Tiramisu Cupcakes

Today marks the first day of snowfall in POZ this year. I was completely unaware of it until i finally opened my curtains as i was about to head out around 3pm. It would've been a nice surprise if my curtains opened up to a picturesque view of powdered trees and buried rooftops... but thanks to daylight saving and the premature weather, all i got was gloomy skies, wet sidewalks, and frosted grass. To make it worse, POZ becomes pitch dark after 4:30 pm-- which means there is not enough sunlight for the average person who wakes up at noon during her week off from school, arghhh!!! So with the depressing 13 hour darkness in POZ, the only thing i can do right now is to remind myself of the better things in life with a cupcake update. This is one of Martha Stewart's recipes from her cupcake book that i've been wanting to buy since forever. I actually made these Tiramisu cupcakes twice... once for my brothers' birthday, and the 2nd time for JenJens'. But unfortunately, i made the same mistake of under-basting them with coffee syrup on both occasions. The cake should be soaked to the core with coffee but all I got was a thin line at the top :( There would've been prettier pictures to show had i spent a little more time brushing up the entire half cup of syrup. But despite my little setback, the cupcakes still tasted great. I mean, for goodness sake, it's Tiramisu baked into a cupcake! There's just not much you can do to screw up a heavenly match like that. Enjoy!

Tiramisu Cupcakes

from Martha Stewart

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
  [or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract]
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
• 3 large whole eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar [i used a little more than 1/2 cup]
• Coffee-Marsala Syrup [recipe below]
  *or 1/2 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
• Mascarpone frosting [recipe below]
• Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt [picture 1]. Set aside.
3. Heat milk and vanilla-bean podand seeds (or vanilla extract) in a small saucepan over medium heat just until bubbles appear around the edge. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter until melted, set aside and let stand 15 minutes [picture 2]. If using vanilla pods, Strain milk mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, and discard vanilla-bean pod.
4. With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk together whole eggs, yolks, and sugar. Set mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, and whisk by hand until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm, about 6 minutes [picture 3]. Remove bowl from heat. With an electric mixer on high speed, whisk until mixture is fluffy, pale yellow, and thick enough to hold a ribbon on the surface for several seconds when whisk is lifted.
5. Gently but thoroughly fold flour mixture into the egg mixture in three batches [picture 4].
6. Stir 1/2 cup batter into the milk mixture to thicken, then fold milk mixture into the remaining batter until just combined [picture 5].
7. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each 3/4 full [picture 6].
8. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until centers are completely set and edges are light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.
9. With a fork, poke holes all over the cupcakes so the syrup can be absorbed [picture 7].
10. To finish, brush tops of cupcakes evenly with coffee-marsala syrup (or Bailey's); repeat until all syrup has been used [picture 8]. Allow cupcakes to absorb liquid 30 minutes.
11. Dollop frosting onto cupcakes [picture 11]; refrigerate up to overnight in airtight containers.
12. Dust generously with cocoa powder just before serving [picture 12].

Coffee-Marsala Syrup

• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh strong coffee (or espresso)
• 1 ounce (30 mL) marsala wine
• 1/4 cup sugar
  

1. Stir coffee, marsala, and sugar together until dissolved. Let cool.
   
   

Mascarpone Frosting

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces (230 grams) mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1. With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk heavy cream until stiff peaks form (be careful not to overbeat, or cream will be grainy).
2. In another bowl, whisk together mascarpone and powdered sugar until smooth.
3. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture until completely incorporated. Use immediately.

Tiramisu Cupcakes