The Cupcakes You Need in Your Life

These berry tiramisu cupcakes are a tasty twist to the classic tiramisu cake that is traditionally made with coffee.  These are a great alternative if you don’t drink coffee or want to try something new.

I love baking when there’s a special occasion, otherwise, I’ll be stuck with more dessert than my sweet tooth can handle.  I made these for a co-worker’s birthday but they will work for any special occasion, like Valentine’s Day which is coming up soon!

Ingredients

1 box white cake mix

3 eggs

1 1/4 c. water

1/3 c. oil

2 cups frozen mixed berries

1/8 c. sugar

¼ cup water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 pint whipping cream

¾ c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

8 oz. mascarpone cheese or cream cheese (room temperature)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Separate the egg whites from the yolks and whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  This will make the cake more fluffy and moist.

In a separate bowl, add the egg yolks, water, oil and cake mix and stir until combined.  Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the cake mixture.

You will end up with a smooth batter like this:

Use a large ice cream scoop to divide the batter evenly into 24 cupcake liners.

Bake as directed on the back of the cake mix box and you will get pillowy golden cakes.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the berry sauce to infuse the cakes.

Berry Sauce

In a saucepan, combine frozen berries, water and sugar.  Bring to a boil on high and reduce to medium heat.  Allow the sauce to simmer for about 10 mins.  Remove from the stove and stir in lemon juice.  Pour into a blender or use a handheld blender to create a smooth consistency.  Then strain through a mesh sieve to remove the seeds.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, poke the cupcakes with a fork to prepare them for a berry sauce soak.

Use an apple corer to remove the middle part of the cupcake.  This step is optional but, I want to make sure we get a good helping of the berry whipped filling that is to come later.

Take ¼ cup of the berry sauce and add a few tablespoons of water to thin it out.  Spoon the sauce over the top of the cupcakes.  While the cakes are soaking up the sauce, make the mascarpone whipped cream.

Mascarpone Whipped Cream

Add whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract together and whip until stiff peaks form.  In a separate bowl, whip the mascarpone cheese or cream cheese until softened.  Add the whipped mascarpone cheese into the whipped cream and mix until smooth.

In a separate bowl, add 1/3 of the mascarpone whipped cream and ¼ cup of the berry sauce together.  Fold until combined.

Pipe the berry whipped filling into the center of each cupcake.  Take the remaining mascarpone whipped cream and frost the tops of the cupcakes.  Place the remaining berry sauce into a piping bag or corner of a plastic bag and drizzle the sauce over the cupcakes.  You should end up with an ethereal berry dessert like this:

Add a sweet strawberry accessory to the top and pack them up to share with your friends and family.

I would love to hear from you if you give these a try!