Ingredients:
Canoli Cream:
32 oz whole milk ricotta
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mini chocolate chips
Directions:
Drain ricotta for at least 24 hours before by putting in a wire strainer over a bowl and sitting in the refrigerator overnight.
Once drained, beat the ricotta, confectioners sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla together with an electric mixer. Then stir in the chocolate chips and refrigerate.
Chocolate Fudge Cake:
Ingredients:
9 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ cups cake flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup strong coffee
½ cup whole or low-fat milk
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line whatever baking pan you are using with parchment paper and grease. This makes one 13 by 9, 24 cupcakes, 2-9 inch rounds, or in my case one sheet cake.
Sift together the cocoa powder, cake flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl.
In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, or by hand, beat together the butter and sugar about 5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated.
Mix together the coffee and milk. Stir half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, the add the coffee and milk. Finally stir in the other half of the dry ingredients.
Bake the cakes for 25 minutes for 9 inch rounds and 24 cupcakes. For the 13 by 9 bake for 30-35 minutes and for the sheet cake 15-20 minutes.
One done baking cool for 1 hour and remove from pan. Then cool completely before frosting.
To make the diploma:
After baking the cake, allow to cool for 15 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan. Place parchment over the top layer of the cake and then a clean dish towel over that. Roll the cake up very tight from the shorter end. Then wrap the entire cake in another dish towel tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour.
After refrigeration, slowly unwrap the cake, removing the parchment paper and the dish towel. Add a layer of the canoli cream to the entire cake and roll it back up, very tightly. Wrap the entire thing back up in the dish towel and refrigerate for 3 hours.
Once it is done refrigerating, frost the cake completely. I used a fabric bow for the diploma ribbon. Enjoy
