Cannoli cake combines soft vanilla cake layers with a ricotta and mascarpone cannoli-filling-inspired frosting. I add mini chocolate chips, but you can of course use your favorite toppings like chopped pistachios or candied fruit. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Cannoli Cake: The Best of Two Great Desserts!
Today I’m transforming one of my favorite Italian desserts into a beautiful layer cake! This cannoli cake is made with three soft, tender, and moist vanilla cake layers (I borrowed heavily from my chantilly cake to make these) cloaked in a frosting inspired by cannoli filling. These components works beautifully together to give the cake a true cannoli feel.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Seriously irresistible frosting that tastes just like cannoli filling. This is the true star of this recipe! It’s made without butter, and is perfectly balanced with the right sweetness level. I could eat it by the spoonful 😋
- Uses the reverse creaming method, which creates a tender, slightly dense crumb AND as a plus, is very hard to over-mix (so it’s great for beginner bakers!). I first shared this method years ago with my caramel cake, and I’ve been a fan ever since!
- Easy decoration and assembly. I just use chocolate chips to decorate my cannoli cake, but you could get fancy with it and add chopped pistachios or even add some mini cannoli on top!
- Perfect for a crowd. Instead of filling a bunch of cannoli shells, why not just serve an equally tasty cannoli cake?
This cannoli cake would be the perfect finale to an Italian-inspired dinner, like my penne alla vodka or baked ziti!
Ingredients
We’ll use a few key ingredients to achieve a flavorful, tender cake with a classic cannoli taste.
- Ricotta. Just like when making my lasagna recipe, you want to make sure to use whole milk ricotta here. We will be straining this before adding it to our frosting; this ensures our frosting will have the right texture, otherwise it would be too runny.
- Buttermilk. My easy buttermilk substitute will work in a pinch, but real buttermilk will provide the best flavor and moisture.
- Softened butter. Unlike many cake recipes, we will not be creaming the butter and sugar together for this cannoli cake. Instead, we will be beating the butter into the dry ingredients one tablespoon at a time. This is the reverse creaming method! It’s a bit different than the norm, but I love the results and use it in many recipes (like my caramel cake and snickerdoodle cake).
- Mascarpone. A key component you might recognize from making tiramisu, mascarpone adds flavor to our frosting alongside the ricotta. Make sure to bring yours out of the fridge for just 15-20 minutes beforehand; if it’s too cold or warm, it can be a challenge to work with.
- Cinnamon. This rounds out the flavor of the frosting and really adds to that authentic cannoli taste!
SAM’S TIP: As always, room temperature eggs are best here. They will break up and combine with your other ingredients MUCH more easily if they aren’t straight from the fridge. If you forget to set your eggs out ahead of time, use my trick to quickly bring eggs to room temperature.
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe and video, please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Cannoli Cake
Strain the Ricotta
- Place a strainer over a mixing bowl (don’t let it touch the bottom) and add two layers of cheesecloth. Layer the ricotta on top and wrap it in the cheesecloth, then place something heavy on top (I use a big can of tomatoes). Let this sit in the fridge at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Once strained, you will notice that the ricotta is much drier–this is perfect! Now we can add it to our frosting without adding too much moisture. You can keep this in the fridge until you’re almost ready to make the frosting (take it out about 15-20 minutes beforehand).
Prepare the Cake Layers
- Whisk together the dry ingredients and sugars, then start adding your butter one tablespoon at a time. Mix until each tablespoon is fully incorporated, then add the next. When you are done, this mixture will be a dry and sandy-looking.
- Gradually pour in your wet ingredients and stir until the batter is smooth and silky.
- Divide your batter between your cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. If your oven only fits two pans on the center rack, you can leave the third pan on your counter (or just leave the batter in the bowl, if you only have two pans) while the other two bake.
- Let the cakes cool for 10-15 minutes, then invert onto cooling racks to cool completely.
SAM’S TIP: Always prep your cake pans! Grease, flour, and line them with parchment rounds so there is NO chance of your cannoli cake layers sticking to the pans.
Make the Frosting
- Stir together the strained ricotta and mascarpone until smooth. Stick with low speed and mix until just combined; the mascarpone can break if handled too much.
- Add the sugar gradually, stirring until just combined and smooth.
- Stir in the cinnamon, vanilla, and salt, then you’re ready to decorate!
Assembly
- Add a thick layer of frosting over your first cake layer, then top with mini chocolate chips. Repeat with your next cake layer, then add the final layer.
- Cover the entire cake with frosting and decorate as you wish. I like to press mini chocolate chips up the sides and around the top of my cannoli cake!
SAM’S TIP: Because this frosting is so soft, I really recommend doing a crumb coat before adding your final layer of frosting. It will make decorating the cake so much easier! If you haven’t done one before, I discuss this in my post on how to decorate a cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! The ricotta and mascarpone in the frosting absolutely need to be refrigerated. Since the fridge can dry out cakes, make sure to store your cannoli cake in an airtight container to help it retain as much moisture as possible.
Yes! Your bake time will probably be closer to 17-18 minutes though. Note that this frosting doesn’t pipe very well since it is so soft, so some soft swirls are about as intricate as you will get here.
Yes! 9″ pans would work just fine for this cannoli cake recipe, or you can use a 9×13″ pan. Just note that your bake time will be different if you change the pan (9″ pans will bake faster), so stay close to your oven and keep an eye on your cakes!
I’ve been on a bit of a cake kick lately–just wait until you see my next one 🌴
Enjoy!
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Cannoli Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 ⅔ cups (333 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 12 Tablespoons (170 g) unsalted butter cut into 12 pieces and softened
- 1 ½ cups (355 ml) buttermilk room temperature preferred
- 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Frosting
- 16 oz (454 g) whole milk ricotta cheese
- 16 oz (454 g) mascarpone cheese softened for 15-20 minutes
- 4 cups (500 g) powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ¾ cups mini chocolate chips divided
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
Strain the ricotta
- Line a large strainer with two layers of cheesecloth, place the ricotta cheese on top and wrap the cheesecloth around the ricotta. Place something heavy over the cheesecloth and press firmly to help squeeze out the liquid. Place the strainer in a mixing bowl that leaves at least an inch of space between the bottom of the strainer and the bottom of the bowl. Place in the refrigerator and allow the ricotta to strain at least 4 hours or overnight.16 oz (454 g) whole milk ricotta cheese
Prepare the cake layers
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and thoroughly grease and flour your cake pans. I recommend lining the bottoms of your cake pans with parchment paper rounds. Set aside.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine 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) light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon table salt
- With an electric mixer on low speed, or your stand mixer, add butter one tablespoon at a time, waiting for each tablespoon to be fully incorporated before adding the next. Once finished the mixture should have a slightly sandy texture.12 Tablespoons (170 g) unsalted butter
- In a separate bowl whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract until combined.1 ½ cups (355 ml) buttermilk, 2 large eggs, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- With mixer on low speed, slowly pour buttermilk mixture into batter until combined and batter is smooth and silky. Be sure to pause and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed while mixing.
- Evenly divide the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake in preheated oven for 28-30 minutes.When cakes are finished baking, a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with only a few moist crumbs.
- Allow cakes to cool in pan for 10-15 minutes in pan before running a knife along the edge to loosen them up and inverting onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- Remove ricotta and mascarpone from the refrigerator 15-20 minutes before beginning so they have some time to soften but do not become too warm.16 oz (454 g) mascarpone cheese
- Combine drained ricotta and mascarpone cheese in a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer on low speed to stir until smooth.
- Gradually add powdered sugar until combined and smooth.4 cups (500 g) powdered sugar
- Add vanilla, cinamon, and salt and stir to combine.1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon table salt
Assembly
- If necessary, level your cooled cakes. Spread an even, moderately thick layer of frosting over the first cake layer. Sprinkle 2-4 Tablespoons of mini chocolate chips evenly over the frosting. Take your next layer of cake and repeat this process. Top with the last layer of cake and cover the entire top and sides of the cake with an even layer of the remaining frosting (see decorating note below). Press the remaining mini chocolate chips about ⅓ of the way up from the bottom of the cake, and sprinkle some on top, if desired.¾ cups mini chocolate chips
Notes
Decorating tip
This is a soft frosting. If needed, do a light crumb coating around the entire cake and place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes before applying another layer of frosting. While the cake is in the freezer, be sure to keep the frosting covered and chilling in the refrigerator.Storing
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Brad H.
OMG…I just made this cake for my wife’s birthday and it is phenomenal! I did halve the sugar for the frosting per some comments to keep it thicker, and I also added broken pieces of sugar cones in-between the layers (as well as the top and sides) with the chocolate chips to give it the canolli crunch I wanted. 5-star for sure, thank you! You are one of my go-to sites for all things sweet. Thanks again!
Sam
I’m so glad it was such a success. Happy belated birthday to your wife! 🙂
Amber Cullen
Was a huge hit with family and friends! Like eating a cannoli- delicious!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yay! We really appreciate you giving it a try and coming back to leave a review 🩷
Joanne
my first cannoli cake
Sam
I hope you love it! 🙂
Joanne Beyke
This cake was yummy!! i little sloppy but it’s my first. I could eat the cake with no frosting . Better than the bakery. lol thanks!!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Joanne! 🙂
Joanne Beyke
Holy Cannoli! Better than Publix bakery. My first cannoli cake and the taste is wonderful. The cake was rich and flavorful however I feel like it could have been more moist. My husband does NOT like cannoli cake. He ate it lol. Definently will bake again for holidays.
Thanks. PS Never knew what a cheesecloth was. still learning at 55
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Joanne! 🙂
Julie
Chiming in here to hopefully save some bakers some heartache! I’m a professional chef, and I’ve made this filling recipe twice – once as written, and once modified. The first time, even though I mixed by hand with a spatula, the filling came out thin and soupy, and couldn’t be salvaged. Mascarpone can split if severely over-whipped, but that’s not what was happening here – it’s that sugar is very effective at pulling moisture out of ricotta. As written, for the brand of ricotta I have (even when drained for 24 hours and excess water squeezed out) the cheese cannot absorb this much sugar without weeping out a ton of moisture. The second time I again mixed by hand, but reduced the amount of sugar to a quarter of what’s recommended. And my filling was perfect! Smooth, silky, stiff enough to pipe, and still plenty sweet – closer to the sweetness of a traditional cannoli. Thank you for the recipe, and it was fun tweaking to make it work for me!
stan
I have made this cake twice and it is my number 2 favorite cake right behind Sam’s dark chocolate cheesecake infused cake. Making again this weekend!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Stan! 🙂
sydney troy
Hi! I plan to make this but was wondering if the frosting can be made a day ahead before icing the cake? Will it hold long enough or be able to be remixed after sitting in the fridge?
Sam
Hi Sydney! I haven’t tried it, but I would be hesitant to make this frosting a day in advance without putting it on the cake.
Adr
Can I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour?
Sam
If substituted properly it can work here. 🙂
Nina
hi, my frosting came out too runny….I made it exactly as recipe and also drained wholemilk ricotta overnight…..I was making it for a party…now what….remake it again
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this, Nina! This can happen if the mascarpone is over-mixed or a bit too warm. You can try more powdered sugar but if it’s watery you’ll have to start over. 🙁
Jill Ellis
Just a quick question this cake is nut free correct?
A friend wants me to make it but has a nut allergy so I just want to make sure!
Love using ALL your recipes!😊
Can I bake it ahead of time and freeze it?
Sam
Hi Jill! As written there are no nuts in the recipe. You can make it ahead and freeze it if you’d like. 🙂
Mary Mas
Frosting turned out way too runny. Baker issue…I think, even though I let ricotta strain for 4 hours, it was too wet 🙁
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this happened, Mary! Did you make any substitutions or alterations? Was your ricotta whole milk ricotta?
Amanda
I just made this cake and ended up with runny icing also 😕. It has a great flavor, just runny. I bought whole milk Ricotta and let it drain for more than 4 hours.
Mine never got “smooth as silk” when mixing??
I LOVE your recipe’s Sam thank you thank you
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear that, Amanda! The 2 things I would check would be to make sure you have something heavy enough on the ricotta while it’s draining and also that the ricotta is not able to touch the liquid draining out. Another thing to be careful with is to make sure you are not over-mixing the mascarpone as that can break. 🙁
Jill Ellis
Just a quick question this cake is nut free correct?
A friend wants me to make it but has a nut allergy so I just want to make sure!
Love using ALL your recipes!😊
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jill! As written, this recipe does not contain nuts. We hope your friend loves it!
Jill Ellis
Can I make just the cake part ahead of time and freeze it without the frosting?
Sam
Sure thing! 🙂
Erin
This cake is delicious! I made it for a farewell party and everyone raved about it. That filling/frosting screams cannoli! Thank you 😊
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Erin! 🙂
cara Duffy
about to make this except my husband picked up only 8oz of mascarpone!!! is this going to make a huge difference? should i use more ricotta?
Sam
Hi Cara! I wouldn’t use more ricotta, it could make it too runny. I’m not sure how it will turn out with only 8 oz of mascarpone. 🙁
Suzanne
I am making this for a birthday and I think it will be great.
btw, your recipe card says ricotta straining is “4 minutes”.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We hope it’s a huge hit, Suzanne! Thanks for the heads up on the recipe card, we will fix that. 😊
Lisa
I made this and the layers are very thin. Are they supposed to be thin?
Sam
Hi Lisa! These cake layers are supposed to be on the thin side. 🙂
Lorley
Hi Sam
I’ve never had a cannoli before so I can’t compare the flavor. But some of my family has and they thought the cake and frosting was outstanding. I missed the part about the thicker layers of frosting in between cake layers so I had more frosting for the top and sides. Not a bad thing. The cake was very moist and the frosting unusual but in a good way. My first time using a cheesecloth and with your detailed instructions my cake looked just like yours. Thanks for giving this grandma new baking ideas. My family thanks you too.
Sam
Hi Lorley! I am so thrilled to hear that the recipe was such a success, thank you so much for trying it and for letting me know how it turned out, I really appreciate it! 🙂
Lauren
I’m sorry if I just missed this, what size cake pans are you to use?
Sam
Hi Lauren! You will need 3 8″ pans. 🙂
Tara Hockedy
Making this today for a large group and was wondering if it would work in a 9×13 pan? I can slice the cake into 2 layers for frosting.
Casey @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Tara! This can work in a 9×13″ pan, we’re just not sure of the bake time so you’ll want to keep a an eye on it while baking.🙂