Cannoli Cupcakes
Cannoli cupcakes are inspired by the popular Italian dessert. Moist cinnamon cupcakes, topped with fluffy mascarpone buttercream and a sprinkling of chocolate chips and powdered sugar.
This may sound odd, but I have never tasted an authentic Italian cannoli. Perhaps it’s because I live in Wisconsin, where we prefer doughnuts over pastries. Honestly, I’ve never even seen an Italian bakery in Wisconsin.
Not a problem for me, though, because I adore mascarpone cheese, and that is what’s used to create the frosting for these cupcakes. Creamy mascarpone buttercream frosting, swirled over the tops of moist cinnamon cupcakes.
Seriously, when I think of these cannoli cupcakes, heavenly is the first word that pops into my mind.
This cannoli cupcakes recipe is one of the delicious recipes in the cookbook, Simply Beautiful Homemade Cakes, by Lindsay Conchar. The publisher, Page Street Publishing, provided me with a free copy of the book for review purposes. I did not receive any further compensation, and all thoughts and opinions here are my own.
As previously mentioned, credit for this cupcakes recipe goes to Lindsay Conchar. She’s the talent behind Life, Love, and Sugar, and the author of Simply Beautiful Homemade Cakes: Extraordinary Recipes and Easy Decorating Techniques.
The cookbook is filled with 65 cake and cupcake recipes, each one completely drool worthy. Lindsay’s cakes and cupcakes are absolutely stunning, so of course, I had a tough time deciding which recipe to make. The photography in the book is outstanding!
The book includes more than beautiful cake and cupcake recipes, though. It also includes step by step photo tutorials, and very helpful tips and techniques for making desserts that you will be proud of. Lindsay explains how to create perfectly even cake layers, how to apply a crumb coat, how to create and pipe frosting onto cupcakes, and so much more.
With recipes for desserts like Birthday Explosion Ice Cream Cake, Chocolate Mousse Brownie Cake, and these Cannoli Cupcakes, you will be one happy baker with this book in your hands!
Here’s the cannoli cupcakes recipe. Enjoy!
Cannoli Cupcakes
Ingredients
For Cupcakes:
- 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 6 Tablespoons sour cream at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 large egg whites room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups (6.6 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons (3 ounces) milk
- 2 Tablespoons (1 ounce) water
For Frosting:
- 2 cups mascarpone cheese room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a cupcake pan with paper cupcake liners.
- In a large mixer bowl, cream the butter and sugars together until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Add the egg whites, one at a time, and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a small measuring cup, whisk together the milk and water. Alternately add the flour and milk to the batter, mixing well after each addition, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until well incorporated.
- Fill the cupcake liners about half full with batter. Bake the cupcakes for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cupcakes cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- For the Frosting
- Beat the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract together on medium-low speed until smooth. Be careful not to over mix as the mascarpone can get thin and watery.
- Place frosting into a piping bag fitted with Wilton Tip 1M, 2D, or Ateco 844. Frost the tops of the cupcakes, then garnish with mini chocolate chips and a light dusting of powdered sugar.
I love and adore cannolis, and these cupcakes look absolutely perfect! <3!
Cannolis are terrific and I like the idea of a cupcake version.
Did I miss something on the frosting? I mixed gently and it didn’t not get stiff enough to hold it’s shape. I mixed more and it got watery.
Hi Amanda,
I’m so sorry to hear that you had trouble making the mascarpone frosting for the cupcakes. Typically, it requires beating on a low speed, just until the powdered sugar gets mixed in (so it doesn’t fly out of the bowl), but then you need to beat at high speed for about 3 minutes to get the frosting fluffy. The only thing I can think of that would cause your frosting to become watery is if it’s unusually warm in your kitchen, the mascarpone cheese could have melted a little bit. If it happens again, I would suggest adding 1/4 cup more powdered sugar to see if it helps pull everything together. Good luck!
I loved the recipe, but I have a question. When you said egg whites is only egg whites? No yolks on this cupcake recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Mariela! You are correct. There are no egg yolks in this recipe. I hope you enjoy the cannoli cupcakes!
I had the same problem with the watery frosting. The recipe never said to beat it on high. Maybe edit the recipe to include that step?
can you leave the cupcakes out with the mascropone frosting
Sure, you don’t need to frost the cupcakes if you don’t want to. If you’re referring to the mascarpone cheese, you can substitute with softened cream cheese 🙂
Where is the cannoli part of this cupcake?
Hi Evelyn,
There isn’t cannoli in the cupcake recipe, just the flavors of cannoli. 🙂