Description
This irresistible Cannoli Cake recipe transforms a bakery favorite into an indulgent vanilla layer cake fit for a special occasion! Complete with creamy homemade chocolate chip mascarpone filling.
Ingredients
Scale
Cannoli Filling:
- 16 ounces mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup ricotta cheese, ricotta cheese, drained if needed
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or Grand Marnier)
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Cake:
- 1 cup salted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 cup buttermilk
Frosting:
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Optional garnish – mini chocolate chips, mini cannoli, toasted almonds, orange zest
Instructions
- Cannoli Filling: In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the mascarpone, ricotta cheese, powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until smooth. Turn the mixer to low and mix in the chocolate chips. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and chill until ready to use.
- Cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat 3, 8- inch round cake pans with nonstick spray. Cut three pieces of parchment paper into 8- inch circles. Place the rounds in the bottoms of the pans. Coat again with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar together for 2 minutes. Add in the oil, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and salt, and continue mixing for an additional minute until smooth and combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary to make sure everything is evenly mixed.
- Turn the mixer to low speed and in alternating portions add in the buttermilk and flour, beginning and ending with flour. Mix for 30 seconds, until combined and smooth, again, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Pour the cake batter evenly into each prepared pan.
- Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, or until the centers of the cakes are set, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, and then remove the cakes and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Frosting: In the clean bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter and powdered sugar on low for 30 seconds to combine. Add in the salt, milk, and vanilla, and mix on medium speed for 1 – 2 minutes until creamy, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary,
- Assembly: Place one cake round on a platter. Top with half of the chilled cannoli mixture. Repeat with another cake round and top with the remaining cannoli mixture. Place the remaining cake on top.
- Coat the sides and the cake with frosting. Garnish as desired.
Notes
- Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Before serving, remove from the refrigerator and let sit for 15 minutes to take the chill off.
- Another pretty decorating technique could be a drip cake using my pourable chocolate ganache recipe.
- How to Know If the Ricotta Needs Draining: With most store-bought ricotta cheese you will need to strain it so that it’s thicker when used for pastry filling. (If your ricotta already appears dry in the tub without a lot of excess moisture you can skip this!) Line a sieve with a cheesecloth and place it over a bowl. Loosely cover and allow this to sit in the refrigerator overnight. In a pinch, 4 hours will usually do the trick for this recipe, as you aren’t using a large amount of ricotta.
