Incredible vegan tiramisu cupcakes with an easy vanilla cupcake, coffee soak, espresso fudge filling and coffee frosting. These have everything you love about tiramisu but in an easy cupcake recipe!
This post is sponsored by Nature's Charm. As always, all opinions are my own!
What to expect from these cupcakes
These vegan coffee cupcakes are seriously next level. They have ALL the textures of classic tiramisu from that coffee-spiked sponge to a dreamy cream layer.
There are 4 different components to these cupcakes which might sound overwhelming but they're extremely easy to prepare (e.g. mix water with instant espresso).
Ingredients you'll need
You'll need less than 10 ingredients including:
- Pantry staples: flour, sugar, plant-based milk, baking powder, instant espresso, vanilla, ACV and salt.
- Next level ingredients: Nature's Charm Chocolate Fudge Sauce, Nature's Charm Whipped Coconut Cream.
How to make these cupcakes
First, we need to make the most simple vegan vanilla cupcake. Mix your dry ingredients, add your wet ingredients, divide and bake!
Use a knife or apple corer to remove the center of the cupcakes. Then 'dab' or 'drizzle' your coffee onto the cupcakes.
Fill each cupcake with the fudge filling. Then pipe coconut cream on top!
The fudge filling is optional but it adds a cool surprise to the cupcakes!
The coffee soak and whipped cream aren't optional as they transform the plain vegan vanilla cupcakes into an exciting tiramisu dessert!
Customising the cupcakes
If you're making these cupcakes for adults, feel free to add Frangelico, Tia Maria, vegan Baileys your liqueur of choice to the coffee soak. As of mid-2021, those liqueurs are vegan (according to those linked websites) but feel free to double-check before you make buy them.
If you're making vegan gluten-free tiramisu cupcakes, refer to the gluten-free notes in the recipe card below!
Prefer healthy vegan cupcakes (or healthier)? These cupcakes can be made refined sugar-free if you use coconut sugar instead of cane/regular sugar. However, if you do this, your cupcakes will be brown instead of white/yellow.
If you don't want a whipped coconut cream frosting, I'd recommend my cream cheese frosting from my carrot cake cupcake recipe.
Making a cake for a larger celebration? This cake can be multiplied and made into a larger vegan tiramisu cake! Simply bake it in 1 x 8 inch (20 cm) cake tin or 2 x 6 inch (15 cm) cake tins. The baking time will depend on your oven but will be from 30-50 minutes (use a skewer to test for doneness).
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Vegan Tiramisu Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcake dry ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (310g) all-purpose plain flour, (note 1 for gluten-free)
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of any good quality salt
Cupcake wet ingredients
- 1 cup (250mL) dairy-free milk
- ⅓ cup (80mL) neutral flavored oil
- 1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
Coffee soak
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1-2 teaspoons instant coffee granules, to taste
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, or coconut sugar
Fudge filling (optional)
- 200g Nature's Charm Chocolate Fudge Sauce
- 1-2 teaspoons instant coffee granules, to taste
Coffee frosting (note 2)
- 1 can (400g) Nature's Charm Coconut Whipping Cream, chilled
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a cupcake tray with liners.
To make the cupcakes:
- Add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix until combined oruntil there are no lumps. Add all the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Divide the batter between your cupcake liners so they are about ¾ full.
- Bake the cupcakes in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer can be inserted into a cupcake and it comes out clean. The baking time will depend on your oven and the size of your individual cupcakes.
- Cool the cupcakes in the tray for 5 minutes then cool them on a wire rack.
To make the coffee soak:
- Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the ingredients to dissolve.
To make the fudge filling:
- Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes toallow the ingredients to dissolve.
To make the frosting:
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl or stand mixer. Whisk until the coconut cream has soft peaks and the instant coffee has dissolved.
To assemble:
- When the cupcakes have cooled, use an apple corer or knife to remove the middle of each cupcake. Dip each cupcake in the coffee mixture or use a pastry brush or spoon to sprinkle the coffee soak on each cupcake.
- Spoon the fudge filling into each cupcake.
- Use a piping bag with a star or round nozzle to pipe the whipped coconut cream onto the cooled cupcakes. Alternatively, use a knife to spread the frosting on the cupcakes.
- Serve immediately. Alternatively, store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. Allow them to come to room temperaturefor 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- To make the cupcakes gluten-free, substitute the flour with 1 ¼ cup (200g) gluten-free flour blend and 1 cup (100g) almond flour/meal. Make sure you use a gluten-free flour blend with xantham gum.
- If you prefer a vegan cream cheese frosting, use the frosting from my carrot cake cupcake recipe and omit the walnuts.
Nutrition
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hi! I'm baking this right now(they're in the oven). Was wondering if the cake batter was supposed to be runny or not. It was more like a muffin kind of thicker batter. It it supposed to be runny?
Hey Becky! The cupcake batter is meant to be a little runny. The recipe is very similar to my red velvet cupcake recipe where you can see a photo of the batter. However, the cupcakes will still work with a thicker batter - we're soaking them in coffee so they shouldn't be dry :).
Thank you for your kind reply! ❤️ It turned out pretty well! I used soy milk and with vinegar it became a little too thick and looked like the batter needed more liquid. What kind of plant milk do you use and do I need to quickly combine the batter with a spatula to not over mix or is it okay to use a whisk?
Sorry, I just saw your comment! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the cupcakes :). I normally use soy milk or almond milk in my cakes but it's just personal preference. Using a whisk is absolutely fine, as long as you don't mix the batter tooo much. The batter should be just combined. Some lumps are fine, as long as they aren't lumps of dry flour. I hope that helps!
this lookss amazinggggg
UPDATED: For the gluten-free peeps, I have had great success with the following substitute mix: 50% almond flour, 35% amaranth flour and 15% coconut flour. Also, added 2 flax eggs - 2tbsp flax meal and 6tbsp warm water. You will need a ta more liquid overall.
Just make sure to let it fully cool down in the tray. Otherwise, they might fall apart - be warned. Although still delicious!
Now that's a cool flour combo! I've never used amaranth flour so am very intrigued. Thanks so much for your gluten free tips Vai! xx
YUM! Made these with spelt flour (used slightly less than the recipe calls for), and cut sugar by a third. I had a choc twist on these as I had neither the sauce nor the frosting ingredients at hand.
Right before everything is mixed in, split the batter in half. Then, add some cacao - to your liking, and mix it in. Then assemble the muffins by mixing the batter the way you like it. I did half/half.
Definitely recommend using the coffee soak. If you are in Aus, try adding some Mr Black cold brew coffee liqueur. I'll be trying this as a cake for sure!
I love the sound of your substitutions especially the half chocolate/vanilla combination. I'm seriously drooling thinking about it. That's something I'll try next time (and it reminds me of Cadbury's top deck chocolate)!
Also, thanks so much for the coffee liqueur recommendation - that'll surely take these to the next level. Thanks so much Vai and I hope you're having a lovely week x
Where do you buy Natures Charm Chocolate Fudge Sauce and Natures Charm Coconut Whipping Cream? The recipe looks delicious!!
Thank you! In Australia, I usually find their products in health food shops or online at 'Vegan Perfection' or 'Vegan Grocery Store' 🙂