Tiramisu Cupcakes

Another Alpha Gamma Delta alumni function means a new recipe! I'm the Recording Secretary - so sophisticated - and twice a year we have a board meeting. This time we decided to have a potluck Italian dinner and surprise, surprise I signed up to bring dessert. I found several Tiramisu cupcake recipes when I first started my crazy cupcake adventure. A lot of recipes out there seem challenging, so I creatively pieced together my own recipe. But the blogs that gave me inspiration were Becky Bakes and Brown Eyed Baker. Also, check out this TLC recipe link.

It all started with - a box mix - oh no! (gasp) One of those French Vanilla Duncan Hines deals. Shockingly this flavor is really good. Then I brewed some Batdorf and Bronson Dancing Goats blend. Prepare for big side story - I am now addicted to Batdorf and Bronson's coffee. I mean a girl has to find something to drink with her cupcake, right? Well last month my friend and I went on a tour of the roastery. The company is out of Washington and recently opened up a roastery and coffee shop in Atlanta. Thanks to Scoutmob we got an amazing tour, a tasting, slice of this incredible coffee and chocolate pie, 1/2 pound of coffee, and an adorable Scoutmob and Batdorf and Bronson coffee mug. My eyes were officially opened to the world of coffee. I've been a coffee drinker for some time now but was clueless about what goes into growing, roasting, and brewing it. A few new concepts I learned were that you need to grind your coffee when you are ready to brew and the clever dripper brews the best cup of coffee. So I went out and purchased a grinder and clever dripper ($15). I drink coffee with two sugars and one cream usually but the awesomeness of Batdorf and Bronson does not require additives. So if you want to get your hands on some of this coffee go to Dancing Goats in Decatur or Whole Foods in the Atlanta area.

OK back to baking sorry! Once I brewed the coffee I then mixed 1/3 cup of coffee with 1/4 cup of sugar. Poke holes in the cupcakes with a fork- make a lot of holes so more coffee is absorbed. With a silicone brush gently brush on some of the coffee mixture. You may want to do this several times until you can see that the cupcake is looking saturated with coffee.

Next I whipped up some mind blowing mascropone frosting. I mean mascropone cheese by itself is not appealing but add powdered sugar and Kahlua and it is so GOOD! Spread this yummy stuff onto the cupcake. You may choose to pipe it but I did not so I'm unable to advise on how well the consistency works with piping. Lastly you should choose some type of "decoration". Many bloggers sift cocoa on top and others went with chocolate curls. Well this blogger does not like the taste of plain cocoa and I am inept to produce beautiful chocolate curls. Thus as you can see in the pictures I added chocolate chips. And of course I had to spell out my sorority letters!

Some may think they cannot handle all of these steps but trust me you can. It only took me about two hours. If you decide to take on the challenge, then the end result is worth it. One of my sisters said, "I don't like tiramisu but I love your cupcakes so I'm going to try one." She and all the others loved them of course!

Tiramisu Cupcakes

(Makes 24 cupcakes)
Cupcake
  * 1 (18 1/4 ounce) package white cake mix prepared as directed on box. I chose Duncan Hines extra moist french vanilla cake mix.

Coffee Mixture
1/3     cup strong brewed coffee or espresso
1/4     cup sugar

Frosting
8	ounces mascarpone cheese or cream cheese
1‑1/2	to 1-3/4 cups powdered sugar
2	tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur

Felice Cucina!