Day 306 – Cannoli Cupcakes

Today is Republic Day in Italy.  Kinda random, I know.  Cause I live in the US.  And I’m not Italian.  At all.  But, it did seem like a good reason to try these Cannoli Cupcakes (recipe below from Suitcases & Sweets). .

    

The cupcakes are chewy and a little oily, but very light and squishy. They have a sweet and (surprisingly) strong orange flavor. Simple and refreshing.

The ganache is smooth and shiny. It thickens nicely. It has a dark chocolate taste.

The frosting is creamy and a little on the thin side. It pipes on and keeps its shape, but it’s a little wobbly. It has a sweet cream cheese flavor, with a note of the ricotta.

Note: The recipe says you should be able to “roll” the frosting in the chocolate chips. I tried this and my frosting all shifted to one side. It was just too thin to stand up on its own. But I sprinkled them on the side and they looked great.

    

The cupcake as a whole is really smooth and creamy. The flavors flow really well together. The chocolate balanced the orange zest really nicely, like a chocolate orange candy. The frosting just adds a smooth, creamy element and the mini chocolate chips give it a nice texture change.

Scoring Sheet:

• Cupcake Taste: 4

• Frosting Taste: 3.5

• Overall Taste: 4

• Appearance: 4.5
• Ease of Making: 3.5
• TOTAL: 19.5

RECIPE

Cannoli Cupcakes (recipe from Suitcases & Sweets)

Cupcakes:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 cups sugar
• 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup milk

Ganache Filling:

• 4 ounces dark chocolate
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature

Ricotta Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 16 ounces (2 bars) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup ricotta cheese, drained overnight
• 2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• mini chocolate chips for garnish

For directions visit Suitcases & Sweets.

*Tomorrow: Cherry Limeade Cupcakes*