Sometimes things do work out

Recently, I have had this desire to make complicated, difficult cupcakes. I don’t know why… I really haven’t been the biggest cupcake person in the past (in terms of baking them – I’ll eat them any day of the week!), but I think ever since I started watching Cupcake Wars I realized the endless possibilities of what you can do with a simple cupcake! And to satisfy my craving for a challenge, I decided to make Raspberry Tiramisu Cupcakes.

Yes. Raspberry. Tiramisu. Cupcakes. Sounds pretty good, eh? (As a side note, after posting my epic frosting fail from Canada Day, I thought I would redeem myself with an example of one time where things went my way!)

I've made tiramisu before and I have to tell you, it wasn't easy. I actually worked up a sweat making it! So I thought a tiramisu cupcake would be a good challenge. I found the recipe from another food blog I started following, Chef Chloe. I saw her compete on Cupcake Wars (is it obvious I’m obsessed with that show?), loved her style of baking and the cupcakes she came up with. Here is the recipe I adapted from her: 

Cupcakes
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Soaking Liquid
1 tbsp instant espresso powder in 1/3 cup boiling water

Raspberry Sauce
1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp cinnamon

Frosting
1/2 tbsp instant espresso powder
1 tbsp boiling water
1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/8  cup butter
2 cups confectioners sugar
2 tbsp water

Procedure:
Cupcakes

1. Preheat over to 350. Sift or whisk together flour, sugar, and baking soda into a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the coconut milk, oil, vanilla, and vinegar. Combine the wet and dry mixtures and whisk until thoroughly mixed.
3. Distribute batter into lined cupcake baking pan, and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Soaking Liquid

1. Combine water and espresso powder and set aside.

Raspberry Sauce

1. In small saucepan, cook raspberries and sugar on medium heat on raspberries wilt down. Let simmer on low for 5 minutes until the mixture becomes a pourable consistency.
2. Remove pot from heat and mix in vanilla, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt. Taste and adjust sweetness by adding more sugar if necessary. Let cool in refrigerator.

Frosting

1. Combine espresso powder, water, and vanilla in small bowl and mix or swirl bowl until espresso powder has dissolved (about 1 minute).
2. Beat butter in large bowl with an electric mixer for about 1 minute, then add confectioner's sugar. Add the espresso mixture to the frosting a little at a time as you beat it. If it is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until desired buttercream consistency is achieved.

Assembly

1. Using a spoon, cut out a small hole from the top of each cupcake. In the hole of the cupcake, layer approximately 1/2 teaspoon of soaking liquid, 1/2 tablespoon of raspberry sauce, and piped frosting on top.

I didn't change much in the recipe itself. The only major substitutions I made were I replaced the oil the recipe originally called for with unsweetened applesauce. Replacing oil with applesauce is one of my favourite substitutions. Not only does it cut back on the fat in the recipe, but it also adds a lot of moisture. In fact, when I was baking these, I was worried I had under-baked them because they were so moist! (but the touch and toothpick tests came out clean!)

Another alteration I made was I cut back on the sugar in the cake, since there were a lot of sweet elements going into it. I also only made a half batch of the frosting for the same reason. If you are noticing a trend here, I don't like desserts that are tooth-achingly sweet! That's why I also decided to make these into mini cupcakes. Instead of making the 12 regular sized cupcakes it's supposed to, I was able to get over 24 mini cupcakes.

In the instructions, it says to use 1/2 teaspoon soaking liquid, and I would highly suggest you use all of it - if not more (I definitely had a lot leftover!) If you don’t, the espresso flavour doesn’t soak very far into the cupcake. Don’t get me wrong! The cupcakes still tastes fantastic, but it could be that much better! Also, make sure you dig out a good chunk of the cupcake so you get a nice explosion of raspberry in the middle.

Surprisingly, the recipe was easy to follow and I had no trouble putting the whole thing together. Obviously, it is a little time consuming; there are about a billion different components, so if you want to try the recipe make sure you have a good couple of hours! And as you can see from the pictures, my frosting turned out! I made that frosting myself (I swear I didn’t pick it up from the grocery store – cross my heart!) and it turned out beautifully! I was so proud.

Although these cupcakes were a huge success, I didn’t get the challenge I was looking for. I guess this week I will have to find an even tougher recipe. I’m thinking truffles… and not just any truffles, maybe maple bacon truffles? Should be interesting!