When I got this Tiramisu Cupcake recipe from Martha’s daily Cookie of the Day email (sign up here if you’re not already getting them), I knew immediately I was going to have to try it. It called to me so strongly, I even tweeted it immediately! I’m sure that part of the allure was the gorgeous picture, but also anytime I hear “tiramisu” I immediately think of my mother, so this recipe also spoke to me on a nostalgic level. My mother doesn’t cook at all (would you, if your husband were a chef?), I can remember the handful of meals she ever cooked while we were growing up and believe me, they were not pretty.
It seems crazy to me that someone who didn’t cook at all would undertake to make a traditional Tiramisu, but that’s what my mother did, time and again. My Dad doesn’t much enjoy making desserts, so when the occasion called for bringing a dessert to a party, my mother always stepped in. Tiramisu was my mother’s only culinary “masterpiece” and she made it for any big party or get together — it took her at least a day to make and always made a huge mess, but it was always well received and looked very impressive, as one can expect from Tiramisu. So when I saw this mini-version, I couldn’t wait to try it and then call my mother in Brazil and tell her how it turned out!
Unfortunately, I won’t be calling her after all, because these cupcakes just didn’t meet my expectations. Too bad, really, because they still look good enough to eat! My mother has a saying for food that’s not-great, she calls it “not worth the calories,” and that’s exactly how I feel about these cupcakes. Not that I know how many calories there were in the cupcake I ate yesterday . . . and if somehow you know, please don’t tell me!
The first thing that turned me off about this recipe is how complicated it is. I realize that REAL Tiramisu is pretty damn complicated, but derivative little tiramisu cupcakes? Should have been simpler, in my opinion. The recipe calls for several different parts to be prepared separately and then folded into or applied onto each other, which is not only more work but also leaves significantly more dirty dishes! (I hate washing dishes, and no, our Manhattan kitchen does not have a dishwasher) At one point in the recipe, you have to take the mixer bowl and place it over hot water while you hand-whisk to melt the sugar, and by the time I got to that part I was already fed up with the whole thing. I figured I was half-done by that point so I might as well finish, but I have to admit to wondering if all these steps were really necessary. Unfortunately I don’t know enough about cake-making to judge why all these things were done, but the know-it-all part of me believes it could have been simplified without sacrificing much in the end product . . .
It wasn’t all bad though: Brushing the syrup onto the cupcakes was kind of fun, I didn’t mind that part at all! I love using my kitchen gadgets, I wish I needed this silicone pastry brush more often!
I also enjoyed making the mascarpone frosting, it was really easy and came together in no time. I was afraid of over-mixing it so it turned out a bit on the runny side, but it tasted really wonderful . . . Adam and I may have eaten a bunch of it off our fingers. Maybe.
In the end, when Adam and I each bit into our cupcakes, we both gave them a resounding “blah” rating. The biggest problem he had with them is that they didn’t taste enough like Tiramisu, which they certainly didn’t (except for the frosting). My biggest problem was that the cupcake itself was way too eggy, and I couldn’t get past that flavor to enjoy the syrup and frosting.
Although it does look gorgeous with that little sprinkle of cocoa powder on top, doesn’t it . . .
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I made these this weekend after seeing your tweet.
. Well, I sort of made them. I also thought the cake part was way too complicated, so I used a basic 1-2-3-4 cake recipe which is super simple (Paula Deen has one on footnetwork). My only alts were halving the recipe and adding the vanilla bean. SO good. I also thought that they would have been better if I’d poked the tops of the cakes before brushing on the coffee. Hardly any seeped in, and from Martha’s pic, you’d think they’d be soaking. Not so much. The frosting wad SO good. Mine was not as pretty as yours, though. It wasn’t smooth. Gotta work on that.
Try the simpler and easier cake recipe and I think you’ll like them a whole lot better. I thought they were delicious. Sorry for the long winded comment – just wanted to pass along what I learned.
I’m glad you reviewed them because I wanted to bake them but now don’t know if it’s worth the trouble.
They look very good.
Made these cupcakes for a new year’s day open house and they were a hugh success. I watched the video on Martha Stewart’s website and they did poke the cupcakes with a fork before brushing on the coffee, even though not stated in recipe. I used vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean. I thought they could have had a bit stronger coffee taste, but I made them them the day before and just prepared the frosting the day of the coffee would have been a bit stronger.
However, they were a hugh success and would definitely make them again.