Tiramisu Cupcakes

These easy Tiramisu cupcakes are a must-try for coffee and tiramisu lovers. Moist and fluffy coffee cupcakes topped with creamy mascarpone frosting and dusted with cocoa powder. They have all the taste and texture of tiramisu but in a cupcake!

This was the first cupcake recipe I posted on my blog back in 2020, and it remains one of my favorites! I constantly test and update my desserts to ensure they work for you. Recently, I have added new photos, more helpful baking tips based on your questions, and several new flavor and ingredient substitution options.

Best Tiramisu Cupcake Recipe

If you love tiramisu as much as I do, you must try this easy cupcake version. They are like individual-sized tiramisu mini cakes! You won't need any fancy ingredients or equipment, and the recipe comes together really easily. It's completely achievable, even if you're a beginner in the kitchen.

This cupcake is super moist with the perfect coffee flavor. Then the mascarpone frosting is so easy and has the most amazing taste. It doesn't use too much sugar, so it's well-balanced, and the mascarpone flavor really shines through. I never compromise on taste! This has quickly become one of the best coffee desserts and works well as a dessert or a sweet snack. What's more, it's portable and pretty enough for a dessert table, and everyone gets their own individual serving!

Make sure you try my authentic Italian tiramisu recipe, too. I love tiramisu so much, I also made tiramisu brownies!

Katalin's Key Take on the secret of turning tiramisu into cupcakes

I do not overcomplicate anything in this recipe; I take the best bits of tiramisu and turn them into a cupcake! Tiramisu is a coffee-flavored creamy Italian dessert made of ladyfingers (savoiardi) dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of egg yolks, sugar, and mascarpone cheese, and topped with cocoa powder. It's all about flavor and texture.

I developed this recipe to replicate all of this in cupcake form. The coffee cupcake sponge recipe is quick and easy, and it's super moist due to my secret baking hack (more below). Then, rather than the traditional tiramisu filling, we use my signature whipped mascarpone frosting with the creamiest texture ever. Dust cocoa powder on top, and you get a cupcake with all the taste and texture of tiramisu. Every bite is divine, trust me.

This Is How To Make The Coffee Cupcake Base

Preheat your oven to 175°C / 350°F (no fan). Always preheat your oven correctly! Line a cupcake tin with muffin liners.

Prepare your strong, freshly brewed coffee so it has time to cool down to room temperature. You can use decaf if you prefer. Mix it with room-temperature milk.

Place cubes of room-temperature butter and sugar into a bowl. The butter mustn't be cold! I find it takes around an hour to soften sufficiently. Here is how to soften butter quickly.

Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, which should take around 3 minutes. If you use a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment. But otherwise, an electric hand mixer is fine. Want more pro tips? Read my baking guide on how to cream butter and sugar.

Add the room-temperature eggs, one by one, and let each one become incorporated before adding the next. Don't use eggs straight from the fridge; they need to be at room temperature to emulsify properly.

Add the vanilla extract, then reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly pour in the milk and coffee mixture. As soon as it is incorporated, turn the mixer off.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together and gently fold this dry ingredient mixture into the wet batter using a rubber spatula. Don't use the electric mixer for this stage.

Finally, we add my secret baking hack for moist cupcakes. Mix vinegar and baking soda together in a small bowl, which will foam and bubble. Fold this into the cupcake batter straight away.

Time to bake

Spoon or pipe the tiramisu cupcake batter into the prepared cupcake pan. Only fill each cupcake liner to ¾ full, as the batter rises when baked. This way, you'll avoid them 'mushrooming' over the top of the case.

Bake the cupcakes for 20-22 minutes, being careful not to overbake them. You will know when they are ready when an inserted toothpick comes out clean and with no batter stuck to it.

Let the cupcakes cool to room temperature before frosting!

My Creamy, Dreamy Mascarpone Frosting

Make sure your mascarpone and heavy cream are both full-fat versions and that they are very cold. In fact, I move them from the fridge into the freezer for a few minutes before whipping.

Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl with the cold heavy cream and cold mascarpone. Whip the tiramisu cupcake frosting ingredients until stiff peaks develop and the mixture is airy and fluffy. It is very easy to overwhip, so I prefer an electric hand whisk rather than a stand mixer to have more control. If you overwhip the frosting, it will break and go runny.

If mascarpone is unavailable, check out my article on mascarpone substitutes, which includes a homemade mascarpone recipe. Your tiramisu cupcakes won't taste as good without it!

Assemble & Enjoy

Once the coffee cupcakes are at room temperature, prepare the whipped mascarpone frosting as instructed and transfer it to a piping bag fitted with your favorite nozzle tip.

Pipe the mascarpone frosting on top of each cupcake, and then dust them with cocoa powder just before serving. Don't do it until you are ready to serve, as the mascarpone will absorb the powder over time.

To achieve that professional finish, spoon the cocoa powder into a fine-mesh sieve and shake it over the cupcakes to evenly coat the frosting. Use unsweetened, 100% dark cocoa powder (often referred to as Dutch-process cocoa powder), as it has a lovely dark color, intense chocolate flavor, and lower acidity. You can even decorate them with a coffee bean!

Leftovers? This Is How You Store Them

Tiramisu cupcakes are best served fresh. And there aren't usually any leftovers! However, you can store any leftovers in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. Make sure they are covered or in an airtight container to avoid the frosting absorbing any smells.

You can freeze the coffee cupcake base, but do not freeze the mascarpone frosting. To freeze the cupcake base, ensure it is cooled, and then place it in a ziplock bag or wrap it in plastic food wrap.

Try Some Other Flavors

To enhance the flavor of the mascarpone frosting, add some vanilla extract, a pinch of cinnamon, or some pumpkin spice for a festive kick.

Make a mocha base by swapping a tablespoon of flour for cocoa powder. You can also swap a small amount of flour with hazelnut flour to add a delicious, nutty flavor.

Fold some chocolate chips or chopped pecans into the cupcake batter at the end for some extra flavor and crunch!

After baking, you could add a surprise filling to the cupcakes. Remove a small piece of sponge with a teaspoon and fill it with caramel sauce or homemade Nutella. Then pipe the cupcake frosting on top.

Substitute Ingredients Wisely

Baking is science, so changing a recipe can affect the final result.

You can use cake flour or all-purpose flour in these cupcakes. Using light brown sugar instead of white granulated sugar will give them a slightly more molasses flavor.

For further swaps, check out my flour guide for gluten-free suggestions and my egg substitute and butter substitute guides. But I generally recommend avoiding ingredient substitutions whenever possible, as it will almost always require adjusting and reformulating the other ingredients to maintain the same result.

Expert tips for making tiramisu cupcakes

1. Always use room temperature ingredients that can properly emulsify. If your butter, milk, or egg is cold, the cupcake batter might even break.
2. Make sure the coffee isn't very hot, or it can scramble the eggs in the mixture. Let it come to room temperature.
3. Do not overmix the cupcake batter. Overmixing cupcake batter can lead to an overproduction of gluten, leading to tough cupcakes!
4. As soon as you have finished the batter and added the vinegar/baking soda mixture, bake the cupcakes immediately. Don't let the batter sit around.
5. Use high-fat mascarpone (41% fat) and high-fat heavy cream (36-40% fat) for best results. And don't overwhip the frosting! It can easily break and become runny.
6. Never frost warm cupcakes; wait until they come to room temperature
7. If you want to further enhance the coffee flavor, you can drizzle the cupcake base with extra coffee after it has baked. Poke holes using a skewer or toothpick first, and be careful not to make them too wet and soggy.

Useful Equipment

For a consistent, happy baking experience, always weigh your ingredients by the gram using a digital scale.

Combine ingredients using an electric hand mixer and then switch to a rubber spatula.

Make sure you invest in an inexpensive digital oven thermometer to be able to measure your oven temperature correctly. Baking at the wrong temperature can result in dry cupcakes, which no one wants.

I pipe the tiramisu cupcake frosting using a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping nozzle tip.

Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire cooling rack before frosting, or the frosting can melt and go runny.

Try Some Of My Other Cupcake Recipes

If you love my tiramisu cupcakes, you should try some of these recipes next!

• Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes
• Mocha Cupcakes
• White Chocolate Cupcakes
• Lemon Poppyseed Cupcakes
• Coffee Cupcakes

And if you still can't get enough, here is my round-up of over 50 cupcake recipes.

Have you tried this recipe?

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