Coffee lovers rejoice! Tiramisu Cupcakes bring a touch of elegance to your dessert table. A fluffy vanilla cupcake with rich espresso filling is the best afternoon pick-me-up or after dinner treat you can imagine.
If you love today’s crowd pleasing treat, try our Tres Leches Cake next! Or give our homemade churros a try.
Why this Cupcake is Best
It’s going to be hard for me to do justice to the cupcake recipe I’m sharing today. These are like miniature tiramisus but so much easier to make than the typical tiramisu dessert.
I used to think of tiramisu as a restaurant dessert. Nine times out of ten, if I try a delicious cake or cookie at a restaurant or bakery, I start planning for ways I can make that same dish at home.
(My enjoyment of Starbucks pastries inspired copy cat Cranberry Bliss Bars and Pumpkin Scones, for example.)
But tiramisu–ladyfinger cookies soaked in coffee then layered with mascarpone cheese and dusted with a bit of chocolate–always seemed too fussy to make at home.
I saved it for dinners out at nice restaurants and satisfied my Tiramisu needs at home by making Tiramisu Cheesecake Trifle.
But that coffee + mascarpone flavor profile is hard to resist! I’m happy to have discovered these Tiramisu Cupcakes and can’t wait to share them with you.
These cupcakes are just like single serving tiramisus and surprisingly easy to make! If you love today’s treat, be sure to try this super flavorful Chai tiramisu. All the great features of the classic dessert with the addition of chai spice mix!
Mascarpone Cheese
The frosting is what really makes this cupcake recipe a knock-out. Made with real mascarpone cream and Kahlua, this buttery frosting turns a good cupcake into something extraordinary.
I tasted a little bit of the frosting as I was decorating the cupcakes.
Oh my word. It took a LOT of self control not to just sit right down and eat the rest of the frosting straight from the bowl.
But if you have the self-control, the finished cupcakes are well worth it! A sweet coffee mixture made with espresso powder and coffee liqueur is waiting for you in the middle of each cupcake. Every bite of fluffy vanilla cupcake is full of sweet coffee and creamy frosting.
Heaven.
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Tiramisu Cupcake Recipe
These cupcakes involve three elements:
- Cupcakes
- Coffee filling
- Mascarpone cheese frosting
Don’t let the number of steps intimidate you. These cupcakes are easy enough for anyone to make!
Ingredients at a glance; scroll down for full recipe and amounts]
To make the cupcakes
You’ll need. . .
- sugar
- unsalted butter
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- flour
- baking powder and salt
- whole milk
Before making the cupcakes, bring all ingredients to room temperature. I take the milk, eggs and butter out of the fridge about 30 minutes before baking.
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until well blended. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and beat to combine. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk. Beat on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Spoon the batter evenly into prepared cupcake tins lined with cupcake liners. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (at 350 F), or until the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.
Remove the cupcakes from the oven and cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Take the cupcakes from the pan and place them on a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
To make the Espresso Mixture
You’ll need . . .
- Kahlua (or other coffee liqueur, optional)
- Espresso powder
- Sugar
- Hot Water
Make the espresso filling by mix the espresso powder, Kahlua, and sugar into the hot water. Set aside.
Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, using a fork, poke the tops of each cupcake a couple of times and add about 2 teaspoons of Espresso Mixture over each cupcake. Allow it to soak in.
For the Frosting:
My favorite part! You’ll need:
- Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Mascarpone Cheese
- Espresso
- Kahlua (optional)
To make the frosting, add butter to a large bowl and beat for about 2-3 minute until creamy. Add the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of espresso (and Kalua if using) and beat until smooth.
Gently fold in the mascarpone cheese.
PRO TIP: No mascarone cheese? Use cream cheese instead!
If the mixture is too thin, add one more cup of powdered sugar and beat with the mixer on low speed, mix just until smooth. Don’t over mix the mascarpone cheese or it could become too thin.
Pipe the frosting onto the Tiramisu cupcakes.
To give these more of a tiramisu like appearance, top the finished cupcakes with some cocoa powder and coffee granules. While not strictly necessary, everyone loves a little cocoa flavor and it makes them extra pretty!
Note: The Kahlua is strictly optional in this recipe. While I love the added flavor and richness it lends the cupcakes, they still taste wonderful if you leave out the liqueur! You get plenty of coffee flavor thanks to the espresso in both the frosting and the cupcake filling.
Tiramisu Cupcakes are the perfect dessert to bring to a bake sale or your next dinner party!
Can’t get enough coffee? Serve these with a little cup of espresso or coffee and pretend you’re sitting in a corner cafe in Italy. A girl can dream, right?
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Tiramisu Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 ½ cups white granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups All-Purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk room temperature
For the Espresso Mixture:
- 3 tablespoons coffee liqueur or Kahlua optional
- 2 tablespoons espresso powder or instant granules
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup hot water
For the Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons espresso
- 2 tablespoons Kahlua optional
- ½ cup mascarpone cheese room temperature
For the Garnish:
- Cocoa powder to dust tops
- Coffee granules to sprinkle on tops
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350° degrees F. Line 2 cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until well blended. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and beat to combine.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk. Beat on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Spoon the batter in the prepared cupcake tins.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Take the cupcakes from the pan and place them on a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
Espresso Mixture
- In a large cup, mix the espresso powder, Kahlua (if you choose to use it), and sugar into the hot water. Set aside.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, using a fork, poke the tops of each cupcake a couple of times and add about 2 teaspoons of Espresso Mixture over each cupcake. Allow it to soak in.
Frosting:
- Add butter to a large bowl and beat for about 2-3 minute until creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of espresso (and Kalua if using) and beat until smooth.
- Gently fold in the mascarpone cheese.
- If the mixture is too thin, add one more cup of powdered sugar and beat with the mixer on low speed, mix just until smooth. Don’t over mix the mascarpone cheese or it could become too thin.
- Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.
- Sprinkle the tops with some cocoa powder and coffee granules if desired.
- Chill until ready to serve. Preferably let them sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving to allow the frosting to become softer, otherwise it may be too firm.
Notes
- In order to pipe frosting for all 20 cupcakes, I doubled the amount of frosting that I made. I used the 1B Piping tip by Kowanii, it’s very similar to the Wilton 1B tip. I omitted the Kahlua and they were delicious.
- Swap out the mascarone cheese for cream cheese if desired!
- Recipe adapted from Centsless Deals
Nutrition
Coffee lovers rejoice! Tiramisu Cupcakes bring a touch of elegance to your dessert table. A fluffy vanilla cupcake with rich espresso filling is the best afternoon pick-me-up or after dinner treat you can imagine.
Is this 404 calories per cupcake!!?? Made them, they were delicious.
So I tried the recipe. It is tasty, more of an espresso cupcake not tiramisu though. Regardless it’s a good coffee lover cupcake!
Can I use regular milk instead of whole?
by regular, I’m not sure if you’re saying 2%, 1%, skim? I’ve tested with whole and 2%, nothing lower in fat, if that helps.
2% gives the same result?
It sure does!
I don’t have whole milk can I use regular?
Made Tiramisu Cupcakes today and they are delicious! I couldn’t find espresso powder locally and the liquor store only had a 1gallon bottle of Kahlua 🫣 but I had Kahlua Coffee so I brewed a cup of strong Kahlua Coffee and it worked great!
When it calls for espresso in the recipe does it mean espresso powder or liquid?
The frosting recipe^^ I forgot to specify that
I used some of the liquid “espresso mixture” ‘ in the frosting ( I actually used brewed Kahlua Coffee but I didn’t put the sugar in the mixture.) The remainder of the “espresso mixture” was used in the baked cupcakes.
Mmm looking good is next on my list to make 😉👍
WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!
I just baked these! WOW! The only thing I didn’t have was the Mascarpone…and, being on lock-down from Covid-19 not really the time to “run to the store” for just one item… …..I did have, however, CREAM CHEESE!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!! Worked JUST FINE!!!
WONDERFUL recipe!!! Thank you!
Yay!!! I’m so glad to hear this 🙂
These are amazing! People loved them!
Have you ever frozen them? I’m thinking of just the cupcake and make the frosting the day of.
If I am using cream cheese do I still fold it in or can I mix with the mixer? Does cream cheese change the taste or will it still be like a tiramisu? Also how can I have the recipe since it’s 3 eggs?
If you’re using cream cheese instead of the mascarpone cheese, blend it in as directed in instructions (same as you would the mascarpone). It will still be delicious.
And I’m not sure what you’re asking with the eggs?
did the cream cheese change the taste? Also did you just add the cream cheese in replacement or did you have to alter the cheese with whipping cream