Tiramisu Cupcakes

Tiramisu cupcakes turned out to be the inaugral dish made in my new Kitchenaid mixer, courtesy of P-dub.  It arrived just a few days after I had provided my mailing address to Lindy, The Prize Wrangler.  I was surprised and thrilled that it came so quickly.

It's amazing, and, with just one dish, my life has been changed forever.

The same is true for my coworkers who were blessed with Tiramisu Cupcakes last Friday.

These little beauties tasted just like the real thing, and come in a wonderful individual package.  Could you imagine these in minis?  Oh my - tiramisu in just one little bite!

There are 3 components to these cupcakes, and they took me about an hour and a half from start to finish.  It's really not that bad, so don't let the number of steps deter you from making and enjoying these phenomenal treats.

Side note:  Can someone tell me why you're supposed to sift all your dry ingredients together?  I always add the baking soda, baking powder, salt, etc. during the butter/egg/sugar phase when you can still beat it into oblivion to ensure these ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.  Then I just add the flour on its own and take care not to overbeat. Please advise.

Tiramisu Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes

Cupcakes:

• 2 sticks butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 8 egg yolks (room temp)
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup espresso (I used instant espresso - it works just fine!)
• 1/8 cup Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate syrup
• 1 oz Kahlua or Bailey's
• 1/2 oz Myers Dark Rum or Brandy
• 3T sugar

Frosting:

Makes about 2 cups - double if you really like frosting
*Easier, but not as good, but also what I made, version below. 

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
• pinch salt

Garnish:  Cocoa powder and 24 chocolate covered espresso beans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 muffin pans with cupcake liners. (Foil are best so they won't get soggy from the glaze.)
2. In a large bowl (or KITCHENAID MIXER), cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time (which is so amazing with a KITCHENAID MIXER), then add the vanilla.
4. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing until just incorporated.
5. Use 1/4c. dry measuring cup or 2 oz. scoop to distribute batter evenly into prepared pans.
6. Bake in 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, or until top springs back.  This cake is extremely sensitive to movement, so be very careful when rotating halfway through cook time.  They were also very sensitive to variations in heat, so it would have been best had I cooked one pan at a time since my oven's so [un]awesome.
7. While cupcakes are baking, prepare the glaze.  Add sugar to hot espresso in a small mixing bowl and dissolve with a whisk.  Then add rum/brandy, chocolate syrup, and kahlua/baileys.
8. When cupcakes are finished, remove from the pan and use a toothpick or kabob stick to poke a hole in the center of each one (you can even use a knife if that's all you have - you just need to break through the top crust so the glaze can penetrate it).
9. With a spoon, ladle about two spoonfuls into each one, allowing time for the glaze to be absorbed between each one.  Then briefly dip the top of each cupcake in the glaze to get an even distribution on top.
10. While the cupcakes finish cooling, prepare the frosting.  Be sure your mascarpone and heavy cream are very cold.
11. With an electric mixer, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
12. In another mixing bowl (or KITCHENAID MIXER with whisk attachment), whisk together confectioners' sugar and mascarpone cheese until smooth.
13. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture until completely incorporated.
14. If you have a little bit of glaze left, you can add it to the frosting.  But know that traditional Italian tiramisu has a pure mascarpone mixture like this recipe.
15. Add frosting to a piping bag and pipe onto cupcakes, or just use a spoon to put a big dollop of frosting on each.  Dust lightly with cocoa powder and top with one chocolate covered espresso bean (I wish they'd had these at my neighborhood market).

Enjoy!  These babies truly are phenomenal.

*Easier-but-not-as-light-and-fluffy-version-though-still-good-since-my-coworkers-thought-they'd-died-and-gone-to-heaven-mascarpone-frosting:

• 2 8 oz. packages mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 c. heavy cream
• 1 box confectioners' sugar
• pinch salt

This will likely turn out better for you if you ensure your mascarpone and heavy cream is very cold.  Cream both of those together, in a KITCHENAID MIXER if  you have one, then gradually add the sugar, taking care to let it fully combine after each addition.  Don't forget a pinch of salt!