Einkorn Cannoli Cupcakes

When it comes to what I enjoy about the cannoli, I’m split 50/50: love the creamy filling, hate the crispy shell.

The thick, soft, fluffy, lightly sweet ricotta frosting – the literal internal soul that fills every heartless, hard shell – is where I find true happiness.

I know my cannoli, and I’ve eaten plenty of them, shell and all.

Having lived in Boston for a couple years, the North End’s Little Italy is sprawling with Italian restaurants and bakeries (shout-out to Mike’s Pastry!). Lines of hungry people snake down the tiny, cobblestoned streets, an eager mix of aggravated locals and excited visitors, waiting to get a box of assorted sweets.

As a patron buying a cannoli on a rare day off from grad school and three jobs, I’d happily stand in line to get one with the classic filling: a sweetened vanilla ricotta frosting mixed with chocolate chips or crushed pistachios.

While the cannoli is considered a handheld treat, sometimes I’d go the extra mile of getting a spoon to scoop out the filling, intently avoiding the shell.

Picky? Perhaps.

Disrespectful to the cannoli tradition? Maybe.

Creating one very happy, overworked grad student who deserved limitless sugary pleasure? Yes, yes, yessssss!

My textural aversion for the shell, and irrevocable passion for the inner filling, is what inspired this new idea for cupcakes.

They’re my pretty homage to the Italian bakeries of Boston, and my form of an apology for all the shells I threw away in the trash.

Now that I have these, I promise it won’t happen again, Boston.

My einkorn flour cannoli cupcakes with a lightly spiced vanilla cake and whipped frosting are soft, sweet, and fluffy with every bite. And they have absolutely no crispy shell!

The only crunch you’ll find will be from chocolate chips in the frosting, and a sprinkling of chopped pistachios on top. But these are completely acceptable.

Before you bake, you do need abide by one rule. If ignored, your final dessert may become a liquidy, gloopy disaster.

Here it is:

Buy the right kind of ricotta.

Look for whole milk hand-dipped ricotta or ricotta impastata (an option with even more whey drained from it than hand dipped ricotta) at an Italian grocer or specialty food store. These types of fresh cheese will be thicker than the more watery, grainier generic options at the grocery store.

A high-quality ricotta will yield a thicker frosting that will hold its shape – an important quality when decorating individual cupcakes!

If you absolutely cannot find this type of ricotta, please please please scroll down to Step 6 of the Cooking by the Numbers section – I have an acceptable (but not perfect) substitution for you!

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Cooking by the Numbers…

Step 1 – Prep the Cake Ingredients

Let the butter, eggs, and milk come to room temperature before mixing in order to create the most homogenous batter.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 20 cups of two muffin pans with cupcake liners. Measure out all of the ingredients for the cake base.

Chop the pistachios and set them aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl. Stir together the milk and vanilla extract in a separate bowl.

Separate three egg whites from the egg yolks. Save the yolks for hollandaise or eggnog!

Step 2 – Make the Base Batter

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the room temperature unsalted butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. This will take about 4-6 minutes.

With the mixer running on medium speed, add the 2 whole eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is incorporated completely.

On low speed, alternate adding the dry flour mixture and the liquid milk mixture to the creamed butter-sugar-egg mixture, starting and ending with the dry mixture. Mix until combined after each addition.

Scrape the bowl with a spatula and mix a final time to combine. The batter will be fairly thick, until you add the egg whites in the next step.

Step 3 – Whip the Egg Whites

In a medium bowl, whip three egg whites with a whisk until medium peaks form. I prefer to do this by hand (it only takes a few minutes), but you can choose to use a stand mixer or a hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.

Adding whipped egg whites into the batter helps to create a fluffier, lighter cake. This is a great trick, especially with einkorn flour, which tends to yield heavier baked desserts.

Step 4 – Fold in the Egg Whites

With a spatula, fold the egg whites into the batter, being sure to combine just until there are no white streaks left. The mixture will look lighter in color and smoother in texture.

Overmixing will deflate all of that pretty air you created with the whipped whites, so be gentle!

Step 5 – Bake

Divide the batter into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each 3/4 of the way full. You may not need to use all of the liners. Remove any liners that aren’t used.

Bake the cupcakes for 15-18 minutes, or until they are puffy and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before removing the cupcakes onto a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.

Step 6 – Make the Frosting

Measure all of the ingredients needed for the frosting.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the ricotta, sugar, and vanilla on low speed just until combined.

Add the chocolate chips and mix on low speed just until combined.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the frosting for about an hour to slightly thicken and set.

Uh-oh… what if you can’t find hand-dipped ricotta or ricotta impastata?

Rest assured, you can still make this recipe with an equal amount of generic whole-milk ricotta, though the frosting will have a runnier consistency. More than likely, it won’t be thick enough to pipe it, but you can still spread it on top of your treats with an offset spatula.

To get rid of some of the excess liquid, here are the extra steps you’ll need to take:

Line a strainer with cheesecloth. Place the ricotta in the strainer over a bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a towel. Weigh it down with a heavy can (like a can of beans), and let the ricotta drain in the refrigerator overnight.

Once the ricotta has drained, it is now ready to use in the recipe.

Step 7 – Decorate and Serve

Decorate the cupcakes as you wish! I like to use a star piping tip to mimic the look of all those old-school cannoli. Garnish with the chopped pistachios.

Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to a day before serving.