Cannoli Cupcakes

This recipe was one of the best I have made in a long time! Last night, we celebrated out Crossfit coach’s birthday: Happy Birthday Mikey! So, clearly, my friend LuAnn and I decided to collaborate our baking minds and bake a delicious Cannoli inspired cupcake. The result was mind blowing.
While we doubled the recipe to make 48 cupcakes, I will leave the recipe for 24. (Although you may want to follow in our footsteps and double because they went fast!)
*To Mikey & Dan: Thanks for a great party! Hope you liked the cupcakes!
*We adapted this recipe from http://www.foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:
Vanilla Cupcakes-
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
Chocolate Chip Cannoli Cream-
16 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese (strained in a cheesecloth overnight)
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Fresh Whipped Cream-
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 package white chocolate or dark chocolate pudding mix
Garnishes-
Mini chocolate chips
Cannoli shells, crushed & broken
Dark chocolate chips, melted

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350.
Line regular sized cupcake pans with 24 liners.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the lol and vanilla; mix until incorporated.
Add the sour cream; mix until incorporated.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well blended.

Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter and bake 18 minutes.
Cool completely.

While cupcakes are baking, make cannoli cream: Beat ricotta, confectioners sugar, and vanilla in a bowl on medium speed until fluffy. Stir in the chocolate chips.

For the whipped cream: Beat the cream and pudding mix together until the cream is whipped.
*Thanks for the awesome tip of the pudding mix Lu!

To assemble: Using a small knife (I used a cupcake corer, if you have one,) cut on an angle directly into the top of the cupcake in a circle to remove a small cylinder from the inside of the cupcake.
Using a small spoon or scoop, (I used a small piping bag,) fill the inside with the Chocolate Chip Cannoli Cream.
Pipe the whipped cream on top and garnish with either mini chocolate chips or crushed cannoli shells.
If you want to, break apart pieces of remaining cannoli shells and dip in dark chocolate.
Use those as a decoration!