Cannoli Cakes

Joe and I are from Baltimore and if you've ever been in Baltimore and had a Vaccaro's cannoli, you'd know they're hard to top. I saw this recipe on King Arthur Flour's website and wanted to give it a try. Honestly, it's only eh. The cake was way too dense for my liking and had an egg taste. The cannoli topping seemed like something was missing. I used low fat ricotta cheese, so that might be it, but I haven't made cannoli filling enough to really know what it needs. If you're not from Baltimore and never really tried a cannoli, this could be a good start for you.

I'm also using this photo as an entry for this week's photo challenge on I Heart Faces.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

INGREDIENTS:

Cannoli Cake

• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup or 3 1/2 ounces granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) or 4 ounces butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup or 4 1/4 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup or 2 ounces orange liqueur (such as Triple Sec) for brushing (omitted)

Cannoli Topping

* 1 cup or 8 ounces ricotta cheese
* 1/2 cup or 2 ounces confectioners' sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* pinch of salt
* 1 cup or 8 ounces whipping cream, whipped and chilled
* 1 cup or 6 ounces semisweet mini chocolate chips
* 1/2 cup finely chopped salted pistachios (omitted)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange 12 metal muffin tins on a cookie sheet.

Beat the eggs, sugar and salt on medium high speed for 5 minutes until thick. Gently fold in the melted, cooled butter and flour until no lumps remain. Divide the batter evenly among the pans.

Bake for 15-18 minutes until lightly golden brown on the edges and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, cool completely. If using a muffin tin, remove the cakes to a wire rack to cool, don't leave them in the pan as they will steam and get soggy.

Gently brush each cake with some of the orange liqueur and repeat until all liqueur is used up. Set the cakes aside while you prepare the filling. (omitted)

Combine the ricotta, sugar, vanilla and salt in a medium mixing bowl until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream, mini chocolate chips and chopped pistachios until evenly incorporated.

Store cannoli topping in the fridge for at least 20-30 minutes. Using a cookie or muffin scoop or large spoon, evenly divide the ricotta filling over the 12 cakes just before serving. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.