Cannoli Cupcakes

All the deliciousness of a cannoli without the frying mess!? Yes indeed. These cupcakes are complete and utter bliss! I have a total weakness for cannolis so I was so excited to see they come in cupcake form. I love all things pastry and all things cupcake and these are the best of both worlds combined into one decadent, out of this world dessert. These are deliciously indulgent and perfectly dainty. They are fancy enough that I felt it was an occasion worth getting out my Grandmother's fine china set, sipping milk out of a tea cup and gently using a fork as if I were a Queen. That is until after one bite, I quickly forgot that fancy mannered moment and rather wanted to drop my fork and shove the entire cupcake in mouth and devour all of it in it's entirety without leaving a smidgen of a crumb behind. And then steal everyone else's. Yes just that good. These are one of the best cupcakes I've ever had and they will definitely be going on my list of favorite cupcakes that I will make time and time again. I think I'm going to want this in layered cake form for my birthday garnished with a few of the real thing.

If you haven't tried Mascarpone cheese (which makes up half the cannoli filling for the cupcake) then you must! It is the most heavenly cheese made. The texture and taste are somewhat similar to cream cheese yet so much better. It's fluffy and soft, with a light buttery sweetness to it. I could eat it by the spoonful. It's an Italian cheese so you will likely find it in the specialty cheese section of many grocery stores. The cost is about twice that of cream cheese but sometimes a little splurge is definitely worth it. Enjoy!  

Then one up close and personal pic. 

Wanna bite? I know I do.

Cannoli Cupcakes

Yields 1 dozen

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup salted butter, at room temperature

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream

2/3 cup Mascarpone cheese

2/3 cup Ricotta cheese, strained slightly*

5 Tbsp powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 Tbsp mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, for garnish

Directions:

For the cupcake ~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together butter and sugar on medium high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 - 4 minutes, occasionally scrapping down the sides of the bowl. Stir in eggs one at a time mixing until combine after each addition. Mix in sour cream and vanilla. With mixer set at low speed, slowly add dry ingredients and mix just until combine, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl as needed. Divide batter among 12 paper lined muffin cups, filling each cup about 2/3 full (about 1/4 cup batter per each). Bake in preheated oven 21 - 24 minutes until lightly golden and toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool several minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool. Cool cupcakes completely.

For the cannoli filling ~ In a small mixing bowl, using a rubber or silicone spatula, blend together Mascarpone and Ricotta cheese while running and pressing mixture along bottom of bowl to create a smooth texture while removing any lumps. Add in 5 Tbsp powdered sugar and mix until well blended.

For sweetened chocolate whipped cream ~ In a mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer set on low speed, blend together heavy cream, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, cocoa and vanilla until combine. Increase mixer to medium-high speed and whip until stiff peaks form. 

To assemble cupcakes ~ Spread about 1 1/2 Tbsp cannoli filling over the top of each cupcake, then pipe sweetened chocolate whipped cream over cupcakes. Garnish with mini chocolate chips. Serve within the next 3 hours (as the whipped cream will begin to break down after that). Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.

*Measurement taken before straining. To strain, I just placed the ricotta onto a layer of clean paper towels then wrapped it up and squeezed to strain out the liquids, then did this same step once more with a new batch of paper towels. You don't need all of the liquid removed just some of it. I used part skim Ricotta but whole milk Ricotta works too.

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Tide and Thyme who adapted it from Fabulicious! by Teresa Giudice