The BEST Tiramisu Cupcake Recipe
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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!
Recipe Pairing Ideas:
- Pair them with some pasta recipes like my Homemade Lasagna or Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta for a fun Italian themed-dinner!
- Or go the Italian Chicken route with my Chicken Marsala, Chicken Parmesan or Chicken Picatta Recipes
- Need a starter? Try my Cherry Tomato Bruschetta recipe. A great one for summer entertaining!
Watch a Demo of this Video Below!
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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.
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.
You could use real rum, but I find you get more “rum” flavor from the rum extract and it’s cheaper too!
You’ll pierce the cupcakes with a fork to allow this mixture to soak in easily.
Then just brush the tops with this mixture 2-3 times with a pastry brush.
Step#3: Make the Frosting
The frosting is a delicious combination of mascarpone cheese and lightly sweetened whipped cream.
You’ll fold the cream into the cheese, lightening it with each addition.
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!
I like to use a combination of unsweetened cocoa powder placed in a sugar shaker and dust the tops of each cupcake.
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.
More Delicious Cupcake Recipes!
- Easy Easter Cupcake Recipe
- Chocolate Candy Cane Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Please let me know if you make this recipe
by leaving a rating and review below!
The BEST Tiramisu Cupcake Recipe
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
- 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. - In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined.
- 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 - 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 551Total Fat: 44gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 177mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 1gSugar: 20gProtein: 5g
If you are freezing the cupcakes do you still do the rum coffee step before freezing?
I would add the rum, after the freezing, right before frosting 🙂
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!
So sorry! It should be 1 tsp. The video is correct! I’ll fix the recipe card thanks for the heads up!
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!
So sorry! It should be 1 tsp. I just updated the recipe! 🙂
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
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 🙂
Looks delicious and I wanted to know in place of water can we use milk 🥛 Thanks Josie
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!
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?
So sorry just updated the printed recipe 1 1/2 tsp is correct! Thanks for flagging!
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!
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 🙂
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.
I’m so sorry about that Julie! Thanks for bringing it to my attention! I just fixed that on the recipe 🙂 And so glad they were a hit the second time around! 🙂
Can u freeze these cupcakes?
Oh sure you can freeze the cake part and then frost once de-thawed and you are ready to serve! 🙂 Hope you enjoy!!
This recipe has no ingredients listed! It just has the instructions.
Oops so sorry about that! I just changed my “recipe card template” and some of the info clearly didn’t migrate over! It’s fixed now :)
Adorable. Would you be able to update the link for the cupcake liners? Currently directed to the sugar shaker. Thank you!
Oops so sorry! Here’s the link to the cupcake liners. https://amzn.to/2LLB14D looks like they are currently out of the brown/gold but the solid gold would be lovely too! 🙂