This Cannoli Cake boasts all the best flavors of the Italian dessert in a delicious layer cake! Moist layers of ricotta cake studded with chocolate chips are held together by a fluffy and flavorful mascarpone buttercream.
I have had the idea for this cannoli cake recipe bouncing around in my brain for a year. Over a year. Well over a year.
A long time. It took me a long time to make it. But, in reality, it didn’t take a long time to make. Does that make sense? It does to me. By the time I got around to making the cake I realized it took no longer than a regular layer cake. Oh, how the wheels of my mind turn.
What is Cannoli Cake?
I’m so glad you asked! No, it’s not a cake made out of cannoli (though omg, how delish!). It’s a layer cake that has all of the traditional flavors of Italian cannoli:
- Ricotta
- Mascarpone
- Orange
- All Spice
- Mini Chocolate Chips
This is easily one of the best cakes I’ve ever made! From A to Z. Start to finish. Soup to nuts. All the components are delicious on their own and when they combine it’s like the Power Rangers coming together to make Megazord. (Can you tell my poor, socially-distanced brain is writing this post?)
Making the Cannoli Cake
You’ll start with a ricotta cake batter that’s studded with mini chocolate chips. It bakes up dense, but delightful, and incredibly (I hate to say it) moist. The cakes are sandwiching a thick layer of classic cannoli filling that’s got a pinch of allspice in it, because that’s a thing. Finally, the entire layer cake is enrobed in a mascarpone frosting that’s scented with oranges and tastes like an Italian version of cream cheese icing. Adding actual filled cannoli to the top of the cake is just gilding the lily and totally unnecessary, but if you wanted to make a batch of them – I wouldn’t hold it against you.
Cannoli Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. allspice
- 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 15 oz. whole milk ricotta
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
For the Mascarpone Frosting:
- 12 oz. mascarpone cheese softened
- 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 pounds powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 orange zested and juiced
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ batch of cannoli filling recipe follows
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 8-inch round baking pans with parchment paper, spray with baking spray, and set aside.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and allspice. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well until fully incorporated and scraping down the bowl as necessary. Stir in vanilla extract.
- Working in three batches, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, alternating with ½ of the ricotta and ending with dry ingredients. Scrape down the bowl to be sure everything is fully incorporated. Sprinkle chocolate chips with 1 tsp. flour and toss to coat. Gently fold chips into batter, being sure to not overmix.
- Divide batter among prepared pans and bake in preheated oven for 30 – 35 minutes, or until tops are golden brown and sides of cake are just beginning to pull away from pan. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing from pans and allowing to cool completely.
For the frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together the mascarpone and the butter until smooth.
- Add all but 2 cups of the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, orange juice and zest, and salt. Slowly incorporate powdered sugar by pulsing mixer on and off to avoid a powdered sugar explosion.
- When well combined, increase speed to medium and whip frosting until light and fluffy.
To assemble cake:
- Place 1 of the cooled cakes on a cakeboard and level off any uneven tops, if necessary. Pipe a boarder of frosting around the cake and fill with a thick layer of cannoli filling (recipe follows).
- Place second cake on top and press to secure and be sure cakes are level. Cover cake with a thin layer of frosting (this is called the crumb coat) and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Cover cake with remaining frosting, adding a little swirl or flourish if desired. If decorating with cannoli be sure not to fill or place cannoli on cake until just before serving.
- Cake can be stored, covered, in fridge for up to three days. Store any un-filled cannoli shells in freezer until ready to use.
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