TIRAMISU CUPCAKES
Tiramisu is a perfect New Year’s dessert and cupcakes are great for parties, or just making an occasion feel like a party, so why not combine the two? What better way to say goodbye to 2020 and show our hope for 2021!
Tiramisu is also one of my Gran’s favourite desserts and as her birthday is around the New Year, making her favourite dessert seeming only right! The meringue buttercream is light and fluffy, just like the cream in tiramisu and is able to hold its shape on top of the cupcake.
Preparation : 15 minutes
Baking Time : 20 – 25 minutes
Makes : 16 – 18 cupcakes
Ingredients
– For the Cupcakes –
• 330g Dairy-Free Milk (I used Oat)
• 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 275g Caster Sugar
• 55g Coconut Sugar
• 100g Dairy-Free Butter
• 335g Plain Flour
• 1 tsp Bicarbonate Soda
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 40g Cacao Powder
• 2 tbsp Coffee
• Small amount of Rum (Optional)
– For the Meringue Buttercream –
• 220g Dairy-Free Butter
• 280g Icing Sugar
• 70g Aquafaba
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
– For the Decoration –
• Cacao Powder
• Chocolate (Grated and Whole)
Method
– For the Cakes –
Preheat the oven to 160C fan and line a cupcake/muffin tray with cases (I prefer my cupcakes to be muffin size so I use muffin cases).
In a bowl or jug, whisk together the milk and apple cider vinegar and leave it untouched whilst you make the rest of the cake batter (the aim is for it to curdle, as unpleasant as that sounds!)
Cream the butter and sugars together, then add the flour, bicarbonate soda and vanilla extract and mix.
Slowly add in the milk mixture, making sure to mix it until it’s all combined into the cake batter. Be careful not to over-beat the batter, as too much air in the mix can cause the cakes to sink in the centre when they come out of the oven (something that I’ve done too many times!)
Divide the mixture in half, pouring one half into another bowl and setting it aside.
Add the cacao powder and coffee to one half of the mixture and mix until combined.
Spoon the mixture into the cases, alternating between the vanilla and chocolate/coffee mixture, filling the cases between 1/2 and 3/4 full (I then used a toothpick to create a pattern in the cakes, rather than simple layers) and place in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes.
Once baked, take the cupcakes out of the tray and place them on a wire rack. Whilst warm, drip some rum on the top of the cupcakes if you wish. Then leave them aside to absorb the rum and cool completely, before starting to decorate them.
– For the Meringue Buttercream –
Cream the butter to soften it, then add the icing sugar. Whisk until combined, then continue whisking to achieve a whitened mixture (I use a standing mixer on a high speed with a whisk attachment).
Then add the aquafaba and vanilla extract and whisk on a high speed for around 5 minutes, until it reaches the level of fluffiness that you want.
Choose your preferred piping nozzle and fill the piping bag with the buttercream (there may be air pockets as the buttercream is very light, so try to push it down as much as possible), then pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes.
– For the Decoration –
Sprinkle some cacao powder over the cupcakes and some grated chocolate to make sure it’s chocolatey enough!
As I love my chocolate, I finished them off with a chunk in the top. Enjoy!
• If you make this, please tag me on Instagram @thecharlotteemilyy or use the hashtag #cebakes •
