"Got myself a gun" tiramisu cupcakes

You woke up this morning. Got yourself a gun.
Mama always said you'd be the Chosen One. 
A3 (Alabama 3)

 

I woke up that morning with plans to make chocolate buttermilk cupcakes with chocolate Swiss meringue butter cream frosting & apple toffee tower cupcakes. 

Started by putting a tray of cupcakes in the oven, I then began whisking egg white in a bowl on the stovetop for the frosting, I also had sugar melting for toffee in another pot and chocolate melting in the microwave. At about the point that I was thinking, "how good am I" it all went wrong. 

The iPod got stuck on repeating the first song on the playlist, the theme song to the Sopranos, A3's 'Woke up this morning'... Got yourself a gun. Distracted I check out the iPod settings rather than whisking the egg white. Scrambled egg white wasn't the aim and I had to start that again, whilst separating more eggs I smell "something"... the toffee was burnt. 

The iPod is still playing Got yourself a gun; do I turn off the iPod? No, I decided to reset the iPod and get more sugar on the stove for toffee. iPod reset, but I now have more scrambled egg white. I start to panic (always helpful) and rush to separate more eggs. The reset ipod is still playing Got yourself a gun. 

Ever pushed the microwave button for a second time and it’s not on the setting you started with? Well, I wouldn’t recommend microwaving chocolate on “high”, an eruption of chocolate coincided with the toffee burning yet again and the egg whites scrambling. 

When I realised I had forgotten about the cupcakes in the oven I decided to sit down in the corner of the kitchen and cry, but it wouldn’t have been complete without Got yourself a gun blaring from the iPod. At that point I actually needed a gun! First to go the iPod!

 Tiramisu from the Italian phrase tira mi sù ‘pick me up'

With only time left in the day for a quick recipe, here is the result “Got yourself a gun” tiramisu cupcakes.

Preheat oven to 180C/350F 

Line two 12 cup trays with paper liners (the small patty/fairy cake size)

Cake batter

125g butter (4.4oz)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup (150g) castor sugar (superfine)
3 eggs
1½ cups (225g) self-raising flour
¼ cup milk (60ml)

Beat butter, extract, sugar, eggs, sifted flour & milk on low speed with an electric mixer until ingredients are just combined. Increase speed to medium & beat for 3 minutes until smooth and pale in colour.

Drop spoonfuls of mixture into the paper liners. Bake about 20 minutes. Allow to cool in tins for 5 minutes removing to a wire rack to cool.

Coffee syrup

1/2 cup of expresso freshly brewed strong coffee
1/4 cup sugar 
1 tablespoon of Tia Maria (you can use Marsala if you prefer)

Stir together until sugar is dissolved. 

Mascarpone topping

1 cup heavy cream
250g mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sifted icing sugar

Mix mascarpone and icing sugar together, in a separate bowl mix cream until soft peaks form. Fold cream into mascarpone mixture.

Pierce holes into the cooled cupcakes with a medium skewer, brush with coffee syrup, top with mascarpone topping and dust with cocoa powder. 

Refrigerate at least two hours before serving.