By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 4, 2026
Serves 12
255 cal · 45 min
Tiramisu Cupcakes
Recipe GLPR45a8e77ec72660
Decadent devil's food cupcakes infused with coffee liqueur and topped with creamy mascarpone frosting and whipped topping, finished with a dusting of chocolate. These sophisticated cupcakes capture the essence of tiramisu in individual portable servings. Perfect for coffee lovers and special occasions.
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Ingredients
Devil's food cake mix
½ cup Sour cream
1 Eggs
2 tablespoons Instant coffee granules
3 tablespoons Water
16 ounces Mascarpone cheese, room temperature
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons Powdered sugar
3 teaspoons Vanilla extract
⅓ cup Coffee liqueur
3 cups Frozen whipped topping, thawed
Shaved chocolate or unsweetened cocoa powder
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 12-cup standard muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray or a light brush of oil, making sure all surfaces are evenly covered.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the devil's food cake mix, sour cream, 1 egg, instant coffee granules, and water. Stir until you have a thick batter with no lumps. Do not overmix.
Divide the batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from the oven.
While the cupcakes bake, combine the room-temperature mascarpone cheese, 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Mix until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a round or star tip. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Place the remaining 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar in a small shallow bowl. Have ready a small tart shaper or the back of a spoon that you will use to create a shallow indentation in each cupcake.
Immediately after removing the hot cupcakes from the oven, gently press your tart shaper or spoon into the center top of each cupcake to create a small indentation. Lightly dip the shaper in the powdered sugar before each press to prevent sticking. Work carefully, as the cupcakes will still be quite warm.
Brush the top of each warm cupcake lightly with coffee liqueur. This adds moisture and authentic coffee flavor. Allow the cakes to cool completely on a wire cooling rack, about 20 minutes.
Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, pipe the mascarpone mixture generously into the indentation and over the top of each cupcake. Top each one with a piped dollop of the thawed whipped topping.
Finish by sprinkling shaved chocolate or a light dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder over the top of each cupcake. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.
Comments
This recipe leans on cake mix and shortcuts (whipped topping instead of homemade whipped cream), which keeps costs low and ingredient availability simple across Charlotte chains—everything lands at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, or Walmart without a special stop. The 45-minute stated time is honest for mixing and baking, though you should budget 15 minutes cooling before frosting and assembly, so plan for a full hour. Mascarpone is the wild card: Food Lion and Harris Teeter carry it reliably in the dairy case, but it costs $4–5 per container and only one container is needed here, driving the per-serving cost above the cake-mix baseline. The real strength is household fit—these are low-fuss cupcakes that don't demand constant attention and rewarm or hold at room temperature for a few days, making them smart for weeknight dessert or a make-ahead office treat.
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