Tiramisu Cupcakes

I have mentioned before that I am a bit addicted to cooking shows. Especially reality ones. 

Cupcake Wars is my latest guilty pleasure. It's a bit like letting a bunch of Jerry Springer contestants loose in the kitchen (think lots of shouting, swearing at each other and bad hair accessories) but some of their creations look incredible. 

Teams of two professional cupcake bakers compete for the chance to serve their cupcakes at a big event, like a movie premiere, big fashion show or sports match. The aim is to make it to the third round, where they have to bake and decorate 1000 cupcakes in two hours. Fun!

Feeding my bubba each morning, I'm usually sitting in front of my new fave show (bless you Foxtel) and the result is a bad craving for a fabulous cupcake. One like the multi-faceted cake/filling/frosting combos I had in NYC last year. Wow, I've had a baby since then!

I have a few birthday parties coming up, so what better excuse to try putting my own spin on a cupcake?

If I was facing the judges in Cupcake Wars, I'd say (in my best mid-west twang) something like: "So, here I have for you a coffee butter cake, filled with a chocolate pastry cream, topped with a mascarpone cream frosting, finished with a dusting of cocoa." And this would be one of the shorter descriptions.

If I was just me, telling you about it in me speak, I'd say it was yummo. 

And it comes with the promise of leftover chocolate custard in the fridge...

These little creations were perfect for this month's Sweet Adventure Blog Hop with the theme of Sweet Surprise, hosted by first time guest hostess Love Swah. 



Check out her delicious looking rosewater and pistachio cupcakes and hop over to the other lovely blogs below to see more fab desserts with hidden surprises.

Tiramisu Cupcakes

(Makes 12 cupcakes with extra custard)

Cupcakes:

125g butter, softened

3/4 cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted

1/2 cup strong espresso coffee mixed with 1 teaspoon milk

Preheat oven to 160C and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cupcake cases.

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add in eggs, one at a time and mix until combined.

Stir in flour and coffee with a wooden spoon until just combined.

Using an ice cream scoop or two spoons, fill the cupcake cases with mixture until 3/4 full.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until light golden. Leave cakes to cool for 10 minutes in tin before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Pastry Cream:

6 egg yolks

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/2 cup cornflour

1 1/2 cups pouring cream

1 1/2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup coffee liqueur (I used Tia Maria)

150g dark chocolate

Melt chocolate gently over a saucepan of simmering water.

Heat cream and milk in another heavy-based saucepan until nearly boiling. Do not boil.

While this is heating, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl until thick and pale.

When the cream and milk are ready, pour into the egg yolk mixture, whisking as you go.

Immediately pour the combined mixture back into the same saucepan you used to heat the cream and milk, and place back on a medium heat.

Stir the custard until it thickens (2-3 mins).

Whisk in the vanilla and liqueur, then the chocolate, until you have a silky custard.

Pass the mixture through a sieve to eliminate any lumps, then cover the surface with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to cool completely.

Frosting:

250ml marscapone cheese

150ml pouring cream

1/4 cup icing sugar, sifted

Cocoa, for dusting

Beat the marscapone, cream and icing sugar together in bowl of an electric mixer until thick and soft peaks form.

To assemble cakes, cut a deep circle out of the centre of each cupcake and fill each hole with chocolate pastry cream. 

Spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a fluted nozzle (or one of your choice) and pipe onto the top of each cake, covering up the chocolate cream.

Arrange onto a serving plate and dust with cocoa.

Enjoy being your own cupcake rock star. I did.