Cannoli Cake recipe, an easy from scratch Italian cake with cannoli filling. This homemade cannoli cake is full of easy to find ingredients including ricotta, mascarpone, orange zest, and mini chocolate chips. Find out to make a cannoli cake with different flavors for your personal taste.
(For your shopping convenience, this post contains affiliate links.)
Another fun Cannoli recipe to add to my collection! This Cannoli Cake Recipe is the best if I do say so myself! So good! Be careful because you may eat more than you mean to. haha! You know I love cannolis like my popular Cannoli Cookies, Cannoli Dip, and Mini Cannoli Dip Cups. So adding a cake to the mix seemed to be the next logical thing to do!
What is a Cannoli?
If you haven’t seen my other cannoli recipes and don’t know what a cannoli is, let’s start with that.
A cannoli is an Italian pastry that is shaped in a long tube with a filling generally made up of ricotta cheese and powdered sugar.
An Italian cannoli may include other things such as candied fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, cinnamon, mascarpone cheese, or a wide variety of other things.
You can find them at Italian grocery stores and bakeries, as well as many other bakeries and grocery stores now.
If you’re never had one, give them a try! National Cannoli Day is also June 16th, so if nothing else get one to celebrate in June!
How to Make Cannoli Cake:
(Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the complete recipe card and directions and print option)
This Italian cake with cannoli filling frosting may look difficult to make, it’s actually quite easy. It is a bit time-consuming though, but worth the trouble in my opinion. The good thing is that I think it’s actually better the next day so you can definitely make this cake ahead of time!
Ok, so to get started on this homemade Cannoli Cake, be sure your oven is preheated. Also butter and flour two round baking pans.
Start making the cake batter by mixing the dry ingredients together including the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
In another bowl, beat together the wet ingredients starting with the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy which may be a few minutes.
Beat in an egg one at a time, then beat in vanilla extract and fresh orange zest.
The orange flavor is not really strong and gives a nice subtle citrus taste to the cake. However, if you really don’t like orange, you can leave it out. I’ve gotten a lot of feedback on the orange in the cake. Some people think it’s too much, not enough, or just the right amount SO definitely a personal choice.
You could also swap out some of the vanilla extract for almond extract. Or you could use Fiori di Sicilia Extract which is part citrus and vanilla.
Pour the cake batter into two 9-inch round baking pans and spread to form an even layer. You could also use 8-inch round baking pans. If you do use the 8-inch just know they may take a little longer to bake.
I like to use these baking strips to put around the pans. They help make level cake layers. They’re not perfect, but do help in my opinion. Be sure to also use good quality cake pans for best results.
Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool the cake layers slightly, then remove from the pans and cool completely on wire cooling racks.
Once the cake is completely cool, use a long serrated knife to cut each cake layer in half to form 4 layers. You don’t have to cut the layers in half. If you just want a double layer cake skip that part.
How to Make Cannoli Cake Filling:
(For the full printable version of the recipe, scroll down to the bottom of the post for the recipe card and print option. Although be sure to read here for more tips and information.)
This Cannoli Cake filling is really just an easy frosting that is in between each layer and on the outside of the cake.
First, start with some good quality ricotta and mascarpone cheese. Both should be readily available at most grocery stores. The mascarpone can be a little pricey so look around and you may be able to find it cheaper. If you have to, you can substitute cream cheese.
Be sure to use full-fat cheeses or ones that are not too runny. If you use lower fat cheeses the frosting may not be thick enough to frost the cake. Drain off any excess liquid on top of the cheese.
In a large mixing bowl beat together the ricotta and mascarpone cheeses. Then beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, orange juice, cinnamon, and salt.
Again, you can omit the orange juice if you want, but it’s not too strong.
A few people have mentioned they’ve had a hard time with the frosting. PLEASE make sure your cheeses are THICK and not runny. Different brands can vary slightly. If it’s warm in your house that can also play a factor. Make sure all ingredients are cold. You can also add additional powdered sugar if necessary to thicken the frosting.
FOR BEST RESULTS PLEASE DRAIN YOUR RICOTTA – If you’re at all unsure about your particular brand of ricotta or if it seems runny, you can drain it overnight. Place the cheese in a strainer lined with cheesecloth (or paper towels) over a bowl and drain in the fridge overnight. Squeeze out all the liquid.
There are many types and brands of ricotta so results can vary A LOT. If you can find it in your area, you can also try ricotta impastata (pastry ricotta).
How to Assemble the Cannoli Cake:
Place one of the cake layers on a cake plate or stand. Before I put the cake down, I like to put strips of wax paper that I can remove after I frost and decorate the cake. It helps keep the plate clean. Or at least in theory it helps. I seem to always make a mess regardless. haha!
Frost the top of the layer. Then sprinkle about 2-3 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips on top. You can also add some chopped roasted nuts such as pecans, walnuts, or pistachios if you’d like.
Place another cake layer on top and repeat with the frosting and chocolate chips. Once all the layers are done, frost the outside of the cake.
Use the remaining chocolate chips to decorate the outside of the cake. If you want a lot of chocolate chips, you may need more than one package.
You can also use any extra frosting for piping or decorating. I’m not much of a cake decorator so don’t judge my pitiful piping. haha!
If you make this into a two layer cake you may want to cut back on the frosting recipe. If you make the 4 layers, you’ll have enough frosting for a thin layer of filling between each layer and a thin layer on the outside of the cannoli cake.
I didn’t have much frosting left for piping. If you want to do a lot of piping or have a thicker layer, you may want to make extra frosting.
You can also decorate the outside of the cake with chopped nuts if you’d like. Or top the cake with some maraschino cherries too.
This cake is quite large with all the layers and could easily feed a crowd. A thin slice is plenty!
Serve this cake after a great Italian meal along with some coffee and your guests will love you.
Be sure to store this cake covered in the fridge. Like I said, it’s a little better the next day in my opinion.
Who would like a piece of this fabulous Cannoli Cake?
Quick video to see how easy this Cannoli Cake comes together…
Want More Cannoli Recipes?
Be sure to check out all my other fun cannoli recipes!
Cannoli Cookies – One of my most popular recipes. These cake-like cookies always get rave reviews.
Best Cannoli Dip – Quick and easy and so fun for parties and potlucks!
Chocolate Cannoli Dip – Perfect for chocolate lovers. All the flavors of a cannoli plus extra chocolate.
Cannoli Milkshake – Fun treat for kids or adults. Add your favorite liqueur for a grown-up version.
Cannoli Dip (Orange Almond) – I added a little extra orange and almond to this version of cannoli dip.
Mini Cannoli Dip Cups – Love these cute little dessert cups. Great idea for parties and potlucks!
Cannoli Cream Chocolate Truffles – These cute little candies make the best holiday treats!
ON PINTEREST? Follow me for great recipes, DIY, Crafts, Travel & more!
Cannoli Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake Batter:
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup milk
Frosting;
- 1 tub (10 ounces) ricotta cheese drained if needed, (see note below)
- 1 tub (16 ounces) mascarpone cheese drained if needed
- 3 cups powdered sugar (possibly more if needed to thicken frosting)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon fresh orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 bag (10 ounces) mini chocolate chips divided (if you want a lot of chocolate chips on the outside, you may want to have another bag on hand)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 9-inch round baking pans (or can substitute 8-inch round baking pans).
- Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt in medium mixing bowl until well combined.
- Beat together butter and granulated sugar in large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Then beat in fresh orange zest and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract until well combined.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk into the butter and sugar mixture, beating after each addition until just combined.
- Pour cake batter into prepared pans, spread to form even layers. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean. (If using 8 inch pans, baking time will be about 30-35 minutes.)
- Cool cakes slightly then remove from pans and finish cooling completely on wire racks. When cakes are completely cool, split each layer in half horizontally with a long serrated knife to form 4 layers.
- For frosting, beat together ricotta and mascarpone in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Beat in powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, orange juice, cinnamon, and salt until well combined.
- To assemble cake, place one layer on cake dish. Top with frosting then sprinkle about 2-3 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips on top. Repeat with remaining layers. Frost outside of cake and add remaining chocolate chips to outside of cake or as desired. Use remaining frosting to decorate or pipe as desired.
Notes
MJ Valenzano says
Made this today for my family.. my 18 year old son insisted on it.. I don’t like cannoli but the family does so I tried it. Came out great according to them .. they loved it! Was simple enough to do, directions were great and even though mine didn’t come out as pretty as the pictured one, again family loved it and would have me make it again!
Eileen Donofrio says
I made this cake as one of my xmas desserts, it stole the show . And my hubby is hard to please when it comes to making anything canolie. He beyond approved of this recipe. Even ate it for breakfast the next morning. Everyone has to try this one.
Lisa Huff says
So happy to hear the cake turned out well and you all enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
Dianne Gentry says
This cake was so tasty and moist. We just had it at Carrabba’s. My question is have you tried a different frosting such as chocolate?
Lisa Huff says
The cannoli flavor is primarily in the frosting so I would not suggest using a chocolate frosting.
Michelle says
How much of the Fiora de Sicilia do you use in the recipe? On the website for king artur they said it was pretty strong.
Lisa Huff says
Well hard to say since it’s more of a personal preference. I would start with a half teaspoon to a teaspoon, try it, and go from there.
stephanie hannah says
Let me start off by saying I do not like cannoli! I was asked to make a cannoli cake because my entire Italian family LOVES cannoli.
THIS IS THE BEST CAKE EVER! I followed the directions, and it came out perfect. I don’t plan on making it 4 layers, I don’t trust myself to cut and not break it! The frosting is delicious, I was able to find the mascarpone cheese at Publix, and used ricotta made with whole milk. I didn’t need to add any extra powered sugar, the frosting is perfect. Right now the frosting is in the fridge and the cake is on the cooling racks. Is there a way to attach a picture? I’d like to add one once I’ve got it assembled. Thanks for the recipe, I will be baking it again for Christmas!
Lisa Huff says
Happy to hear you enjoyed the cake!
Joanna says
Why is the cake white in the pictures but yellow in the video? It looks much better white.
Lisa Huff says
Someone else made the video for me so I think they had slightly different brands and lighting.
angela arasim says
ANy chance of saving a little time and using a box cake mix?
Lisa Huff says
Yes absolutely! You can use your favorite yellow or white cake and if you’d like (totally optional) you could add a little fresh orange zest and/or vanilla extract to the cake mix or even almond extract.
Sheila says
Did anyone leaving 5 stars actually make this cake?
Lisa Huff says
Yes, you can read the comments above as well as comments on Pinterest.
Danielle says
Just finished making this cake. Came out exactly as pictured. No problems with the frosting. I used Belgioso marscapone and Polly- o ricotta cheese. Both were nice and dry. Only thing I need to comment on that wasn’t like stated in the recipe was: first of all the recipe includes milk in the list of ingredients for the frosting but I didn’t see it included in the instructions at all. Unless I missed it possibly..?? Also, I would sub the almond extract for vanilla. Closer to the flavor for cannoli cream. Also cooking the two 9” rounds definitely took longer than 20-25 minutes it was more like 35. And my oven is usually spot on. Those are my only changes and otherwise this is a really nice cake !
Danielle says
Just finished making this cake. Came out exactly as pictured. No problems with the frosting. I used Belgioso marscapone and Polly- o ricotta. Both were nice and dry. Only thing I need to comment on that wasn’t like stated in the recipe was: first of all the recipe includes milk in the list of ingredients for the frosting but I didn’t see it included in the instructions at all. Unless I missed it possibly..?? Also, I would sub the almond extract for vanilla. Closer to the flavor for cannoli cream. Also cooking the two 9” rounds definitely took longer than 20-25 minutes it was more like 35. And my oven is usually spot on. Those are my only changes and otherwise this is a really nice cake
Lisa Huff says
Glad you enjoyed it! Not sure where you are seeing milk listed for the frosting? I am not seeing it. It’s there in the ingredients for the cake but not the frosting.
Patricia A Catuzza says
Made this cake 9/29/18. First of all it is a very flat 9 inch cake,and hard.All my ingriedients were fresh.UGH! The icing was super runny! Ended up with way to much icing after having to add several cups more of sugar.Recommend draining the ricotta in a cheese cloth first.But the taste was very good.Any suggestions?
Lisa Huff says
Hmmm, not sure why your cake was flat and hard. You might want to check your baking powder (expiration date and add a little to some water and make sure it fizzes) or maybe get an inexpensive oven thermometer and just make sure your oven is heating to the right temps. As far as the frosting, yes, you should drain the ricotta overnight if your brand is a little runny. Sorry if you didn’t see that note in the recipe. Some brands just tend to be thicker than others.
Connee says
I suggest you change the frosting directions to “whip the frosting at highest speed on your mixer until desired consistency.” The cake came out perfect! We enjoyed it last night for a special occasion.
Lisa Huff says
Happy to hear you enjoyed! Thanks :)
carolyn says
was leaving out the temp and time on purpose or oversight? Please do tell!
Lisa Huff says
The full recipe is there at the bottom of the post in a recipe card with temp and time. Scroll down to bottom. It’s 375 degrees for 20-25 min for 9-inch pans.
Rebecca says
What temperature are you baking this at and for how long?
Diane Parks says
My husband gave this A WONDERFUL! It is a beautiful cake and I am looking forward to surprising my family at the next get-together. The frosting was a bit soft, but I put the cake and the frosting in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes and it was all it needed. So happy to have this recipe and looking forward to trying so many more. By the way, I e-mailed Lisa and she responded immediately. That means a lot to me.
Lisa Huff says
So happy to hear you enjoyed the cake!
Caren says
Are there any ptoblems with assembling this cake a day before and storing in the refrigerator? I am worried about it being too soggy.
Lisa Huff says
I think it was actually better the next day. :) Just make sure your frosting is fairly firm (drain the ricotta if needed before making the frosting).
Caren says
Thank you. I had no problem with my frosting using full fat products. Cake looks yummy!
Ann Gugliuzza says
Definitely attempting this for my 50th on 7/25. Looks delicious!!!
Lisa Huff says
Hope you enjoy and Happy Birthday!!!! Be sure the ricotta is thick or drain it for awhile for the filling/frosting.
Karen Yorks says
my filling is curdled is there a reason that this would happen, I have put in the fridge but I don’t believe that is the answer, maybe I need to beat it smooth? too expensive to throw away! thanks for your help
Lisa Huff says
Curdled meaning a little chunky? That is probably from the ricotta which is not a completely smooth cheese. A little chunkiness is ok but if you don’t like the texture you can definitely blend it more.
Karen says
Did you ever do this cake in tiers for a wedding? I have a request to make a French vanilla cannoli filled cake with fondant. So many people said the cannoli filling will be to soft. Please let me know what you think about this. Thank you Karen
Lisa Huff says
I have only made it like written, sorry. You can use all mascarpone cheese instead of ricotta for a thicker filling and frosting. Or be sure you use a thick ricotta or drain the ricotta.
Sharon says
Would it be okay if I used salted butter. Can’t wait to make this.
Lisa Huff says
I haven’t tried it that way, but should be ok. I’d just omit the salt then from the recipe.
Linda nagri says
Can I double this and make a sheet type cake. Also could I make this on Thursday for Saturday party but Frost morning of party
Lisa Huff says
I don’t see why not, but have not tried, so can’t say exactly what size pan you’d need or baking time. I’d suggest you drain the ricotta overnight as well just to be sure the frosting stiffens up. You can frost ahead but then would need to store the whole thing in the fridge.
Pamela says
I had the same problem as the person above with the frosting. Did not get low fat or fat free and the frosting never turned into frosting. It was grainy and goopy. Not sure if the cheeses are supposed to be ice cold but this was a huge disappointment.
Lisa Huff says
Sorry it didn’t work out for you. Could be the brand of ricotta. Some are a little more runny and probably should be drained first.
Marie says
The frosting was extraordinarily runny & unusable as a frosting. I hate wasting ingredients. The flavor was nice. But my first cake fail, ever & on NYE. What a disappointment.
Marie says
You should really change your instructions to drain the ricotta. It should not be optional.
Lisa Huff says
Sorry it didn’t work out for you. Unfortunately, some types and brands of ricotta are more runny than others which is why I suggested to drain if you’re unsure. Some people have needed to drain, others haven’t, so hard to know for sure for everyone.
Carolyn says
This looks so amazing! I can’t wait to try making this!
angela mawson says
Looks amazing! I’d love to try this cake, but I’d have to substitute with gluten free flour – I use Cup4Cup GF flour (the best I’ve tried) it measures like regular wheat flour. Have you ever tried making a gluten-free version? Thank you!
Lisa Huff says
Sorry, I have not tried with any gluten free flours. It should be ok, but can’t say for sure. You can use your favorite vanilla gluten free cake recipe and add a little orange zest. Then the frosting should be gluten free, but just be sure to check specific brands of course.
Kerri Scranton says
Literally the best cake I’ve ever made! The zest makes such a huge difference and it’s just super tasty. Thank you so much!
Lisa Huff says
Awww thanks for making my day! So happy to hear you enjoyed it! :) Totally agree on the zest! Makes such a huge difference!
Megan @ MegUnprocessed says
Such a gorgeous cake!
Holly says
I made this today and it turned out horrible. The cake didn’t rise and the frosting was awful. I made it exactly how the directions stated. The frosting separated the powder sugar and the cheese. It tried to continue to add powder sugar but it didn’t help.. so upset and frustrated..
Lisa Huff says
Sorry it didn’t turn out for you. The cake should have rised and the frosting shouldn’t have separated. Did you substitute or omit any ingredients or use lowfat ricotta or mascarpone?
Holly says
No I didn’t, I made sure not to get the low fat or fat free.. I m not sure what happened. The only thing I changed was substitute the almond for vanilla. Not sure what happened.
Lisa Huff says
Sorry, not sure. Other people have had really good luck with it so not sure what went wrong.
Debra says
Would frosting hold up to make day in advance to building the cake? Need to take 500 miles to wedding.
Lisa Huff says
Hmmm, that’s tough. It should be ok if you can keep it cool.
Megan says
Made this tonight! A little time consuming but turned out excellent. Only modification I made was instead of putting the chocolate chips on the sides of the frosted cake I put them on top and piped some frosting on top of them.
Lisa Huff says
Happy to hear you enjoyed! It is a bit time consuming but so worth it. :) I think the cake gets better as it sits in the fridge for a day or two. Yum!
Pat says
Looks yummy, for sure.
Lisa Huff says
Thank you so much Pat!
tiffany says
how much cream cheese do you use if you substitute?
Lisa Huff says
I would substitute the same amount. Some people whip in a little cream to cream cheese to substitute for mascarpone but probably not necessary. I’d suggest getting the full fat cream cheese since some of the lower/no fat can be a bit more “soupy”.
Tina Dawson | Love is in my Tummy says
This is the stuff so many cake dreams are made of!!!
Anna says
This is such a stunning looking cake! I’ve never tried cannoli cake before, but I do love traditional cannoli, so I’m sure this is equally delicious. And I can’t believe I never knew there is a whole day dedicated to cannoli!?! ;)
Veena Azmanov says
Oh my goodness this look absolutely amazing! It truly looks delicious! I want to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner! I’m sure this is incredibly delicious! THANK YOU!
Tin says
This looks absolutely stunning! I would love to have a huge slice of this cake.
Liz says
It was my husband’s birthday this past weekend and he wanted cannoli but the restaurant we went to was all out! I’m so glad I found this recipe!! I can’t wait to make it!