Tiramisu Cupcakes

Tiramisu is hands down one of my all time favorite desserts! Anytime I go to an Italian restaurant it's the dessert that calls my name. The coffee infused cake and the creamy mascarpone cheese filling, and cocoa lightly dusted on top makes for a little piece of heaven. My sister and I attempted to make our own homemade Tiramisu at Christmastime last year....but sadly it just wasn't quite up to par. So we were really excited when we found a less complicated but equally as tasty sounding Tiramisu recipe; enter Tiramisu Cupcakes! Come on, isn't that the best combo? The only thing better than Tiramisu is cupcakes!  :)

We just made these yummy cupcakes and they were a hit! The recipe may sound complicated but trust me, it's so simple. A light, airy sponge cake infused with an espresso syrup, and a fluffy mascarpone cheese frosting makes for the perfect Tiramisu taste. Just to note; when we made them we put a little extra espresso syrup into the cupcakes, and we left the Marsala wine out of the frosting. Also, we didn't have any cocoa powder or chocolate shavings for the top so we improvised and sprinkled a few chocolate chips on top instead. If you love Tiramisu but find it to be to complicated to make at home; these delectable Tiramisu Cupcakes are for you!

Cupcake:
6 eggs, separated (separate when cold; allow to come to room temp)
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup sugar, divided
3 tablespoon water, room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup sifted, all-purpose flour (measure after sifted)

In large mixing bowl at high speed, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add half of the sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are glossy and stand in soft peaks. Rub just a bit of meringue between thumb and forefinger to feel if sugar has dissolved. 

In small mixing bowl at high speed, beat egg yolks until thick and lemon-colored, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually beat in remaining sugar, water, vanilla and salt (if desired) until blended.  With a sifter or sprinkle flour with a sieve over whites. Add beaten yolk mixture. Gently, but thoroughly, fold yolk mixture and flour into whites. 

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 min or until done.

Espresso Syrup:
½ cup confectioner’s sugar
2/3 cup water
5 teaspoons espresso powder

In a small, heavy saucepan over high heat, combine the water, the remaining 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar and the espresso or coffee powder. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool.

Use a fork to poke a few holes into cupcakes so that they will absorb liquid. Pour approximately ½-1 teaspoon of syrup onto each cupcake.

Frosting:
3 c mascarpone
1 c confectioner’s sugar
¼ c Marsala wine
¾ c heavy cream, chilled

In a medium bowl using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat together the mascarpone cheese, confectioner’s sugar and Marsala until well blended. Add the cream and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute. Frost cupcakes with mascarpone/whipped cream mixture. Dust tops with cocoa powder (I used unsweetened) and then sprinkle with dark chocolate shavings.

(This recipe was adapted from the recipes “Classic Sponge Cake” and “Espresso Tiramisu”, both found on www.baking911.com.)