was fine. Also, if you cannot find mascarpone cheese, you substitute it for 8 oz cream cheese , 1/2 cup sour cream, and 1/4 whipping cream. perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  49. Found this on Pinterest. We make America's Test Kitchen's tiramisu recipe, which is the best I have ever tasted. When I clicked on your link, I just figured you layered the ingredients into cupcake liners as a portioning tool. I didn't expect for the ladyfingers to be baked in. We've always bought our ladyfingers from the grocery before, but I just might have to try this method. Fun!

    ReplyDelete
  50. Tiramisu is my favorite dessert hands down. I followed both of your recipes for the lady fingers and the cupcakes and they turned out to be extremely delicious! Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  51. wow amazing blog, love all the recipes and great photos and gif too

    ReplyDelete
  52. Thanks for the recipe! I've made the cupcakes three times. Most love it, but the biggest critique I get is it needs to be firmer. I have to say I agree. I was thinking about cooking the initial egg, milk, sugar mixture longer. Anyone have any suggestions; I'm all ears! : )

    ReplyDelete
  53. Just made this recipe and it came out tasting a bit eggy.... not exactly sure why. Thoughts?

    ReplyDelete
  54. I just made these tasty morsels. I tasted the mascarpone filling, very delicious. I took the tip from a comment above and refrigerated the mascarpone mixture for 2 hours instead of 1 hour, and it set up nicely. I also set the mascarpone out on counter for an hour so it would be soft, I think this made a difference in having it mix well with the chilled egg mixture. Next time I make this I will cut this recipe in half, it made way to much filling! The home made lady fingers came out very good, my mistake is that instead of baking them for 8 minutes I need to take them out at 6 minutes. They did not burn but are well done on the bottom. The whipped cream is good, but makes way too much, so will half that recipe also. They are chilling over night, can not wait to taste them. It sure is a lot of work. I am taking them to a Pinterest party tomorrow, hope the girls like them.

    ReplyDelete

Real Time Web Analytics