Cannoli Cake

Cannoli Cake is a twist on your favorite Italian Dessert. It combines a rich and creamy filling that is similar to the Cannoli filling. This vanilla cake is made from scratch and has a soft and tender crumb. It is topped with the delicious frosting and chocolate chips.

This Cake Recipe is one of our favorite desserts to make for a special occasions. We have even made Cannoli Dip Recipe with all the similar flavors.

Why We Love Cannoli Cake

Cannoli Cake is a family favorite because of the amazing taste of the cannoli cream filling frosting. The combination of the ingredients gives it the perfect blend of flavor and sweetness. We have even been known to eat it by the spoonful!

We love to decorate it with mini chocolate chips but I have even topped with chopped pistachios and mini cannoli’s. It is perfect to serve for birthdays and holidays or for a weeknight dessert. 

Ingredients

• Flour – We used all purpose flour to make this cake. Make sure to measure accurately to prevent the cake from drying out.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda – See The Best Baking Soda Substitutes if you are out
• Butter – We used unsalted softened
• Large Eggs – We recommend using room temperature
• Vanilla Extract – Substitute with almond extract
• Buttermilk – We used room temperature
• Ricotta Cheese – Make sure to use Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese for the best frosting texture
• Mascarpone Cheese – Use softened Mascarpone Cheese for the best flavor. You can also substitute with softened 8 oz cream cheese and about ¼ cup of whipped cream to achieve that creamy texture.

Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe and ingredients in the recipe card. 

How to Make Cannoli Cake

• Step 1 – Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Thoroughly grease and flour 3 8-inch circle cake pans. You can also line pans with parchment paper.
• Step 2 – In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 

Step 3 – Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl of a stand up mixer. Beat on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. 

Step 4 – Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. 

Step 5 – Fold in approximately half of the flour mixture and mix until combined. Add in half of the buttermilk and mix. 

Step 6 – Repeat with the remaining flour and buttermilk until all in mixed together. Use a stand mixer or a hand mixer.

Step 7 – Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans.

Step 8 – Bake for 28-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pans for 10 minutes. 

• Step 9 – Use a knife to carefully loosen the cakes from the pan and move them to a cooling rack to cool completely before topping with the frosting.  

How to Make Frosting and Decorate Cake

Step 1 – Place the 16 oz ricotta cheese in a mixing bowl. Add in the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Mix with an electric mixture until all the ingredients are combined and smooth. We have even added in a tsp of cinnamon and orange zest.

Step 2 – Put 1 of the cake layers on a serving platter or cake stand.  Top the cake with the frosting and mini chocolate chips (approximately ¼ cup). Continue this process with the next 2 cakes. 

• Step 3 – Frost the top of the cake and the sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. 
• Step 4 – Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top. 
• Step 5 – Then the cake is ready to slice, serve and enjoy!  

Expert Tips

• Frosting – This frosting is soft so you might need to do a slight crumb layer of frosting before completely frosting the sides of the top of the cake.
• Preparing Ricotta Cheese – Place the ricotta cheese in between 2 paper towels or cheesecloths and press firmly down on the ricotta cheese to get as much liquid out of the cheese as possible. 
• Round Cake – Cut the round portion off of the top of the cakes with a serrated knife to make the cakes level.

Frequently Asked Questions