Tiramisu — in cupcake form

 I'm not a big fan of most tiramisu. I know this is akin to blasphemy for some people. The problem is I dislike coffee and the flavor of coffee. I don't even drink the iced coffee drinks because that small bit of coffee flavor bothers me (eww!). So, tiramisu's coffee/espresso flavoring pretty much ruins the whole dish for me. I have tried a few versions of tiramisu in which the cream overpowers the coffee/espresso, and I appreciate those. But in general, I don't eat it.

However, I have made tiramisu before. It was back in the days of living at home, but I remember it turned out pretty well. Fast forward to tonight. Cupcake Project (one of the blogs I follow) posted a tiramisu cupcake recipe recently. I saved it and found it while I was looking for something new to make for a co-worker's birthday. So I decided to try it.

It's a little involved. You make homemade lady fingers (and bake them in cupcake wrappers, though I also tried out my newly acquired cookie and pastry press to make a few straight lady fingers on a cookie sheet). Then a coffee/rum mixture that soaks into the cupcake. (I was going to buy a cup of brewed coffee from Starbucks on the way home from work, but my friend in the building offered to brew me a cup that I could use. Yea, I don't really own a coffee pot — or coffee.) Top that with a mascarpone mixture. Then swirl on some homemade whipped cream, and garnish with cocoa powder and chocolate shavings.

I haven't tried the completed cupcake (see reasons above). But the lady fingers were excellent — really light! We'll see what my co-workers think.