Mini Tiramisu Cupcakes
I recently made these for a friend’s birthday and earned rave reviews. Though more time consuming than your average cupcake, the delicious flavor makes it worthwhile! The recipe as written will generate approximately 40 mini cupcakes.
Ingredients:
1 package of french vanilla cake mix, plus ingredients needed to bake the cake (e.g. eggs, oil or butter)
Espresso
Confectioners’ sugar
Kahlua
2 (8oz.) Containers mascarpone cheese – I used coffee flavored
1 (8oz.) Container lite cool whip
2 Squares dark chocolate (60-70%)
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Ground cinnamon
Mascarpone Layer
Mascarpone Layer (can be made the night before): Mix cool whip, both containers of mascarpone cheese, 3 tbsp. kahlua, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon and 1 square of finely grated dark chocolate. Stir until blended thoroughly. Store in refrigerator until needed.
Cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare cake mix as directed. Stir in one tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon. Pour cake batter into a pyrex measuring cup and fill mini foil muffin/cupcake wrappers 3/4 of the way up. It’s important to use the foil ones because they will hold any excess liquid from the espresso/kahlua mix later. Try to bake between 12-15 cupcakes at a time for 20 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean in the center.
Allow Cupcakes to Cool Completely
Allow cupcakes to cool completely.
Espresso: Prepare espresso – you’ll want around 1/2 a cup brewed. Once finished, pour into a small bowl and add 2 tsp. confectioners’ sugar and 2 tsp. kahlua to taste. Allow to cool completely.
Coring Out the Cupcakes: Once cupcakes are completely cooled, use a paring knife to cut a dime-sized hole in the center of the cupcake. Do not cut all the way through to the bottom of the cupcake.
Coring Out the Cupcake
Soaking the Cupcakes: Pour 1/4 tsp. espresso mix into bottom of each hole. Once through all of the cupcakes, add another two or three 1/4 tsps. to evenly coat the bottom and sides of the hole. I found it easier to coat if you pick up and turn the cupcake. Allow to sit for dry to 30 minutes.
Frosting: Using a pasty bag, or this easy decorating squeeze containers from Crate & Barrel (click here), first fill the cupcake hole and decorate the top of the cupcake. Top with additional finely grated dark chocolate shavings.
Store in refrigerator until serving time. Enjoy!