[pinit] These gluten free tiramisu cupcakes (what are tiramisu cupcakes? my children wanted to know, as they ate them all) are so fancy! But still so super easy to prepare. Tiramisu cupcakes for the win! All the flavors of tiramisu, but without the raw eggs (and without the alcohol), so they're totally kid-safe. I think they'd be lovely for Easter, but they're also lovely for a Thursday. Or a Tuesday. You get the idea.
The cupcakes are just a super simple sponge cake, baked into cupcake form. The lady fingers which form the base of “real” tiramisu are really just little finger-shaped sponge cakes, after all. There's a recipe for classic ladyfingers in my first cookbook, and a recipe for chocolate gluten free ladyfingers here on the blog. And we've made classic gluten free tiramisu here on the blog before. But to be honest? I like these sweet little cupcakes better!
I totally just left out any hint of alcohol in the coffee syrup that soaks into the cupcakes. I wanted to give these to my children, and perhaps even to other people's children, and no thank you for giving them alcohol. You could absolutely add a tablespoon of dark rum to the syrup, though, for an even more authentic taste.
The frosting is really just this gluten free cooked flour frosting, with much of the butter replaced with mascarpone cheese. And mascarpone cheese is proof positive that there is a heaven above.
All you really need to do with the frosting is to dollop it on top. I used a pastry bag fitted with about a 1/2-inch wide plain piping tip, but that's only because I take pictures of my food. As long as you're a normal person who doesn't take pictures of her food? Just dollop and get on with the eating!
Gluten Free Tiramisu Cupcakes
Ingredients
FOR THE CUPCAKES
1 recipe Gluten Free Sponge Cake batter
FOR THE FROSTING
1 1/2 tablespoons (12 g) cornstarch
2 tablespoons (18 g) basic xanthan gum-free gluten-free flour blend (12 g superfine white rice flour + 4 g potato starch + 2 g tapioca flour/starch)
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
dash (1/8 teaspoon) kosher salt
3/4 cup (6 fl. oz.) milk (any kind – just not nonfat)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature (it must be at room temperature)
4 ounces (112 g) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
FOR THE SYRUP
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (5 fluid ounces) strong brewed coffee (or just use water)
1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (10 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-processed, if possible)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
FOR SERVING
Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
Instructions
Make the cupcakes. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line the wells of a standard 12-cup muffin tin, and set it aside. Prepare the sponge cake batter according to the recipe instructions, and divide the batter evenly among the prepared wells of the muffin tin (the wells should be about 3/4 of the way full each). Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cupcake comes out clean (about 2o minutes). Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin before transferring the cupcakes to a wire rack to continue to cool.
Make the base for the frosting. Fill a large bowl about halfway with ice and set it aside. In a small, heavy-bottom saucepan, place the cornstarch, flour blend, sugar and salt, and whisk to combine well. Add the milk, and whisk until smooth. Cook over a medium-high flame, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and the whisk leaves behind a visible trail (see photo), about 4 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and scrape the mixture into a separate medium-sized bowl. Place the medium-sized bowl on top of the bowl of ice to stop the cooking of the flour and sugar mixture. Whisk in the vanilla, and allow the mixture to cool until it reaches room temperature (temperature matters tremendously here).*
ETA: For step by step photos of every stage of the process for cooked flour frosting, see my original recipe for gluten free cooked flour frosting.
Make the syrup. Place all the syrup ingredients in a small, heavy-bottom saucepan, and whisk to combine well. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture just begins to thicken (about 3 minutes). Remove the syrup from the heat and brush generously over the tops of the cooling cupcakes. Allow the syrup to absorb into the cupcakes, and then brush more syrup on top until no more will absorb (it will begin to pool on top of the cupcakes).
Finish the frosting. Place the cooled flour and sugar mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (a handheld mixer will work just fine here), and mix on medium speed until smooth. With the mixer still on medium speed, add the butter and the mascarpone cheese, mixing well after each addition. The mixture will seem almost curdled at first. Turn the mixer to high speed and mix for about 3 minutes or until the frosting turns white and becomes light and fluffy.
Assemble the cupcakes. Place a generous dollop of frosting on top of the syrup on each cupcake, and sprinkle lightly with cocoa powder. The cupcakes can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for at least 24 hours.
*The cooked flour and sugar mixture can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 days before being mixed with the room temperature butter. Simply allow it to come back to room temperature by sitting on the counter before mixing it with the butter and mascarpone cheese.
Adapted heavily from Martha Stewart’s Tiramisu Cupcakes recipe.
Cai says
This will be a dessert game changer! :) I can’t wait to try it!
Nicole Hunn says
Go for it, Cai!!
Mare Masterson says
Happy happy joy joy happy happy joy joy! Zing went the strings of my heart! Over the moon! Much love and hugs to you Nicole!
Tiramisu was another fave until I found out it had alcohol in it. I had no idea that it contained alcohol when I was first introduced to it at a Christmas party at my 100+ attorney firm in NJ, and I was sad when I found that out and had to stop eating it. Then I found some alcohol free and was happy again, until Celiac. So now I have these cupcakes AND I find out there is an actual tiramisu recipe on the blog that I will go searching for as soon as I hit the post button!!! Oh yeah baby!!!
Nicole Hunn says
Sounds like this is right up your alley, Mare!!
Teresa says
I’m liking my fingers, please excuse me…….
Nicole Hunn says
You are excused, Teresa. :)
Anneke says
I love that you take pictures of your food! I will enjoy these vicariously through the blog, as they fall into the category of things I won’t make (you know how much I love that category!). That’s okay, though, as my list of things I will make is long and delicious!
Nicole Hunn says
*snort* I will take that in the spirit in which you offered it, Anneke. ;)
Anneke says
And, just to show that I am a diligent GFOAS baker, I have Potato Bread in the oven, and the room temperature ingredients for Lemon Poppyseed cookies waiting on the counter for later this afternoon. BTW, Linnea made up a double batch of Soft Batch Chocolate Chip cookies the other day, and they turned into the most beautiful cookies I have ever seen. Seriously, I was so impressed. Too bad we ate them before they made it into a photo shoot!
Jennifer S. says
whoa! These look awesome! Glad the kids liked them… they are so lucky to have a mom like you! :)
Nicole Hunn says
Aw, thanks, Jennifer!