Mega Twinkannoli
Prep
30 mins
Cook
30 mins
Servings
2
Difficulty
Hard
This is my absolute favorite dessert to make when I want something impressive but don't have all day in the kitchen. Mega Twinkannoli combines the best of both worlds: fluffy sponge cake meets creamy Italian ricotta filling, all coming together in just an hour from start to finish. The fresh ricotta gives you a boost of protein and calcium while keeping the filling light and delicious, and honestly, the whole thing is surprisingly affordable to throw together with pantry staples. I love how the bright citrus zest plays against the chocolate chips and warm cinnamon, creating layers of flavor that feel fancy but taste like pure comfort.
Ella x
Ingredients
- 18 ounces fresh ricotta(strained overnight)
- 237 mlheavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoonorange zest
- 1 teaspoonlemon zest
- 1 teaspoonvanilla
- 1 teaspooncinnamon
- 237 mlpowdered sugar(sifted)
- 237 mlmini chocolate chip
- 237 mlcake flour
- 237 mlall-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoonbaking powder
- 1 teaspoonsalt
- 1 teaspooncream of tartar
- 12 tablespoonsunbleached granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoonswhole milk
- 4 tablespoonsmelted unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoonvanilla extract
- 5 largeeggs(room temperature)
Detail level
Instructions
- 1
Strain the ricotta over a bowl with a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth. Place in fridge overnight.
- 2
Remove the ricotta from the fridge and & place in a food processor with blade attachment. Pulse in a food processor until the cheese is smooth.
- 3
In a standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whisk ½ cup whipping cream on high until stiff peaks form. Transfer to bowl and set aside.
- 4
Add ricotta to standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment (no need to clean out bowl or whisk for this step) add both zests, vanilla, cinnamon and ½ cup of powdered sugar until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- 5
Gently fold in the cream into the cheese mixture, careful to not collapse the cream. Place in fridge for about 1 hour.
- 6
Refrigerate for 2 hours before filling cakes.
- 7
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Set oven rack to middle position.
- 8
Spray two (9”L 3.5”W 2”D) loaf pans with cooking spray and dust with flour. Set aside.
- 9
In a medium bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, cake flour baking powder, cinnamon, salt, cream of tartar and set aside.
- 10
In a small pan, heat the milk and butter on low until the butter is melted. Remove the pan from the stove and whisk in the vanilla, orange zest and lemon zest.
- 11
Separate the egg whites and yolks.
- 12
In a standing mixer with a fitted whisk, beat the whites on high speed until the mixture becomes foamy.
- 13
Gradually add the cream of tartar, and 6 tablespoons of sugar. Continue to beat until soft peaks form.
- 14
Remove whites from bowl of standing mixer and set aside. In the mixer bowl, combine the egg yolks and 6 tablespoons of sugar. Beat on medium high until mixture is a light yellow color and thick. Combine whites to the yolks but do not mix.
- 15
Sprinkle the dry mixture over the egg whites. Mix on low for about 10 seconds, or until blended. Do not over mix- this will deflate the eggs.
- 16
Create a well in the center of the batter and add the melted butter mixture. With a rubber spatula, fold gently until thoroughly combined.
- 17
Fill the two loaf pans about ¾ of the way high and place the loaves on a sheet pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating halfway, until the tops are golden and after inserting a toothpick comes out clean of crumbs or batter. Let cool completely.
- 18
Once cool, remove the cakes from the pans. With bottom side down, create 4-6 puncture marks on the topside of the cake along the center with a rounded piping tip. Be sure to create space in the cakes for the filling.
- 19
With a pastry bag fitted with a rounded tip, fill the cakes with the ricotta mixture until a bit billows out. After filling the cakes, flip them upside down to resemble authentic twinkies.
- 20
Slice and serve!
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