The BEST Tiramisu Cupcake Recipe

One of my favorite Italian dessert recipes is Tiramisu! But let’s face it, it’s not the quickest recipe to make. That’s why I love this Tiramisu Cupcake recipe! You get all the great flavor of a traditional tiramisu…but without all the hassle! 

They are pretty and fun to make and always wows a crowd when you bring them to a potluck! 

Tiramisu cupcakes on a clear cakestand

Recipe Pairing Ideas:

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Step#1: Make the Cupcakes

I love this cupcake recipe because all you need are two bowls and a whisk! No need for the electric mixer at this stage. You’ll only need it for the frosting.

I think these cupcakes look extra fancy in these cute brown cupcake liners with gold foil. They remind me of Italian espresso cups. 

scooping vanilla cupcake batter into a muffin tin

Step#2: Prepare the Coffee Mixture

The rich coffee rum flavor of these cupcakes comes from brushing their tops with a mixture of espresso and rum extract.

adding rum extract to a glass of espresso

You could use real rum, but I find you get more “rum” flavor from the rum extract and it’s cheaper too!

piercing vanilla cupcake with a fork

You’ll pierce the cupcakes with a fork to allow this mixture to soak in easily.

brushing coffee bath onto vanilla cupcakes in a muffin tin

Then just brush the tops with this mixture 2-3 times with a pastry brush.

vanilla cupcake soaking up coffee mixture

Step#3: Make the Frosting

The frosting is a delicious combination of mascarpone cheese and lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Frosting on top of a tiramisu cupcake

You’ll fold the cream into the cheese, lightening it with each addition.

Mixing frosting in a clear bowl with a spatula

TIP: Make sure your mascarpone cheese is at room temperature. This will make it easier to fold the whipped cream in and create a light, fluffy mixture.

Step#4: Garnish the Cupcakes

The garnish on these cupcakes really seals the deal on the Tiramisu experience!

a tiramisu cupcake on a light blue plate with fork

I like to use a combination of unsweetened cocoa powder placed in a sugar shaker and dust the tops of each cupcake.

Shaking cocoa powder on Tiramisu cupcakes

The cocoa powder sticks to each frosting coil separately and creates a really beautiful effect. Then top with some freshly grated dark chocolate on top.

Grating chocolate on top of tiramisu cupcakes

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A Tiramisu Cupcake on a Plate

The BEST Tiramisu Cupcake Recipe

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

A delicious and fun cupcake recipe that's just as delicious as a traditional tiramisu dessert but without all the hassle!

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup of oil
  • 1/2 cup of water
  • 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup of espresso or strong coffee
  • 1 tsp of rum extract

For the frosting:

  • 2 cups of heavy cream
  • 5 tbsp powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 8 oz of mascarpone cheese

Garnish:

  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 oz of dark chocolate

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake papers and set aside.
    In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, oil and water. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined.
  3. Fill each cupcake well 2/3 of the way full. Bake at 350F (175C) for 15-17 minutes. Allow to cool.
    Meanwhile, whisk together the coffee and rum extract. Brush the coffee mixture on top of each cupcake with a pastry brush, 2-3 times to allow the mixture to seep into the cake. Set aside
  4. In a large bowl add the mascarpone cheese and smear it around with a spatula to soften it. Beat together the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract with an electric mixer. Fold the heavy cream, in thirds, into the mascarpone cheese, lightening the cheese with each addition of the cream.
  5. Transfer the frosting to a large pastry bag fitted with a round 1/2" tip (13mm). Working around the perimeter of the cupcake, pipe concentric coils around the cupcake creating 3 rings and finishing at the top creating a soft peak.
  6. Place cocoa powder in a sugar shaker and dust the top of each cupcake with the cocoa power. Then grate the dark chocolate on top with a microplane zester or cheese grater.
  7. Serve immediately or keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Remove from refrigerator 30 mins before serving and keep at room temperature. This will allow the frosting to soften.

Notes

Remove cupcakes from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the frosting to get to room temperature.

Make sure the mascarpone cheese is at room temperature before using for the frosting. It will make it easier to incorporate into the cream that way.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 551Total Fat: 44gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 177mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 1gSugar: 20gProtein: 5g
Brownie cake scooped into a mug with ice cream

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22 Comments

  1. Hi!

    Could you please clarify the amount of vanilla extract that should be used in the cupcake batter and the frosting? The recipe calls for 2tsp. but in the video you say 1tsp. for both! Thank you!

  2. Hi! The recipe calls for 2 tsps of vanilla extract for the cupcake batter but the video says 1 tsp. Could you please varify which is correct? Thank you!

  3. Hello do you use sweetened cocoa powder for garnishing the frosting on top? Unsweetened doesn’t taste good at all.
    Thank you for a reply.
    (*_*)
    Michelle

    1. Sure you could just buy sweetened cocoa powder, the kind you use for hot cocoa. But I actually think the unsweetened is a nice relief from the sweetened frosting, and the sweet chocolate bits 🙂

    1. You could try that, but the milk would create a denser crumb on the cupcake. It’s the water that keeps them light 🙂 Hope you enjoy!

  4. I love this recipe!! They turn out so yummy! Just one question, the video said to add 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and the recipe says only 1/2 tsp of baking powder. Which one should I follow?

  5. Hello there. The recipe and video have a few discrepancies between them:
    1. Recipe: 1 cup oil; Video: 1/2 cup oil
    2. Recipe: fill liners 3/4 full; Video: fill liners no more than 2/3 cup full

    Please clarify! Thanks!

    1. I’m so sorry! It should be 1 cup of oil and fill 2/3 of the way full. Apologies for the confusion! The printed recipe has been updated with all the accurate information 🙂

      1. I made the first batch with one cup of oil as listed on the recipe but cupcake was really heavy and did not taste good. Looked at your video and saw you used only 1/2 c oil, tried that and everyone loved the cupcakes.

    1. Oh sure you can freeze the cake part and then frost once de-thawed and you are ready to serve! 🙂 Hope you enjoy!!

  6. Adorable. Would you be able to update the link for the cupcake liners? Currently directed to the sugar shaker. Thank you!