Valentine's Day - Part 2

I debated for a while about what to make for Valentine's Day dessert. I thought about the obvious choice - red velvet cake/cupcakes, creme brulee, and a fancy cheese platter. I looked through my Cupcakes cookbook and decided on Tiramisu cupcakes. This was not a difficult recipe, but it did take a lot of time because of the many steps. Overall, these were very light and delicious. However, there was a salt aftertaste that I could not pinpoint. It wasn't overwhelming, but I was - and still am - perplexed.

Tiramisu Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c. cake flour, sifted

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1/4 c. milk

1 vanilla bean, cut length-wise, seeds scraped and reserved

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces

3 large whole eggs plus 3 egg yolks, room temperature

1 c. sugar

Coffee-Marsala syrup (recipe follows)

Mascarpone Frosting (recipe follows)

Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Heat milk and vanilla bean pod and seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat just until bubbles appear around the edge. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter until minutes, and let stand about 15 minutes. Strain milk mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, and discard vanilla bean pod.

2. With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk together whole eggs, yolks, and sugar. Set mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, and whisk by hand until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm, about 6 minutes. Remove bowl from heat. With an electric mixer on high speed, whisk until mixture is fluffy, pale, and yellow, and thick enough to hold a ribbon on the surface for several seconds when whisk is lifted.

3. Gently but thoroughly fold flour mixture into the egg mixture in three batches; stir 1/2 c. batter into the strained milk mixture to thicken, then fold milk mixture into the remaining batter until just combined.

4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, about three-quarters full. Bake until centers are completely set and edges are slightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

5. Brush tops of cupcakes evenly with coffee-marsala syrup (recipe below) and allow cupcakes to absorb liquid, about 30 minutes. Dollop frosting (recipe below) onto cupcakes, and generously dust with cocoa powder just before serving.

Coffee-Marsala Syrup

Ingredients:

1/3 c. plus 1 tbsp. freshly brewed very strong coffee (or espresso)

1 oz. marsala

1/4 c. sugar

Stir together coffee, marsala, and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool.

Mascarpone Frosting (this is extremely delicious!)

Ingredients:

1 c. heavy cream

8 oz. mascarpone cheese, room temperature

1/2 c. confectioners' sugar, sifted

With an electric mixer on medium, speed, whisk heavy cream until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, whisk together mascarpone and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Gently fold whipped cream unto mascarpone mixture until completely incorporated. Use immediately.