Tiramisu Cupcakes

I made these for a friend’s birthday, not knowing if she even liked tiramisu, and they came out pretty well! I'd add a little more flavor next time (see notes). They take a bit of time, having to cut each cupcake in 4 layers and assemble, but the results were beautiful and yummy. Thanks to addy for being my tester (I made her approve of cupcake #1 before I went through the effort of assembling all the rest!)

Tiramisu Cupcakes
Recipe courtesty of "Cupcakes" by Pamela Clark.

Vanilla Buttercake:
6 tablespoons butter, softened
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup self-rising flour
3 tablespoons milk

Mascarpone Cream:
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 ½ tablespoons marsala wine
¼ cup heavy cream, whipped

Coffee Mixture:
1 ½ tablespoons instant coffee mixture
½ cup boiling water
3 tablespoons marsala wine

Decorations:
2 ounces dark chocolate, finely grated

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 6-hole oversize (Texas) or 12-hole standard muffin pan with paper baking cups.
Beat butter, vanilla, sugar, eggs, flour and milk in small bowl on low speed until ingredients are just combined. Increase speed to medium, beat until mixture is changed to a paler color. Divide mixture among baking cups; smooth surface.
Bake large cakes about 25 minutes, small cakes about 20 minutes. Turn cakes onto wire rack to cool.
To make the mascarpone cream: Combine mascarpone, sifted powdered sugar, and marsala in a small bowl. Whip cream and fold into mixture.
To make the coffee mixture: Combine coffee, water and marsala in a small bowl; cool.
Remove baking cups from cupcakes. Cut each cake horizontally into four. Brush both sides of cake slices with coffee mixture. Join cake slices with mascarpone cream.
Spread tops of cakes with mascarpone cream; sprinkle with grated chocolate. Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.

Notes:
These cupcakes come out dense. The reason is to absorb all of the coffee mix and not get too soggy. Give them overnight and they loosen up perfectly.
I substituted ½ cup of premade coffee for the instant coffee mixture and water. I bet it’d be even better with espresso. Next time, I might add some Kahlua or rum too.
The recipe calls for letting the cakes refrigerate for 3 hours, but I’d recommend overnight to let the flavors really blend.