Tiramisu + Cupcakes

Tiramisu is one of those desserts that everyone seems to love. There is something wonderful in the combination of delicate airy ladyfingers soaked in alcohol-spiked espresso, and layered with rich mascarpone custard and thickly dusted with cocoa. When its done right, the creamy, bitter, cake-like layers all blend together in one perfect, seamless whole. The sum is greater than the (albeit great themselves) parts.Now, I have heard so many people say that tiramisu is their favorite dessert. Even the boy, who (tragically) does not like sweets (I know! He even complains about all the butter and sugar I buy!) gets that little gleam in his eye over tiramisu. And yet, it cannot even compare to the popularity of cupcakes. Personally, I had never been a cupcake person. Mentally, I imagine something like wedding cake, in a small, colorfully cutesy form. With a flavorless texture that tasted of cardboard and sawdust, covered up with cloying sweet mounds of stiff buttercream. Instead, I approach the homemade cupcake with the idea that it was merely a miniature cake. Why not make tiramisu a more convenient, hand-holdable dessert as well? That is the idea behind these cupcakes. I turned my normal cupcake base into a lighter and more sponge-like, soaking the very plain vanilla sponge in a strong liquored up espresso, covering it with a light mascarpone-whipped cream topping, and dusting it with some bitter chocolate.

Tiramisu Cupcakes
For 12 3-oz cupcakes:
1 cup AP flour
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp each baking soda
2 extra-large egg whites
1/4 tsp salt
5 generous tbsp butter, cut into 1/2 - 1 inch cubes
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean
Mascarpone frosting
8 oz. mascarpone, at room temperature
5/8 cup whipping/heavy cream (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp)
1/4 cup confectioner's/powdered sugar
Coffee-Liquer Syrup
1/3 cup of strong espresso
2 tbsp granulated or caster sugar
2 tbsp of Kahlua, dark rum, marsala wine...
1/4 cup dutch-processed cocoa or grated bitter/semisweet dark chocolate
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 12 3-oz baking cups on a flat baking sheet.
Sift together AP flour, cornstarch, baking powder,and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside. Place egg whites in a large bowl, and add the 1/4 cup of sugar and salt. Mix for 4-5 minutes, or until stiff peaks form. If you hold the bowl upside down, the peaks should hold.
Pour milk into small saucepan. Scrap the vanilla bean, add scraped seeds and vanilla bean pod to the milk. Heat until milk is warm. Immediately add butter and remaining sugar to the mixture. Mix thoroughly until butter has melted.
Using a rubber spatula, alternately fold the dry ingredients and milk-butter into the egg whites, a third at a time. Be careful not to lose the volume of the egg whites.
Divide batter evenly among prepared cupcakes liners/pan. You can fill 2 1/2 to scant 3 tbsp of batter in each.
Bake for approximately 15-18 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for at least 10 minutes.
In the meantime, make the mascarpone frosting. In a large, cool bowl, combine 1 cup (8 oz) of mascarpone, 5/8 cup cool heavy cream (or double cream), and 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar. Using a whisk (balloon whisk would be best), beat until the mixture is homogeneous, thick, and still smooth. Be careful not to overwhip: the mixture will lose its smoothness and the taste of the overwhipped cream will overwhelm the mascarpone.
Also, make the coffee-liqueur syrup. Brew coffee/espresso. While it is still bot, combine with sugar and liqueur, and stir until sugar has dissolved.
To assemble: Poke 5-6 holes into cupcakes using a small toothpick. Pour at least 1/2 tbsp of coffee-liqueur syrup over each cupcake. If the cupcakes are not absorbing quickly enough, pour about 1 tsp over each, and wait a few minutes for it to absorb, and then add 1/2+ per cupcake. Allow the cupcakes to rest for an additional 5 minutes.
Divide the mascarpone frosting evenly among cupcakes, and frost as desired. Grate bittersweet/semisweet chocolate over the cupcakes OR sift cocoa powder over each (see NOTE).
NOTE: You can also core the syrup-soaked cupcakes and fill with some of the mascarpone frosting, and top with a thinner mascarpone layer for a more layered, tiramisu-like effect. For 'show', the grated chocolate looks nicer, but adding cocoa powder instead tastes more authentic.