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Cannoli cupcakes are made with light cinnamon cake and a creamy mascarpone frosting to create a treat that you won’t be able to resist!
It is always an exciting day when a good friend releases a new cookbook! Lindsay from Life Love and Sugar recently released her first cookbook, Simply Beautiful Homemade Cakes. Lindsay’s cookbook is everything I expected and more. Not only does the book include beautiful cakes and cupcakes, but it also includes step by step tutorials, tips and techniques for making bakery quality cakes at home. With everything from Red Wine Chocolate Cake to these Cannoli Cupcakes, you will want to make a new cake or cupcake every week!
While all of the recipes in the book are made to impress, I decided to make these Cannoli Cupcakes to share with you. I love a homemade cannoli but I think that they are even better in cupcake form. You can’t beat the creamy mascarpone frosting piped on top of flavorful cinnamon cake.
The cupcakes come together relatively easily. After the cinnamon cake layer is baked in the oven, a few ingredients combines to create the creamy frosting. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and extra confectioners’ sugar to create the cannoli flavor. Made with the freshest ingredients, homemade cannoli cupcakes taste better than anything you can buy at the store. Serve these cupcakes for birthdays, holidays, and dinner parties. Or just make a batch to enjoy for dessert. 
Don’t wait, purchase Simply Beautiful Homemade Cakes and impress your friends and family with these beautiful cakes. Best of all, the book also includes fifty pages of tips and tutorials for creating smooth icing, piping cupcake frosting and more!
I use an extra large closed star tip for piping the frosting.
Cannoli Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed
- 6 tablespoons sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 large egg whites, at room temperature, divided
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons water, at room temperature
For the cannoli frosting:
- 2 cups mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting cupcakes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a standard cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter sugar and light brown sugar until light in color and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Add 1 of the egg whites and mix until well combined. Add the remaining 2 egg whites and mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl, then combine the milk and water in a small measuring cup. Add half of the flour mixture to the batter and mix until well combined. Add the milk mixture and mix until well combined. Add the remaining half of the flour mixture and mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Fill the cupcake liners about halfway with batter. Bake the cupcakes for 15 to 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool for 2 to 3 minutes in the pan, then transfer them to a cooking rack to finish cooling.
To make the frosting:
- Beat the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract together on medium-low speed until smooth. Do not overbeat or mix on high, or the frosting can get thin and watery (Mascarpone separates when overmixed.) Mix until just combined.
- Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes and top with mini chocolate chips. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Serve at room temperature. These cupcakes are best eaten within 2 to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Excerpted from Simply Beautiful Homemade Cakes: Extraordinary Recipes and Easy Decorating Techniques by Lindsay Conchar. Copyright © 2016. Reprinted with permission from Page Street Publishing Co. All rights reserved. This post contains affiliate links.
Can this be made into a cake? I need a 3 layer 6″ cake.
I haven’t tried using this recipe for a cake. But it should work, especially on a smaller cake. I would make sure to chill the cake before serving so the frosting holds up. For a 6″ cake, I would bake in two or three 6″ cake pans at 350 degrees for 35 to 39 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If you try it, let me know how it turns out. Enjoy!
I’m so excited to try this recipe! What kind of milk works best??
Thank you ?
Hi, Rachel! I generally use whatever I have available but Whole or 2% milk works yields the best texture and flavor. Enjoy!
If I want to 1 1/2 the recipe would I just add half of all the amounts to what the recipe says or should I do something else for certain ingredients?
Hi, Julie! I haven’t tried cutting down this recipe, but you can definitely try it. I would halve everything but the baking powder (use 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder). Let us know if you try it!
In the middle of making these cupcakes. Just took them out of the oven, the smell is heavenly. Took a piece for a taste and the cake is delicious. I accidentally added the entire stick of butter, I was worried they would be too greasy. I got away with it, they have a nice texture. Thank you for a delicious recipe.
Hi, Beth! I am so glad to hear these turned out well for you. Thanks so much for sharing your feedback!
Could these be made as mini cupcakes? If so, how long do I bake?
Thank you!
Hi Jennifer! I haven’t tried these as mini cupcakes but I think they would work well. I would reduce the baking time a few minutes, maybe start checking after 10 minutes. They are done when a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!
Did you use a standing electric mixer to make this? Just want to make sure I don’t overmix when I test this recipe!’
Hi, Hannah! I’ve used both a stand mixer and a hand mixer for this recipe.
These sound divine! I have all the ingredients except the unsalted butter. Can I use salted butter and omit the salt?
Hi, Mags! Yes, you can use salted butter and omit the salt. Enjoy!
Hi! These cupcakes are simply devine! I made them this past weekend and they passed the toddler taste test, so u know they are good!
One question, the cupcakes came out very heavy/dense, is this normal? The taste was spot on, but I am wondering if I over mixed the batter, or if they are supposed to be heavier than regular cupakes. Thanks!
Hi, Vicky! I wouldn’t say the cupcakes are dense. It’s possible you overmixed the batter but it’s hard to say. I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I made these for a friend’s birthday today. They’re good but there was a little too much cinnamon for my taste. Still very good though and that frosting is incredible. I want to use it on all my cupcakes now lol
Hi, Brandi! I’m so glad you liked them. The frosting is too good to resist! You can definitely cut back on the cinnamon next time too.
My cannoli frosting did not have the volume the photos do. Did I keep the mascarpone cheese out too long? Did I not whip long enough? Should it have been refrigerated before piping onto cooled cupcakes?
**A side note: the cupcakes came out AH-maze-ing! I’m going to use the recipe as my go-to cake recipe 🙂
Hi, Rachelle! Sorry for the delay. I just noticed your comment. It’s hard to say why the frosting didn’t have the same volume. You can definitely try to let it chill briefly before frosting. It’s also possible the type of tip you used made a difference. I use a extra large star tip to pipe the frosting. You could also try adding a little more confectioners’ sugar which should boost the volume too. I’m so glad to hear the cupcakes came out perfect!