Tiramisu Cupcakes

Well, Santa did bring me The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook. What an amazing cookery book! I love the all the inspiring mouthwatering pictures of cupcakes, cakes, whoppie pies and cookies. And finally I have had a chance to make something out of it. I didn't get to get any further then the first recipe in the book before I realised that I really wanted to make the Tiramisu Cupcakes.

Tiramisu is originally an Italian dessert made with ladyfingers dipped coffee, which are layered between a marscarpone and egg mixture. The Hummingbird bakery have transformed it into a cupcakes. How these cupcakes work is the base is a plain vanilla cupcake. Then the centre of the cupcake is cut out and a coffee syrup is poured in. Next the hole is filled with coffee marscarpone icing and the top covered in this too. Finally the cupcake is dusted with cocoa powder. Yum Yum!

The thing that intrigued me the most about this recipe is the order in which the ingredients are added to make the cupcakes. Firstly the butter, sugar and dry ingredients are creamed together then the wet ingredients poured in. This is like the way you would make a muffin with the separation of dry and wet ingredients but the butter is creamed into the dry ingredient at the beginning. Whatever the science behind this recipe, it works and produces beautifully light and fluffy cupcakes.

Tiramisu Cupcakes

Makes 6 large cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the sponge:
40g unsalted butter

140g Castor sugar

120g plain flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

120ml whole milk

For the soaking syrup:

125ml strong coffee

2 tablespoons coffee essence (I used the Camp chicory and coffee essence)

3 tablespoon Castor sugar

For the filling and frosting:
200g marscarpone cheese
2 tablespoon coffee essence
150ml double cream
15g icing sugar
Cocoa powder for dusting

Method:

1. Preheat oven to C190 and line a muffin tin with cupcake cases.
2. Place the butter, sugar, flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment and beat at a low speed until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
3. Pour the milk into a jug and add the egg. Whisk together with a fork. Slowly pour 2/3 of the wet mixture into the dry mixture whilst beating at a low speed. Then stop the whisk and scrap down the sides to check all the ingredients are incorporated before adding the final amount of wet ingredients. Beat until just combined being careful not to over beat.
4. Divide the mixture evenly between the 6 cupcakes cases and bake in the preheated oven for 18 - 20 minutes. Leave to cool completely before icing.
5. Meanwhile to make the soaking syrup add all the ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil. Keep the mixture boiling slowly until it has reduced by half. Take off the heat and leave to cool. It should turn into a thick slightly runny mixture, once cooled.
6. To make the icing place the marscapone and coffee essence in the bowl of an electric whisk and beat together. Then add the icing sugar and double cream. Beat until the mixture forms soft peaks.
7. To construct the cupcakes use a small sharp knife to cut out a small hole from the centre of the cupcakes; about 2 cm in diameter and 1 -2 cm deep depending on the depth of the cupcakes. Make sure the hole is only as deep as 2/3 of the cupcakes.
8. Pour about one teaspoon of the sugar syrup into the centre of the cupcakes.
9. Next fill the centre of the cupcakes with the icing mixture before icing the top of the cupcakes with it.
10. To finish dust with cocoa powder.