If you love tiramisu and gourmet cupcakes, this Tiramisu cupcakes recipe is about to become your new favorite dessert! Moist coffee cupcakes are layered with a creamy mascarpone frosting – all the classic Italian tiramisu flavors, but in a convenient handheld sweet treat.
Perfect for party desserts, these tiramisu flavored cupcakes are so easy to make at home with simple ingredients. So whether you’re a seasoned baker or just getting started, this easy coffee dessert recipe is foolproof and delivers bakery-quality results every time.
Why You’ll Love My Tiramisu Cupcakes Recipe
The Perfect Fusion of Two Beloved Desserts: Why choose between tiramisu and fancy cupcakes when you can have both? These gourmet cupcakes combine the rich flavors of classic Italian tiramisu with the soft, fluffy texture of a homemade cupcake. It’s the best of both worlds in every bite!
Easy And Elegant: Despite their elegant appearance, these tiramisu cupcakes are surprisingly simple to make. The step-by-step instructions make the process beginner-friendly, while the sweet coffee syrup and rich mascarpone piped cream add an elegant touch.
Portable Make Ahead Desserts: Unlike traditional tiramisu, which requires assembly in a dish and chilling time, these tiramisu cupcakes are easy to make ahead, transport and serve to a crowd – making them a fantastic individual dessert idea for parties, potlucks, and baby showers.
If you love tiramisu flavors, you may also like my tiramisu cookies, my tiramisu mini cakes, or these pistachio tiramisu cups.
Tiramisu Cupcake Ingredients
To make tiramisu flavored cupcakes you’ll need the following ingredients. I touch on a few of the ingredients here, but you can find the specific quantities and steps in the recipe card below.
- Espresso: The coffee added to the cupcakes needs to be strong for the flavor to carry through. I recommend espresso, but if you don’t have an espresso machine or moka pot, brew a very strong batch of coffee.
- Unsalted butter: Ensure the butter is at room temperature before using. I prefer to use unsalted butter in baking to have more control over the amount of salt in the cakes.
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Milk
- Vanilla
To make the coffee syrup and the mascarpone frosting you will need:
- Espresso: As for the cupcakes, this should be strong. Brew espresso or a strong batch of coffee.
- Coffee liqueur: Optional, adds an extra coffee flavor to the syrup. I use Kahlua for baking.
- Mascarpone cheese: A soft spreadable cheese used in many Italian desserts, this ingredient is essential in authentic Tiramisu. You can find it in the deli/cheese section at your grocery store.
- Heavy cream: Use full fat whipping cream for the creamiest mascarpone frosting.
- Sugar: Powdered and granulated sugar are needed.
- Vanilla
- Cocoa Powder And Chocolate Shavings (not shown): Use a good quality cocoa for dusting the cupcakes. Chocolate shavings are yummy too – use a find grater to shave dark chocolate over the top.
Substitutions
- Mascarpone cheese: If you can’t find mascarpone cheese, you can substitute cream cheese. It isn’t quite the same, but it’s close.
- Coffee liqueur: Traditional Tiramisu has Marsala, other good options include Amaretto or Frangelico.
How To Make Tiramisu Cupcakes
Here’s a quick overview of how to make tiramisu inspired cupcakes at home. For the full recipe and ingredient list, scroll down to the printable recipe card.
You will need a 12-hole muffin pan, cupcake liners, a couple of large mixing bowls, and a piping bag and piping tip (optional) to get started.
Step 1: Make the cupcakes. Preheat the oven and line the muffin pan with cupcake liners.
In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In another large bowl beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.
Stir in the cooled espresso coffee and mix to combine. Fill cupcake lines 3/4 full and bake for 18-20 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
Step 2: Make the Coffee Syrup. Heat the espresso and sugar in a small saucepan over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the coffee liqueur (if using).
Poke holes in the cupcakes with a skewer or fork (don’t poke all the way to the bottom). Brush the coffee syrup over the cupcakes. Leave to soak while you make the frosting.
Step 3: Make the Mascarpone Frosting. In a medium bowl whip the cream until soft peaks form. Set aside.
In a large bowl add the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat on low for 1 minute then on medium until smooth.
Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture.
Step 4: Assemble The Cupcakes. Pipe or spread the mascarpone frosting on top of the cooled cupcakes.
Dust with cocoa powder (a small strainer works well for this task) and garnish with fine chocolate shavings (optional).
Recipe Variations
Chocolate Tiramisu Cupcakes: Replace 1/4 cup of flour with 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and swap the coffee liqueur for a chocolate or hazelnut liqueur for a decadent chocolate flavor.
Caramel Tiramisu Cupcakes: Drizzle salted caramel over the frosting and sprinkle some crushed toffee bits over the top for a sweet and salty contrast.
Recipe Tips For Success
- Room temperature ingredients: Ensure the eggs, butter and mascarpone cheese are brought to room temperature before using.
- Cool the cupcakes: Don’t frost the cupcakes until they are completely cool, otherwise the frosting may slide right off.
- Cocoa topping: Dust the cocoa on top just before serving cupcakes as the cocoa will soak into the mascarpone cream over time.
- Make Ahead: If cooking these for a special occasion, you can bake the cupcakes the day before and store in an airtight container. Then on the day all you need to do is pipe the mascarpone frosting and serve.
How To Store Tiramisu Cupcakes
Frosted cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The frosting will firm up in the fridge, so bring them to room temperature and sprinkle some extra cocoa on top before serving.
Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight before frosting.
More Italian Desserts You’ll Love
Find more tiramisu variations here or browse all my coffee desserts.
Loved this recipe? Leave a review, and join me on Facebook and Pinterest for more tasty coffee recipe ideas.
Easy Tiramisu Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
CUPCAKES
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup espresso or strong coffee, cooled
COFFEE SYRUP
- ⅓ cup espresso or strong coffee
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon coffee liqueur optional
MASCARPONE FROSTING
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup mascarpone cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder for dusting
- fine chocolate shavings optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
MAKE THE CUPCAKES
- In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well to combine.
- Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk to the wet ingredients, starting and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
- Stir the cooled espresso coffee into the mixture.
- Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
MAKE THE COFFEE SYRUP
- Heat the espresso and sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in coffee liqueur (if using).
- Using a skewer or fork, poke holes in each cupcake and brush the cupcake tops with the coffee syrup to soak in the coffee flavor.
MAKE THE FROSTING
- In a large bowl beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form.
- In a separate bowl whip mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until combined.
ASSEMBLE
- Pipe or spread the mascarpone frosting on top of the cooled, coffee cupcakes. A Wilton 1M tip is good for this.
- Dust with cocoa powder and garnish with chocolate shavings if desired.
- Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- You can use cream cheese in place of mascarpone cheese, if you can’t find it in store.
- If you don’t have an espresso machine, brew an extra strong batch of coffee – it needs to be STRONG to taste coffee when baking.
- The frosting will harden in the fridge, so bring cupcakes to room temperature before serving. They will keep for up to 3 days – but are unlikely to last that long!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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