Cannoli Cake

Ingredients

See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all ingredients and quantities.

Butter + vegetable oil – The butter is for flavor and the oil is for moisture.

Buttermilk – This gives the cake a nice tang as well as keeps the cake tender and moist.

Mascarpone cheese – In my opinion this is one of the stars of the show. It’s so creamy and rich it makes the cannoli frosting shine.

Whole milk ricotta – This MUST be drained well before being used. This gives the cannoli frosting the classic cannoli texture and flavor.

Chocolate chips – This will be for the chocolate ganache. Use your favorite semi-sweet chocolate chips for this.

How to Make Cannoli Cake

Step 1: Make the cake first. Blend the vegetable oil, sugar and vanilla together.

Step 2: Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. 

Step 3: Whisk the dry ingredients together. Add the dry ingredient mix and the buttermilk to the mixing bowl of oil and eggs. Alternate between adding the dries and buttermilk. Mix until a smooth batter forms. 

Step 4: Bake the cake until golden brown then let it cool completely. While the cake is cooling, make the cannoli frosting. 

Step 5: To make the frosting, beat together the mascarpone, ricotta and powdered sugar. Add the cinnamon and vanilla. Add the chocolate chips to half the frosting (for the cake filling), keeping the rest of the filling plain, without chips (for the outside of the cake).

Step 6: Make the ganache by whisking the hot heavy cream into the chocolate chips until all the chips have melted. 

Step 7: Assemble the cake by layering the frosting between the vanilla cake layers. Ice the outside of the cake with the plain mascarpone ricotta frosting. Drizzle the ganache over the cake then decorate the cake with extra mini cannolis. 

How to decorate Cannoli Cake

Here are a few of my favorite ways to decorate a cannoli cake:

• Press mini chocolate chips into the sides of the frosting
• Drizzle ganache down the edges of the cake
• Cover the cake in cannoli shell pieces
• Use mini cannolis to place around the cake top
• Sprinkle crushed pistachios over the cake
• Use candied orange peel and cherries as decoration
• Pipe rosettes all over the cake with the cannoli cake filling
• Leave the cake sides exposed (uniced) so you can see the pretty cannoli cream cake layers

How to Store and Freeze

In my house, this cake is never around too long! However, homemade cannoli cake will keep in the fridge for about 4-5 days. Any longer than this and the frosting will start to soften and the cake will sag.

You can freeze the cake layers but without the frosting and ganache. Wrap the cooled cake layers in two layers of plastic wrap and pop freezer bags or a freezer cotainer for up to 3 months.

When you are ready to serve the cake, thaw the cake slowly in the fridge overnight. The next day, make the frosting, frost it, and decorate it.

Recipe FAQs

More Layered Cake Recipes

• Cherry Cola Layer Cake
• Mocha Layer Cake with Coffee Frosting
• Ina Garten’s Chocolate Cake

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Cannoli Cake

Author: Miranda Couse

This Cannoli Cake Recipe has a delicious, homemade vanilla cake filled with a cannoli frosting that has mascarpone, ricotta cheese, cinnamon, vanilla, and all of the amazing flavors of a cannoli.

4.67 from 15 votes

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Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 10 slices

Calories 1211 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Cake

• ▢ 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 3 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ¾ cup butter, room temperature
• ▢ ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 4 large eggs
• ▢ 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
• ▢ 6 tablespoons mini chocolate chips, divided

Frosting

• ▢ 24 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• ▢ 15 ounces whole milk ricotta, drained
• ▢ 5 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips

Ganache

• ▢ 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ▢ ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
• ▢ Cannoli shells

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Instructions

 

Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 8 inch cake pans with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, add in the 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3 teaspoons baking powder. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
• Add the ¾ cup butter, ¼ cup vegetable oil, and 2 cups granulated sugar to a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.
• Add in the 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and then the 4 large eggs one at a time. Beat in each egg just until incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Alternate adding in the dry ingredients and 1 3/4 cups buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. I like to do 3 parts flour and 2 parts buttermilk.
• Once everything is combined, scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in any bits remaining.
• Divide the batter evenly into the two prepared pans. For a more even cake, wrap the pans with Wilton bake even strips. Mine are ancient, but they’re the same as the purple ones.
• Place in the oven and bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
• Allow the cakes to cool for 30 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Frosting

• Add the 24 ounces mascarpone cheese and drained 15 ounces whole milk ricotta to a large mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until combined.
• Add in the 5 cups powdered sugar, 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Continue to mix until a thick frosting comes together.
• Add 1 cup of frosting to a separate medium bowl and mix in 6 tablespoons mini chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
• Set aside for filling the cannoli shells.

Ganache

• Add the ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips and 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals and stir after each interval until the ganache is smooth and completely melted.

Assemble the Cannoli Cake

• Using a cake leveler or serrated knife, level the top of the cakes, if they’re domed, and then cut each cake in half so you have four layers.
• Add a small amount of cannoli frosting without the mini chocolate chips in it to the center of a cake plate.
• Place the first layer of cake cut side down on a cake plate right on top of the frosting. Gently press down.
• Add an even layer of cannoli frosting on top of the layer. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons (up to ¼ cup if you happen to have ¾ cup of mini chocolate chips on hand for filling the cake) of mini chocolate chips on top of the frosting.
• Repeat placing the cakes cut side down, covering with frosting, and sprinkling with mini chocolate chips.
• Once you place the last layer of cake on top, pile frosting on top of the cake. Spread it out evenly using a large angled spatula and push the excess frosting over the edges of the cake.
• Grab more frosting and start covering the sides of the cake.
• Clean the angled spatula and place the cake plate on a turntable. Holding the spatula so the blade is parallel with the cake, begin slowly turning the turntable and taking off any excess frosting, smoothing out the sides of the cake.
• Clean off the angled spatula with warm water and a paper towel to dry it off before you place it on the cake to ensure clean swipes with the spatula.
• Add the cooled, but pourable consistency ganache to a sandwich bag. Cut a small hole in one of the corners of the bag.
• Run the ganache along the outside edge of the top of the cake. Allow it to drip slightly down the sides. If you are afraid it will run too much, chill the cake first.
• Add any remaining frosting without chocolate chips to a piping bag fitted with a round tip or use a storage bag and cut a hole in the corner of the bag. I added some mini chocolate chips to this frosting before adding it to the piping bag to give me more frosting to work with.
• Pipe 8 mounds of frosting.
• Add the 1 cup of frosting that you set aside into the piping bag. Fill 8 mini cannoli shells or 4 large shells with the frosting. If you’re using large shells, cut them in half.
• Place each shell on a mound.
• Drizzle the top of the shells and cake with any remaining ganache.
• Eat right away or store in a cake container in the fridge.

Notes

I added an additional ½ cup mini chocolate chips to the bottom of the cake.

Storage: Homemade cannoli cake will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days. 

Freezing: You can freeze the cake layers but without the frosting and ganache. Wrap the cooled cake layers in two layers of plastic wrap and pop freezer bags or a freezer cotainer for up to 3 months.

When you are ready to serve the cake, thaw the cake slowly in the fridge overnight. You can also slice the cakes in half while they’re still frozen if you’re using a serrated knife. The next day, make the frosting, frost it, and decorate it.

Nutrition

Calories: 1211kcal | Carbohydrates: 145g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 62g | Saturated Fat: 38g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 207mg | Sodium: 513mg | Potassium: 346mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 114g | Vitamin A: 1858IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 332mg | Iron: 3mg

(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)