Cannoli Cupcakes

At the end of last month, we celebrated Lane’s son O’s birthday with a Perry the Platypus cake.  This time around, it’s Lane’s daughter M’s birthday.  M lists cannoli among her favorite foods, so my original plan was to make some cannoli and celebrate.  Then I couldn’t find my cannoli forms.  Remember the paring down I did a while back?  I think my cannoli forms may have fallen victim to my cleaning streak . . .

The show must go on, however, so I decided to make some cannoli cupcakes instead.  M likes cannoli filling more than the shell anyhow, so we just played it off like that was the reason.  Someday, kid, you’ll get a homemade cannoli.  As soon as the people at Amazon ship me new cannoli forms, I promise.  The cupcakes were much easier than making cannoli, so that was a nice time saver for me.  They’re baked, then filled with cannoli filling and then frosted with whipped cream.  Since M doesn’t like chocolate, I made half of the filling with chocolate chips and half of the filling without.  I’ve included directions below to just make all of them with chocolate chips, but you can feel free to omit the chocolate completely or do as I did and compromise.

M was pretty pleased with these, which worked out, because the recipe left me with enough filling to fill another twenty-four cupcakes. I’ve included directions below to halve the original amount.  If you have extra, I suggest dipping graham crackers in it.  Not that I tried it or anything . . .

Cannoli Cupcakes

Ingredients:

for the cupcakes:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 8 ounces (2 sticks) butter
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk

for the cannoli filling:

• 2 cups whole milk ricotta, drained
• 3/4  cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 C. milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. orange extract (optional)
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

for the whipped cream frosting:

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup mini semisweet morsels, for garnishing

Directions:

For the cupcakes, heat oven to 350 degrees.

Line 24 regular-size cupcake pans with liners.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 8 minutes.

Slowly add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl as needed.

Add the vanilla.

On low speed, gradually alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and mix until smooth.

When the mixture is smooth, divide the batter evenly into the prepared cupcake liners.

Bake until lightly browned and fully cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.

Cool completely.

To make the filling, put the ricotta, cream cheese, vanilla, orange extract and confectioner’s sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Beat at medium-high speed for about 5 minutes until thoroughly combined and smooth.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

To assemble the cupcakes, cut a cone out of each cupcake by cutting on an angle into the cupcake staying within the perimeter of the top of the cupcake, in a circle.

Fill each cupcake with cannoli filling, and then place the cake that was cut out back onto the cupcake, pressing it back in gently.

To make the frosting, put the cream and the sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beating on high speed until the cream is whipped.

Pipe or spread the whipped cream frosting onto the top of each cupcake.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Source: adapted from Sugar Bakery and Michele Kenno