These Tiramisu Brownies with Mascarpone Frosting are a little shake up on your regular brownie or tiramisu. It’s like your favorite crossover episode – fudgy, coffee kissed brownies get layered with luscious swirls of a mascarpone/whipped cream frosting. These are so much easier to make than tiramisu with no requirement for you to stand around heating eggs or soaking lady fingers. Finish off your bake by dusting with cocoa powder for the ultimate tiramisu look.
This recipe starts with my classic brownie base, which gets a little twist with the coffee. The frosting is what really brings everything together. As I mention later on, you can sub the mascarpone with cream cheese if that’s preferable or easier for you to source. The combination of the cream and mascarpone, plus a little powdered sugar, results in a frosting that offsets some of the sweetness of the brownie. This is a fabulous bake if you want to make something with chocolate but have slightly less of a sweet tooth.
For these brownies, we rely heavily on the melted butter and light brown sugar to give the fudgy texture and super shiny topping. To make the shiny top on a brownie, there are arguments as to whether it’s the egg, or the molten sugar in the butter, so let’s make sure to do both. This recipe cuts neatly into 9 pieces, but could be sliced smaller. If serving a crowd, I’ll cut each square into 2 triangles, giving 18 pieces. Plus, the recipe is easily doubled. They keep well in the fridge for a few days. That said, they don’t last long if you’ve got lots of happy hungry mouths in the house!
When it comes to making the best brownies, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Quality Ingredients: Always use high-quality ingredients in your brownie recipe. This includes using good quality chocolate, cocoa powder, and fresh eggs. It will make a noticeable difference in the taste and texture of the brownies.
- Don’t Overmix: When combining the ingredients, be gentle and avoid overmixing the batter. Overmixing can lead to a denser and tougher texture. Mix until the ingredients are just combined.
- Proper Pan Size: Use the recommended pan size mentioned in the recipe. Using a smaller or larger pan can affect the baking time and the texture of the brownies. For fudgy and moist brownies, an 8×8-inch square baking pan is usually recommended.
- Do Not Overbake: Keep a close eye on the brownies while they are baking and avoid overbaking them. A slightly underbaked brownie will be fudgy and moist, while an overbaked one can turn out dry. Insert a toothpick into the center – if it comes out with a few moist crumbs, the brownies are done.
- Let Them Cool: Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan before cutting and serving. This helps them to set and ensures that they hold their shape. It also allows the flavors to develop fully.
- Experiment with Additions: Feel free to get creative with your brownie recipe by changing up the chocolate chips/chocolate chunks, or by adding nuts or fruit. Just make sure not to overload the batter, as it may affect the texture.
Remember, practice makes perfect when it comes to baking brownies. Don’t be afraid to make tweaks and adjustments to the recipe to suit your preferences. You can totally shift the frosting quantity for more or less, just do what suits you!
Ingredients Required
There are no specialist ingredients or equipment required for this bake. I can find everything I need at my local supermarket or grocery store. Also, I use a standard 8 inch square tin for almost all of my traybake recipes for ease. If you do want to convert to 9 inch, you’ll need to play with the quantities a little or they will be too thin. To line a square baking tin, cut two pieces of baking paper that are just narrower than the width of the tin (less than 8 inches wide). Then place one on top of the other in opposite directions, so that all four edges of the tin are covered. This will make removing the bake so much easier!
- Dark/Semi-Sweet Chocolate, Melted
- Unsalted Butter
- Light Brown Soft Sugar
- Granulated Sugar
- Brewed Coffee
- Medium Free Range Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Plain (All Purpose) Flour
- Cocoa Powder
- Mascarpone (or cream cheese will work)
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Powdered Sugar
Top Tips for the Best Tiramisu Brownies with Mascarpone Frosting
- Melted Butter: As mentioned above, this contributes to the shiny top!
- Melted Chocolate: Try to use a higher quality dark chocolate where possible, as this really does contribute to that final flavour.
- Light Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar: It is the combination of both sugars that creates the fudgy texture and rich flavour.
- Coffee: Using already brewed coffee is a great way to avoid those flakes of instant that don’t get properly dissolved. You can use whatever coffee you have at home. I’ve made these using just a little instant stirred into boiling water, or I pour a small amount from the filter coffee jug.
- Cocoa Powder: Again, where possible try to use a higher quality make. This contributes so much to the flavour and I find some cheap ones really dull the richness!
- Mascarpone: Mascarpone is a classic ingredient in Tiramisu, so it works really well as part of the frosting. However, if cream cheese is easier for you/more comfortable on the budget, please use that. Just make sure to buy the full fat variety (block, whipped or spreadable are fine – I find the whipped is easiest to work with).
- Whipping Cream: Use heavy cream, or double cream in the UK. You want to whip it to very soft peaks before folding it into the mascarpone/cream cheese. This then gets spread all over the brownies.
Tiramisu Brownies with Mascarpone Frosting
Ingredients
- 100 g Dark or Semi-Sweet Chocolate Melted
- 170 g Unsalted Butter Melted
- 100 g Light Brown Soft Sugar
- 30 ml Brewed Coffee See Notes
- 100 g Granulated Sugar
- 2 Large Free Range Eggs
- 95 g AP/Plain Flour
- 30 g Cocoa Powder
For the Frosting
- 200 g Mascarpone or Full Fat Cream Cheese
- 150 ml Heavy Whipping Cream
- 50 g Powdered Sugar
- 3 tsp Cocoa Powder to decorate
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 180℃ Fan/395℉. Line an 8" Square Pan with greaseproof paper.
- In a small bowl, break up the dark chocolate and melt in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring in between to make sure it doesn't burn. Alternatively, set up a double boiler. Do this by placing a heatproof bowl over a small pot of simmering water. Add the chocolate to the heatproof bowl and stir until melted.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, coffee and both sugars. With an electric/stand mixer, go for a solid 3-5minutes so it is totally combined. Add in the eggs, one at a time and mixing in between.
- Now, add the melted chocolate slowly and combine once again.
- Add the flour and cocoa powder, fold gently into the wet mixture with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. Pour into the lined tin.
- Bake 25-30 minutes until the top is shiny and it's still just a little wobbly in the middle. Let cool.
Make the Frosting
- Whisk the mascarpone or cream cheese with the powdered sugar in a bowl until smooth but thick.
- In another bowl, whisk the cream until soft peaks form. Do this using an electric/stand mixer to save a lot of time and effort. Once soft peaks start to form, add the mascarpone/cream cheese mixture and fold using a spatula or metal spoon.
- Spread this frosting over the brownie. Finally, use a sieve to dust the top of the brownies with cocoa powder.
Notes
- Brewed Coffee: this can either be instant coffee made up with boiling water, or your regular filter/aeropress/machine coffee. If making instant, go for half a teaspoon plus 30ml water. If using anything from a machine, just expect the coffee flavour to be a little more subtle.
For my Tiramisu Brownies with Mascarpone Frosting, I use a basic 8′ square pan (I like this one). I also recommend a good stand mixer or high speed mixer (like this one) to make the brownie mixture. If you want more wild brownie recipe ideas, check out my Pumpkin Spice Latte Brownies. For videos and baking inspiration, head on over to my Instagram. If you make this recipe, don’t forget to drop it a star rating, leave a review or share a photo on your socials!
Storage
Because the frosting is made using mascarpone, you need to store these brownies in the refrigerator. Place in an airtight container before placing in the fridge. It will keep for up to 3 days this way. A cake tin is a great option if you have one. It can sit out while you serve and eat, just keep it in the fridge if it will go a while without being eaten.
Alternatively, you can freeze the brownie itself before it gets frosted. Completely wrap as tight as you can using cling film/Saran wrap. If you have an airtight container too, place it in there before freezing. Let thaw in the fridge before making the frosting and serving!
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