Cannoli Cupcakes

When I made the Flag Cake for my dad's July 4th birthday, my sister (hey, May!) was so impressed, she requested I make something for her birthday as well.  Now, this may seem like just a regular request, but it's a big deal, considering she always prefers Cannoli for her birthday, or, occasionally as a kid, edible dirt.  I was honored.

So I thought about all the super cool/impressive things I could make... maybe something with fondant, or lots and lots of pink.  Lots of layers!

Then I found this post on Beantown Baker (another local sweet enthusiast) for Cannoli Cupcakes.
PS... check out her blog... she does a TON of cupcakes, and other adorable baked goods.

I immediately knew that these would be what I made.  Combining her favorite dessert, with the cake I wanted to make her.  Perfect!

I followed Jen's (the Beantown Baker) steps and recipes exactly.

She used Martha's Yellow cake recipe.  I had never made a cake or cupcakes from scratch, so I was a little nervous, but I had faith in Martha (and Jen) and they came out light and fluffy. 

I then cut out a cone from the middle (to allow for ample cannoli filling) and dipped the tops of the cupcake in chocolate ganache.   (Please ignore the lack of photo... it was hot and sticky in my kitchen and I was trying to hurry to get them back in the fridge.

I made Cannoli filling using the recipe posted by Beantown Baker, and it was delish.  I did use about half as much orange zest as it called for, since I wanted a real light flavor.  My sister would (and did, with leftovers) eat this with a spoon.

I piped on the cannoli filling like frosting, first filling the cone, then the top.  Topped with mini chocolate chips....adorable!

Just a little tid-bit I looked up:
More than one cannoli is not "cannolis.  "Cannoli" is the proper plural, and "cannolo" the singular.
Fun Fact!


Since I didn't know if there would be people who didn't like cannoli (gasp), I also made a chocolate buttercream, and used that on half. 

Since it was SO humid out, I used half butter, half shortening to help it keep its shape.  I piped cute roses on top. 


Both went over really well, and I was so pleased with them.  My sister took a bite, found the extra filling in the middle, shrieked a bit, then was speechless, which is saying something if you know Mary.  That's about the highest honor I could have expected... and was quickly told it would never happen again :-p

Happy Birthday, Mary... love you!

I don't know why I thought to take it sideways....