Cannoli cake combines gentle vanilla cake layers with a ricotta and mascarpone cannoli-filling-inspired frosting. I add mini chocolate chips, however you possibly can after all use your favourite toppings like chopped pistachios or candied fruit. Recipe features a how-to video!
Cannoli Cake: The Better of Two Nice Desserts!
As we speak I’m reworking one in every of my favourite Italian desserts into an exquisite layer cake! This cannoli cake is made with three gentle, tender, and moist vanilla cake layers (I borrowed closely from my chantilly cake to make these) cloaked in a frosting impressed by cannoli filling. These elements works superbly collectively to present the cake a real cannoli really feel.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Severely irresistible frosting that tastes identical to cannoli filling. That is the true star of this recipe! It’s made with out butter, and is completely balanced with the correct sweetness degree. I might eat it by the spoonful 😋
- Makes use of the reverse creaming technique, which creates a young, barely dense crumb AND as a plus, could be very exhausting to over-mix (so it’s nice for newbie bakers!). I first shared this technique years in the past with my caramel cake, and I’ve been a fan ever since!
- Straightforward ornament and meeting. I simply use chocolate chips to embellish my cannoli cake, however you could possibly get fancy with it and add chopped pistachios and even add some mini cannoli on high!
- Excellent for a crowd. As an alternative of filling a bunch of cannoli shells, why not simply serve an equally tasty cannoli cake?
This cannoli cake can be the right finale to an Italian-inspired dinner, like my penne alla vodka or baked ziti!
Elements
We’ll use a number of key components to attain a flavorful, tender cake with a basic cannoli style.
- Ricotta. Identical to when making my lasagna recipe, you need to be certain that to make use of complete milk ricotta right here. We shall be straining this earlier than including it to our frosting; this ensures our frosting can have the correct texture, in any other case it could be too runny.
- Buttermilk. My simple buttermilk substitute will work in a pinch, however actual buttermilk will present the perfect taste and moisture.
- Softened butter. Not like many cake recipes, we won’t be creaming the butter and sugar collectively for this cannoli cake. As an alternative, we shall be beating the butter into the dry components one tablespoon at a time. That is the reverse creaming technique! It’s a bit completely different than the norm, however I really like the outcomes and use it in lots of recipes (like my caramel cake and snickerdoodle cake).
- Mascarpone. A key element you would possibly acknowledge from making tiramisu, mascarpone provides taste to our frosting alongside the ricotta. Be sure to carry yours out of the fridge for simply 15-20 minutes beforehand; if it’s too chilly or heat, it may be a problem to work with.
- Cinnamon. This rounds out the flavour of the frosting and actually provides to that genuine cannoli style!
SAM’S TIP: As at all times, room temperature eggs are finest right here. They are going to break up and mix together with your different components MUCH extra simply in the event that they aren’t straight from the fridge. When you overlook to set your eggs out forward of time, use my trick to rapidly carry eggs to room temperature.
That is simply an summary of the components I used and why. For the total recipe and video, please scroll right down to the underside of the publish!
Find out how to Make Cannoli Cake
Pressure the Ricotta
- Place a strainer over a mixing bowl (don’t let it contact the underside) and add two layers of cheesecloth. Layer the ricotta on high and wrap it within the cheesecloth, then place one thing heavy on high (I take advantage of a giant can of tomatoes). Let this sit within the fridge no less than 4 hours or in a single day.
- As soon as strained, you’ll discover that the ricotta is far drier–that is excellent! Now we will add it to our frosting with out including an excessive amount of moisture. You’ll be able to preserve this within the fridge till you’re nearly able to make the frosting (take it out about 15-20 minutes beforehand).
Put together the Cake Layers
- Whisk collectively the dry components and sugars, then begin including your butter one tablespoon at a time. Combine till every tablespoon is totally included, then add the subsequent. When you’re executed, this combination shall be a dry and sandy-looking.
- Regularly pour in your moist components and stir till the batter is easy and silky.
- Divide your batter between your cake pans and bake till a toothpick inserted within the heart comes out clear or with moist crumbs. In case your oven solely matches two pans on the middle rack, you possibly can depart the third pan in your counter (or simply depart the batter within the bowl, in case you solely have two pans) whereas the opposite two bake.
- Let the desserts cool for 10-Quarter-hour, then invert onto cooling racks to chill fully.
SAM’S TIP: At all times prep your cake pans! Grease, flour, and line them with parchment rounds so there may be NO probability of your cannoli cake layers sticking to the pans.
Make the Frosting
- Stir collectively the strained ricotta and mascarpone till easy. Stick to low velocity and blend till simply mixed; the mascarpone can break if dealt with an excessive amount of.
- Add the sugar steadily, stirring till simply mixed and easy.
- Stir within the cinnamon, vanilla, and salt, you then’re prepared to embellish!
Meeting
- Add a thick layer of frosting over your first cake layer, then high with mini chocolate chips. Repeat together with your subsequent cake layer, then add the ultimate layer.
- Cowl the complete cake with frosting and enhance as you would like. I wish to press mini chocolate chips up the perimeters and across the high of my cannoli cake!
SAM’S TIP: As a result of this frosting is so gentle, I actually advocate doing a crumb coat earlier than including your last layer of frosting. It’ll make adorning the cake a lot simpler! When you haven’t executed one earlier than, I focus on this in my publish on the right way to enhance a cake.
Often Requested Questions
Positively! The ricotta and mascarpone within the frosting completely have to be refrigerated. For the reason that fridge can dry out desserts, be certain that to retailer your cannoli cake in an hermetic container to assist it retain as a lot moisture as potential.
Sure! Your bake time will in all probability be nearer to 17-18 minutes although. Word that this frosting doesn’t pipe very properly since it’s so gentle, so some gentle swirls are about as intricate as you’re going to get right here.
Sure! 9″ pans would work simply high quality for this cannoli cake recipe, or you should use a 9×13″ pan. Simply be aware that your bake time shall be completely different in case you change the pan (9″ pans will bake sooner), so keep near your oven and control your desserts!
I’ve been on a little bit of a cake kick these days–simply wait till you see my subsequent one 🌴
Take pleasure in!
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Cannoli Cake
Servings: 14 servings
Energy: 700kcal
Forestall your display from going darkish
Directions
Pressure the ricotta
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Line a big strainer with two layers of cheesecloth, place the ricotta cheese on high and wrap the cheesecloth across the ricotta. Place one thing heavy over the cheesecloth and press firmly to assist squeeze out the liquid. Place the strainer in a mixing bowl that leaves no less than an inch of area between the underside of the strainer and the underside of the bowl. Place within the fridge and permit the ricotta to pressure no less than 4 hours or in a single day.
16 oz (454 g) complete milk ricotta cheese
Put together the cake layers
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Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and totally grease and flour your cake pans. I like to recommend lining the bottoms of your cake pans with parchment paper rounds. Put aside.
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In a big bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, mix flour, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2 ⅔ cups (333 g) all-purpose flour, 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (100 g) mild brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon desk salt
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With an electrical mixer on low velocity, or your stand mixer, add butter one tablespoon at a time, ready for every tablespoon to be totally included earlier than including the subsequent. As soon as completed the combination ought to have a barely sandy texture.
12 Tablespoons (170 g) unsalted butter
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In a separate bowl whisk collectively buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract till mixed.
1 ½ cups (355 ml) buttermilk, 2 massive eggs, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
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With mixer on low velocity, slowly pour buttermilk combination into batter till mixed and batter is easy and silky. Remember to pause and scrape the perimeters and backside of the bowl as wanted whereas mixing.
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Evenly divide the batter into the ready cake pans and bake in preheated oven for 28-Half-hour.When desserts are completed baking, a toothpick inserted into the middle ought to come out clear or with only some moist crumbs.
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Enable desserts to chill in pan for 10-Quarter-hour in pan earlier than working a knife alongside the sting to loosen them up and inverting onto a cooling rack. Cool fully earlier than frosting.
Frosting
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Take away ricotta and mascarpone from the fridge 15-20 minutes earlier than starting so that they have a while to melt however don’t turn out to be too heat.
16 oz (454 g) mascarpone cheese
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Mix drained ricotta and mascarpone cheese in a big mixing bowl and use an electrical mixer on low velocity to stir till easy.
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Regularly add powdered sugar till mixed and easy.
4 cups (500 g) powdered sugar
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Add vanilla, cinamon, and salt and stir to mix.
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon floor cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon desk salt
Meeting
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If obligatory, degree your cooled desserts. Unfold an excellent, reasonably thick layer of frosting over the primary cake layer. Sprinkle 2-4 Tablespoons of mini chocolate chips evenly over the frosting. Take your subsequent layer of cake and repeat this course of. High with the final layer of cake and canopy the complete high and sides of the cake with an excellent layer of the remaining frosting (see adorning be aware under). Press the remaining mini chocolate chips about ⅓ of the way in which up from the underside of the cake, and sprinkle some on high, if desired.
¾ cups mini chocolate chips
Notes
Adorning tip
This can be a gentle frosting. If wanted, do a lightweight crumb coating across the complete cake and place within the freezer for 20-Half-hour earlier than making use of one other layer of frosting. Whereas the cake is within the freezer, you’ll want to preserve the frosting lined and chilling within the fridge.
Storing
Retailer in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
Diet
Serving: 1serving | Energy: 700kcal | Carbohydrates: 91g | Protein: 11g | Fats: 33g | Saturated Fats: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g | Monounsaturated Fats: 4g | Trans Fats: 0.4g | Ldl cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 362mg | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 70g | Vitamin A: 996IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 192mg | Iron: 2mg
Dietary data is predicated on third-party calculations and must be thought-about an estimate solely. Precise dietary content material will range primarily based upon manufacturers used, measuring strategies, cooking technique, portion sizes, and extra.
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