Tiramisu has always been one of my favorite desserts so obviously I had to make it in cupcake form! These fluffy tiramisu cupcakes are soaked with a coffee and Kahlua mixture and then topped with a creamy mascarpone frosting and a dusting of cocoa powder! It's a combo of my two favorite desserts for the most decadent Italian-inspired treat!
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Why You'll Love These Cupcakes!
Tiramisu is a a delicious Italian dessert made of boozy coffee soaked lady fingers (savoiardi), creamy mascarpone cheese, and cocoa powder.
- Kahlua mascarpone frosting - The light, creamy flavor of mascarpone cheese pairs beautifully with coffee!
- Boozy coffee cupcake soak - These cupcakes have a coffee and Kahlua soak to add extra flavor and keep the cupcakes moist!
- Super easy to decorate - All you need to make these tiramisu cupcakes beautiful is a light dusting of cocoa powder!
- Tastes just like classic tiramisu in cupcake form!!
You might also like these espresso cupcakes or these cannoli cupcakes!
Ingredient Notes
You only need a few special ingredients for these tiramisu cupcakes!
Cake flour - I always use cake flour in my cupcakes because it makes them super soft and tender, but all purpose flour also works great!
Butter - I like using melted butter for flavor in the cupcakes, but you can also sub a neutral vegetable oil if you prefer.
Mascarpone cheese - Mascarpone is an Italian cheese that's very similar to American cream cheese. It's smooth and soft but more neutral in flavor compared to tangy cream cheese. And in my opinion, that mild flavor makes it much more versatile! There is no great substitution for mascarpone unfortunately, but you can usually find it in the specialty cheese aisle by ricotta!
Espresso powder - You can't have tiramisu cupcakes without espresso powder! King Arthur is my favorite brand of high quality espresso powder! Note: espresso powder is NOT the same as instant espresso!! Espresso powder is much more flavorful and more finely ground, making it more suitable for baking.
Brewed espresso - You need brewed espresso for the cupcake soak to help add that classic tiramisu flavor! I prefer espresso to regular brewed coffee because the flavor is more concentrated, but coffee will do in a pinch!
Coffee liqueur - Any type of coffee-flavored liqueur works but my favorite is Kahlua! But you can leave it out if you prefer.
Cocoa powder - This is optional, but I like to dust the tops of the cupcakes with a little cocoa powder.
Lady fingers - These are totally optional, but I like to garnish the tiramisu cupcake with lady finger cookies! You can usually find them in either the cookie aisle or international aisle at the grocery store. Honestly they're a bit boring on their own, but I think it's a fun callback to classic tiramisu.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Tiramisu Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12 cup cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, sugar, brown sugar, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together until combined.
Stir in about half of the flour mixture. Then stir in the milk and the rest of the flour mixture and mix until fully combined. The batter will be thin.
Pour about ¼ cup of batter into each cupcake liner (they should be about halfway full).
Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.
While the cupcakes are still warm, brush the tops of the cupcakes with the espresso and Kahlua mixture for extra tiramisu flavor and super moist cupcakes! Use 1-2 teaspoons per cupcake to get a strong coffee flavor but without making the cake soggy.
Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
After frosting, lightly dust with cocoa powder and sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Then garnish with lady fingers, if desired!
Tips for the Best Baked Goods
Use room temperature ingredients! Always make sure ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, yogurt, etc. are at room temperature before baking (unless the recipe indicates otherwise)! This ensures they'll incorporate into the batter more easily and leads to overall better texture. Remove all ingredients from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before baking for best results.
Measure your flour correctly! It's most accurate to use a kitchen scale, but if you're measuring by volume you want to spoon and level! Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, and then spoon flour into the measuring cup. Once it's overflowing, use the back of a knife to level it off. Don't ever pack flour into the measuring cup or you'll end up with way too much! Improperly measured flour can lead to dry, dense baked goods. [Measure cocoa powder the same way!]
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If you oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all baked goods from cakes to macarons! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.
Make sure you baking powder is fresh! Baking powder is important for helping baked goods rise properly, but it has a relatively short shelf life once opened, so it's one of the few items I never buy in bulk! To test if your baking powder is still fresh, add a small amount to boiling water. If it bubbles it's still good to use, but if not it's time to toss it!
Cupcake Decorating Tips
Make sure you let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting!!
For these big beautiful mascarpone frosting swirls on these tiramisu cupcakes, I use the large round tip from this decorating kit. The tips are much larger than standard sizes and so fun for decorating cupcakes!
After frosting, lightly dust with cocoa powder and sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Then garnish with lady fingers, if desired!
How do you make chocolate shavings? Using a vegetable peeler, shave the edge of a chocolate bar for narrow curls or the side of a chocolate bar for wider curls. I like to store chocolate curls in a container in the freezer so that they stay fresh and don't melt!
Recipe FAQ's
These cupcakes will last in the fridge for up to 3 days. However, they taste best when served at room temperature! I like to let them sit at room temperature for about an hour before serving.
Just a little, but yes! There is coffee flavored liqueur in the frosting so these cupcakes should only be served to people over the age of 21. But for a non alcoholic version, just replace with extra espresso.
Technically yes, but I don't recommend it. Instant coffee isn't as strong as espresso powder and it also typically has a harsher, more acidic flavor that won't taste as good in cupcakes.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
More Recipes You Might Like!
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Recipe Card
Tiramisu Cupcakes
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups cake flour, substitute all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk
Cupcake Soak
- ¼ cup brewed espresso
- ¼ cup coffee liqueur , optional (sub with more espresso)
Mascarpone Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter , room temperature
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur , substitute brewed espresso
Garnish
- cocoa powder
- chocolate shavings , optional
- lady fingers , optional
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12 cup cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, sugar, brown sugar, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together until combined.
- Stir in about half of the flour mixture. Then stir in the milk and the rest of the flour mixture and mix until fully combined. The batter will be thin.
- Pour about ¼ cup of batter into each cupcake liner (they should be about halfway full).
- Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.
- In a small bowl, mix together the brewed espresso and coffee liqueur for the soak until fully combined.
- While the cupcakes are still warm, brush the tops of the cupcakes with the espresso and Kahlua mixture for extra tiramisu flavor and super moist cupcakes! Use 1-2 teaspoons per cupcake to get a strong coffee flavor but without making the cake soggy.
- Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
Mascarpone Frosting
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter and mascarpone cheese until completely smooth.
- Then add in the powdered sugar and beat on slow until combined.
- Add in the coffee liqueur, then beat the frosting for 2-3 minutes on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes and lightly dust with cocoa powder and sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Then garnish with lady fingers, if desired!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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