You'll need some time to prep, but it's definitely worth it.
Remember, powdered sugar is sugar that is ground to a powder, then it has "CORNSTARCH" added to it! Look it up.My husband the cannoli lover did not like this recipe. He said it was grainy/gritty and the flavor wasn't very good but mostly didn't like the texture.I couldn't find the candied orange peel or flower water so used 1 teaspoon of orange extract I did not make the shells.Regarding whether pastry cream is authentic; it is in a very similar dessert: Cannoncini.
If I were to make any change in the future, I might reduce the fat and/or increase the water/egg in the dough to make the shells that little bit little firmer.Two tips I can pass on which I haven't seen posted is to make sure your dough doesn't go anywhere near the end of the tubes when you wrap them. If it does, as the dough expands when it fries, you'll have to break the shell to get it off.