Tiramisu Cupcakes

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These vanilla tiramisu cupcakes are a hand-held version of classic tiramisu. Tender and fluffy, they feature a Kahlúa-and-coffee soaked filling. They’re crowned with a luscious mascarpone frosting and sprinkled with cocoa. They’re the ideal dessert for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

📌 Pin Tiramisu Cupcakes

It’s now easier than ever to indulge a craving for the classic Italian favorite. These special desserts taste just like they came from a European bakery!

Tiramisu cupcakes are perfect for celebrations all year round, in addition to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Take this special dessert to potlucks, baby showers and wedding showers. Serve them at birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations.

No plates and forks needed for these portable treats. Just a stack of napkins.

During the busy holiday season, I recommend assembling them in advance and freezing without frosting. Bundle them tightly in plastic wrap, then slip them into a zip-top freezer bag. Then you’ll have them on hand when needed. Just defrost and top with swirls of frosting.

🛒 Ingredients

These delicious desserts come together with basic refrigerator and pantry staples. Below are the ingredients you’ll need for the recipe.

Cupcake Batter

• All-Purpose Flour: Provides strength and structure for the cupcake batter.
• Granulated Sugar: Adds the perfect amount of sweetness.
• Baking Powder: This leavening agent provides the ideal rise for fluffy cupcakes.
• Kosher Sea Salt: Enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.
• Ground Cinnamon: Adds a delicious seasonal flavor and aroma.
• Whole Milk: Adds rich delicious moisture.
• Vegetable Oil: Provides moisture so the cupcakes are tender, not dry.
• Large Eggs: Help bind the ingredients together.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Contributes a delicious flavor and bakery aroma.

Poke-Cupcake Ingredients

• Espresso or strong-brewed coffee
• Kahlúa

Mascarpone Frosting

• Mascarpone cheese
• Cream cheese
• Salted butter
• Pure vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
• For Garnishing: Unsweetened cocoa powder or a finely-grated artisan chocolate like American Heritage Chocolate.

🥣 Easy Ingredient Substitutions

Missing an ingredient for the tiramisu cupcakes or mascarpone frosting? Don’t put on your shoes and head to the market. Instead, head to your fridge or pantry. Check for these easy ingredient swaps.

It’s convenient and money-saving to use ingredients you already have on hand!

• All-purpose Flour: Either pastry flour or cake flour can be used as a 1:1 substitute for this cinnamon cupcake recipe.
• Granulated Sugar: Use light brown sugar instead.
• Ground Cinnamon: This ingredient provides flavor and aroma. The best swaps are apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice. You can also use ground nutmeg or allspice (but 1/2 the amount).
• Vegetable Oil: The best 1:1 subs are safflower oil and canola oil. They won’t change the flavor of the tiramisu cupcakes.
• Whole Milk: Use 2% milk instead. If you have heavy cream on hand, use 60% cream to 40% water. Or try dairy-free vanilla milk.
• Vanilla Extract: Sub with bourbon, brandy or amber rum.
• Kahlua: Use a chocolate-flavored liqueur or spiced rum.
• Mascarpone Cheese: Use all cream cheese instead. Or make your own mascarpone cheese for this recipe. See “Recipe FAQ” section below for the easy recipe. Only half the amount will be needed for 12 cupcakes.
• Cream Cheese: Use all mascarpone cheese plus extra powdered sugar to make the frosting thick and sturdy.
• Salted Butter: Sub with unsalted butter plus a tiny pinch of salt.
• Powdered Sugar: Make your own powdered sugar from granulated sugar. Process sugar in a blender or food processor until fine and fluffy. One cup granulated sugar yields about 2 cups powdered sugar.

🧑🏼‍🍳 Best Cupcake Pan for the Best Results

For bakery-style cupcakes, I pull out my 12-well cupcake pan by USA Pan. This heavy-duty piece has ridged surfaces which increase air flow for even baking and browning. It’s what I count on for picture-perfect desserts.

Grab a set of 2 through the Amazon affiliate link below.

🧑🏼‍🍳 Recipe Steps

Cupcake Batter

RECIPE PREP: Adjust oven rack to center position. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-well cupcake pan with parchment-paper cupcake wrappers.

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, sea salt, and ground cinnamon.
2. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together wet ingredients: milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix just until combined. For fluffy tiramisu cupcakes, don’t overmix.
3. Divide batter between the 12 wells of prepared cupcake pan. Fill them 3/4 full. A cookie scoop can make the process easier. Bake cupcakes 14 to 16 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of 2 cupcakes comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
4. In a small bowl, combine Kahlua and espresso. Once cupcakes have cooled completely, poke the top of each dessert 5 times with a fork. Drizzle 2 teaspoons of the mixture over the top of each cupcake.

🥣 Mascarpone Frosting

RECIPE PREP: If the temperature of your kitchen is warm, chill the metal mixing bowl and paddle attachment (from your stand mixer) in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes.

1. Measure out ingredients for the frosting: softened cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Add cream cheese, mascarpone, butter and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment.
2. Cream ingredients (about 2 minutes) until fully combined with a smooth texture. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add powdered sugar. Once sugar is fully incorporated, turn up the speed to high. Whip until frosting is light and fluffy. But don’t overmix or the frosting can curdle.
3. Transfer icing to a piping bag with your favorite metal tip. I used a Wilton 1M for decorating mine. For a lovely look, leave a 1/2-inch bare border undecorated without frosting. It’s lovely to see a portion of the actual cupcake surface.
4. For garnishing, lightly dust the frosting with unsweetened cocoa powder or finely-grated chocolate.

👉🏻 EXPERT TIP: Make sure the cupcakes are completely cool before frosting. This takes about 1 hour. One of the biggest mistakes when making cupcakes is cutting corners and frosting them too soon. We want the icing to stay firm and perky, not become soft, limp and melty.

👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQ

These are the most commonly-asked questions when making tiramisu cupcakes with mascarpone frosting. Included are the most helpful answers for recipe success.

🧁 More Cupcake Recipes

If you loved this tiramisu cupcake recipe, you’ll also love these other tasty cupcakes. To view our complete collection, visit our Cupcake Category.

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Rate This Recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Flavor testers rated these the BEST tiramisu cupcakes. The delicious espresso/Kahlúa flavor and fluffy texture of the cupcakes, and the luscious mascarpone frosting makes them amazing. For birthdays and holiday parties, there’s nothing more special than these delicious desserts.

If you agree this recipe’s a keeper, give it a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero. Share it with friends. 📌 Pin it to Pinterest.

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Tiramisu Cupcakes 👉🏻 Join the Convo

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