Everyone loves Italian Cannoli. But what if you could have a Cannoli Cake that you could share? This cannoli cake recipe is filled with cannoli cream and tastes just like your favorite cannoli pastries.
Just a few ingredients transform a vanilla cake into a cannoli cake using ricotta cheese, powdered sugar and chocolate chips to make that delicious cannoli filling used for the best tasting cannoli.
This cannoli cake is topped with cannoli pastry shells, but don't worry if you don't have the shells because it's not mandatory.
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This cake was inspired by traditional Italian Cannoli Pastries filled with Ricotta Filling, which make a perfect dessert if you want to serve individualized pastries.
You can store the pastry cream in a container and fill the shells just before serving. A great option to take as a dessert to a dinner party too!
These Puff Pastry Bread Sticks make a great appetizer for home or to take to a dinner party.
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Ingredients Needed to Make Cannoli Cake
These are the ingredients that you will need to make this cannoli cake. Although there are a lot of ingredients needed for this cannoli cake, you can make it ahead of time and freeze it until you make the filling and frosting.
- Vanilla Cake Box Mix
- Ricotta Cheese
- Milk
- Eggs
- Powdered Sugar
- Sugar
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract
- Chocolate chips
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions on How to Make a Cannoli Cake
Make vanilla cake as per box directions, separate the batter and bake in two 8 inch baking pans.
Drain ricotta and place in a bowl. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Set aside.
Place sugar and flour in a double boiler. If you don't have a double boiler, just use a glass or aluminum bowl and place on top of a small pot of boiling water.
Add hot milk to the flour and sugar mixture and stir continually until thickened. Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl. Add about half of the flour/milk mixture to the egg a little at a time mixing after each addition. Return the egg mixture to the double boiler with the remaining milk/flour mixture and continue to mix on the double boiler.
Reserve half a cup of the Ricotta filling if you will be decorating your cake with cannoli filled with ricotta. Mix ricotta filling and custard filling together.
Make the buttercream frosting. Add powdered sugar a little at a time. Use the cream a tablespoon at a time to smooth out the icing. Do not use all the cream, if you don't need it.
Pipe frosting around the edge of the first layer. Place the ricotta filling in the middle. Top with second layer. Frost your cake. Don't worry if you make a mess, you are only going to eat it!
Take 4 cannoli shells and pipe the ricotta filling you reserved into the shells. Top with the ricotta filled cannoli. Decorate remaining cake with extra chocolate chips. Chill in the fridge.
Top tip
You can make your own vanilla cake for this recipe. For easy of preparation, I decided to use a store bought Vanilla Cake Mix.
Hint: There are three steps to making this cannoli cake. You don't need to do it all in one day. Make the cake ahead of time and freeze it until you are ready to assemble it.
Substitutions and Varitions
Here are some ideas on how to make this cannoli cake unique:
- Candied Fruit - substitute the chocolate chips for candied fruit
- Orange Zest - add orange zest for a touch of citrus flavor
- Chocolate - add chocolate or cocoa for a chocolate cannoli filling
- Lotus Biscoff - add crushed Lotus Biscoff cookies to your ricotta for that cannoli shell flavor
If you have other ideas, go ahead and try them and let me know how you made this cake different.
Equipment
You will need two 8 or 9 inch cake pans. If you don't have two cake pans, you can use one and then cut the cake in half through the middle.
Parchment paper will come in handy too, to line your cake pan. A piping bag and an offset spatula will make filling and icing the cake a snap.
This page contains affiliate links, which means I may receive commissions if you choose to purchase through links I provide (at no extra cost to you). Thank you for supporting the work I put into this site! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Storage
You can store the vanilla cake in the freezer and pop it out and finish assembling it when you are ready. Just wrap it in foil. You don't need to thaw it out to assemble and decorate it though. Once you are done assembling it, pop it in the fridge to finish thawing and then serve.
I don't recommend re-freezing it since it uses ricotta and is prone to spoiling.
Note that the storage guidelines provided on this page and site are estimates from personal experiences. We are all adults and as an adult you are responsible to ensure that the food you eat is safe to eat. Since, I'm not a food safety expert, you are responsible to review your local guidelines on food storage prior to storing any food left-overs.
For Canadian Guidelines check Government of Canada's Food and Safety Guidelines for further information and resources.
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Recipe Details
Cannoli Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake
- 432 gram Vanilla Cake Mix
Ricotta Filling
- 220 grams Ricotta drained
- ¼ cup Chocolate Chips
- ¼ cup Powdered Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ teaspoon Almond Extract
Custard Filling
- ⅓ cup Sugar
- ¼ cup Flour
- 1 cup scaled Milk
- 1 Egg lightly beaten
Icing
- 1 cup soft Butter
- 5 cups Powdered Sugar or more depending on texture
- ½ tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ cup Heavy Cream up to ½ cup
Instructions
- Make vanilla cake as per box directions, separate the batter and bake in two 8 inch baking pans. If you don't have 2 baking pans, you can bake in one pan, then cut the cake through the middle to create two cakes.
- Drain ricotta and place in a bowl. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Set aside.
- Heat one cup of milk until just at boiling.
- Place sugar and flour in a double boiler. If you don't have a double boiler, just use a glass or aluminum bowl and place on top of a small pot of boiling water. Be careful not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the boiling water.
- Add hot milk and stir continually until thickened.
- Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl. Add about half of the flour/milk mixture to the egg a little at a time mixing after each addition.
- Return the egg mixture to the double boiler with the remaining milk/flour mixture and continue to mix on the double boiler.
- Cook for one minute then remove from heat and let cool. If you don't use the custard immediately, let cool, then place plastic wrap directly on top of the custard and store in the fridge. This will prevent a thin linin of skin buildup on top of the custard.
- Reserve half a cup of the Ricotta filling if you will be decorating your cake with cannoli filled with ricotta.
- Mix ricotta filling and custard filling together. If you don't want to use all of the custard, don't. Combine them to your preference.
- Make the buttercream icing by softened the butter in a stand mixer. Add powdered sugar a little at a time. Use the cream a tablespoon at a time to smooth out the icing. It's not meant to use all the cream, if you need it use it, otherwise only add what you need to get the consistency you need.
- Place a dollop of frosting on a cake board and place one layer of the cake on it centered.
- Pipe frosting around the edge of the first layer, then place the ricotta filling in the middle.
- Top with second layer.
- Frost your cake. Don't worry if you make a mess, you are only going to eat it!
- Take 4 cannoli shells and pipe the ricotta filling you reserved into the shells. Place a dollop of frosting strategically on four corners of your cake, then top with the ricotta filed cannoli.
- Decorate remaining cake with extra chocolate chips. Chill in the fridge.
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