nom nom nom

That’s right. Tiramisu cupcakes. Not cake. Not individual martini glasses with tiramisu.  I bent the rules and took the cake to the cup.  Of course, it’s not the first time it’s been done, but it’s the first time I did it.

The last time I made tiramisu was years ago for a birthday.  The cake was amazing, but I lost the recipe.  I think it was a recipe from a Williams Sonoma book that I borrowed from a friend.  I spent the last few years trying to find this recipe with no luck.  Every other recipe used ladyfingers.  NO thank you.  Ladyfingers disintegrate when you drizzle the syrup on them.  I wanted a good delicious cake.  Fortunately, I had the patience to wait until I found something.  Lo and behold I open up Food Gawker one day and it’s a Tuesday’s with Dorie tiramisu celebration.  I think I literally ran to the store to make it happen.  Not only was the recipe a good excuse, but it was good friends birthday and she deserved some cupcakes.

These were very fun to make.  I have to admit that I haven’t tried them yet.  When I made them I was on a crash diet before our vacation to Puerto Vallarta Mexico.  I stuck through the diet, a whole 7 days, and it was rough.  I never dieted before.  I am not a fan of not eating what I want to eat.  I will say that it prepped me for a week of beach bikini sun and fun.  I have two of the cupcakes sitting in the freezer waiting for taste-buds gone wild.

Cupcake reviews: coworkers came back for more.  They talked about it for days and people wanted the recipe.  I think I need to get those little treats out of the freezer and embark on some nom nom nom.

*I’m cutting and pasting this from the Tuesdays with Dorie recipe guest at My Baking Adventures.  She did such a great job.  The changes were from cake to cupcake.  I also substituted a few things and it still turned out great.

This made about 36 cupcakes.

Ingredients for the cake:
2 cups cake flour (substitution: 1 3/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup cornstarch)
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 ¼ sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
¾ cup buttermilk (substitution: pour just under one cup of milk, fill to 1 cup line with vinegar, let sit for 5 minutes, use 3/4 of a cup of the substitution)

Ingredients for the espresso extract:
2 tbs. instant espresso powder
2 tbs. boiling water

Ingredients for the espresso syrup:
½ cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbs. amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy (I used kahula, yum)

Ingredients for the filling and frosting:
1 8-oz. container mascarpone cheese
½ cup confectioners sugar, sifted
1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbs. amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy
1 cup cold heavy cream
2 ½ oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, or about ½ cup store bought mini chocolate chips

Ingredients for presentation:
Chocolate covered espresso beans or shaved chocolate, for decoration (optional)
Cocoa powder, for dusting

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare your muffin tins with butter and flour or muffin liners.

Directions for the cake:
Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy.  Add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes.  Add the eggs one by one, and then the yolk, beating for 1 minute after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla; don’t be concerned if the mixture looks curdled.  Reduce the mixer speed to low  and add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, adding the dry ingredients in three additions and the buttermilk in two (begin and end with the dry ingredients); scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix only until the ingredients disappear into the batter.

Fill your muffin tins and bake for 12-15 minutes.  When fully baked, the cakes will be golden and springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the centers will come out clean.  Let cool on a cooling rack.

Directions for the extract:
Stir the espresso powder and boiling water together in a small cup until blended.  Set aside.

Directions for the syrup:
Stir the water and sugar together in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil.  Pour the syrup into a small heatproof bowl and stir 1 tablespoon of the espresso extract and the liqueur or brandy; set aside.

Directions to make the filling and frosting:
Put the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla and liqueur (to taste) in a large bowl and whisk just until blended and smooth.  Working with the stand mixer with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it holds firm peaks.  Switch to a rubber spatula and stir about one quarter of the whipped cream into the mascarpone.  Fold in the rest of the whipped cream with a light touch.  Add a little of the espresso extract to taste.

little centers

When the cupcakes are cool, use a small knife to cut out the centers.  Drizzle in a little syrup with melted or shaved chocolate.  Place the little cut out centers back on the muffin then drizzle a little more syrup on them.  Frost the cupcakes and dust with cocoa powder and or chocolate shavings.

Keep these babies in the fridge.  The frosting needs it and you don’t want it to start getting sloppy.  Mine held up great but you never know.

*I want to take the 2 left in the freezer out on a sunny day so I can take some improved pictures.