Cannoli Cheesecake

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Easy homemade cheesecake, this Italian inspired Cannoli Cheesecake has a quick crust and cannoli cream like filling with mascarpone, ricotta, and mini chocolate chips. It’s the perfect fluffy cheesecake!

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This homemade Cannoli Cheesecake, inspired by the popular Italian pastry, is a real show stopper! It’s light and fluffy and full of flavor. If cheesecake bars are more your thing, you may prefer by Cannoli Cheesecake Bars or Mini Frozen Cannoli Cheesecake Bites.

My son told me this Cannoli Cheesecake was the best cheesecake he ever had and even better than any cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. Whether that’s true or not, I don’t know, but I’ll take it. It may not be the most authentic Italian cheesecake but it’s still delicious.

This cheesecake really did turn out way better than I thought it would and I was pleasantly surprised how tasty it was. So tasty in fact we had to give away to all our neighbors before we ate the whole thing in one night.

What is Cheesecake?

I’m guessing most people know what cheesecake is BUT just in case you haven’t, let’s discuss.

Cheesecake is a popular dessert generally made in a springform pan and consists of a crust and cheese filling. The crust is typically made up of graham cracker crumbs but could be other things such as cookies, nuts, etc. The cheese generally has cream cheese, sugar, and eggs but may have other cheese and flavors.

For best results, most people bake cheesecakes in a water bath for even baking. Cheesecakes also need to be refrigerated for at least a few hours or overnight to set and better consistency.

This Cannoli Cheesecake does not have cream cheese but has Italian ricotta cheese and mascarpone cheese along with cannoli flavors (orange, chocolate, and cinnamon) and a homemade crust made out of waffle cone crumbs (or cannoli shells).

Making cheesecake from scratch is definitely a labor of love. Nothing really snappy about it, so be sure you have some time to invest. The results are totally worth it though! I definitely don’t suggest making shortcuts on this recipe, and don’t really recommend making ingredient substitutes unless you have to.

You should be able to find all the ingredients in your local grocery store. For the crust, I crushed up waffle ice cream cones in my food processor. You could try graham crackers or cannoli shells if you’d prefer. Cannoli shells can be hard to find and expensive which is why I decided to go for the ice cream cones.

Mascarpone cheese is also widely available, but if you can’t find it, you can try substituting cream cheese.

Cannoli Cheesecake Ingredients

CRUST:

• Waffle ice cream cone crumbs (or graham cracker crumbs or cannoli shell crumbs)
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Butter, melted

CHEESECAKE FILLING:

• Mascarpone cheese (or cream cheese), might need to be drained overnight if runny
• Ricotta cheese, drained overnight for best results (see my post how to strain ricotta cheese)
• Granulated Sugar
• All-purpose flour
• Vanilla
• Orange zest
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Eggs
• Mini chocolate chips
• Boiling water 
• TOPPINGS (optional): mini chocolate chips, whipped cream, chopped nuts (pistachios), and/or maraschino cherries

 

How to Make Cannoli Cheesecake

1. MAKE CRUST. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter, or spray with nonstick cooking spray, a 9-inch round springform pan. Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan in a double layer of aluminum foil.
2. In a medium mixing bowl mix together waffle cone crumbs, sugar, and salt. Then mix in melted butter.
3. Press crumb mixture into the bottom and up about 2 inches on sides of prepared springform pan. Use the back of a fork or measuring cup to firmly press the crumbs into an even layer around the pan.
4. Place springform pan with crust on a large baking sheet. Bake crust at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Remove crust from oven and set aside to cool leaving aluminum foil around pan. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
6. MAKE CHEESECAKE FILLING. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the mascarpone cheese and ricotta cheese, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until well combined and smooth. Add sugar, flour, vanilla, orange zest, and salt and beat until well combined. Beat in eggs one at a time. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.
7. Pour about half of batter over crust in springform pan. Spread batter to form even layer, then sprinkle about half of mini chocolate chips on top of cheesecake batter. Repeat with rest of cheesecake filling then remaining mini chocolate chips.
8. Place cheesecake in a large deep roasting pan and set in the middle of your preheated oven. Slowly pour boiling water into roasting pan until water is about halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
9. Bake cheesecake at 325 degrees for about 70-85 minutes or until light golden brown around edges. Turn off oven, crack oven door slightly (can place a wooden spoon in door to crack if needed), and let cheesecake cool in oven in waterbath for one hour.
10. Carefully remove roasting pan and cheesecake from oven. Carefully lift springform pan out of waterbath and remove aluminum foil. Place springform pan on cooling rack and let cheesecake come to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Once at room temperature cover top of springform pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight would be better.
11. Carefully remove sides of springform pan. Cut cheesecake into slices and garnish with whipped cream, mini chocolate chips, chopped nuts, and/or maraschino cherries as desired. Store cheesecake in refrigerator.

(Full printable recipe card is at bottom of post.)

Serving Suggestions

• Serve cheesecake chilled or at room temperature. Slice carefully. 
• Top with whipped cream, chopped nuts (pistachios), mini chocolate chips, chopped candied citrus, and/or maraschino cherries.
• Sauce drizzles on the plate would also be great such as chocolate sauce.

 

Quick Cheesecake Tips for Best Results

• Refrigerate the cheesecake overnight if you can for best results or at a very minimum about 4 hours or until chilled through.
• Don’t skip the water bath or cracking the oven door and letting the cheesecake cool slowly. It helps prevent cracks on top.
• Don’t rush through all the steps. I know it’s a lot of ingredients and steps, but take your time to prevent problems. If you’re new to making cheesecakes, check out this article for more info.
• Make sure the crumbs for the crust are finely chopped (food processor works best) and evenly spread on the bottom and sides of springform pan.
• Use full-fat ingredients for best results. It is dessert after all! Also make sure the cheeses are THICK (like cream cheese). You may need to strain them overnight.
• Don’t open the oven door while the cheesecake is baking and try not to overbake. The middle of the cheesecake may not be fully set but will set as it cools.

Cannoli Cheesecake FAQ

How should I store Cannoli Cheesecake?
Store the cheesecake well covered in the refrigerator. Be sure there aren’t any “strong” flavors (like onions…) in the fridge.

Can I freeze Cannoli Cheesecake?
I haven’t tried it, but think it would be ok. Just be sure to wrap and cover tightly. It should be ok for a month or two.

How to tell if cheesecake is done?
The cheesecake should be very light golden brown around edges and the filling should be firm but soft around the edges and slightly soft and jiggly in the middle. It will continue to set when you turn the heat off and leave in oven. Be careful to not overbake.

How long will Cannoli Cheesecake last?
It should be ok in the refrigerator for 3-5 days or possibly longer depending on how well it was covered and freshness of ingredients. The chocolate chips and crust may, however, start to soften the longer the cheesecake is in the fridge.

Can I use cream cheese instead of mascarpone cheese?
Although I highly recommend using mascarpone if you can find it, you can substitute a good quality cream cheese.

Can I use low-fat ingredients?
You probably could use low-fat cheeses however I recommend full-fat cheese for best results.

What else can I add to this recipe?
You can add more/less of your favorite cannoli flavors to the batter such as vanilla, orange, and chocolate chips. Instead of ice cream cones for the crust you could try using graham crackers (original or chocolate) or cannoli shells.

How should I garnish the cheesecake?
I would suggest topping the cheesecake with whipped cream, mini chocolate chips, chopped nuts (such as pistachios), chopped candied fruit, and/or maraschino cherries. You could also drizzle chocolate sauce on top or on the plates.

The top of the cheesecake cracked, what did I do wrong?
If you didn’t use a water bath that could cause some problems or if the cheesecake was over baked or didn’t cool slow enough. Don’t worry though, it should still taste good and can be covered with whipped cream and/or chocolate sauce!

My cheesecake filling was runny/liquidy, what did I do wrong?
It might need to bake for longer, but more likely, the cheeses were too liquidy when you added to the filling. Be sure the cheeses are THICK before making the filling. For best results strain them overnight.

I don’t have a roasting pan for the water bath, what should I do?
Well, I definitely recommend a water bath for best results. You could use a large (10+ inch) deep cake pan or any pan that is larger than your springform pan. 

Can you make this cheesecake gluten-free?
The ingredients should all be gluten-free except the ice cream cones, but check all the ingredients and brands just to be sure. You could try a gluten-free cookie or nuts instead of the ice cream cones.

Other Cannoli Recipes You May Enjoy

• Cannoli Cake – Super popular cake with a delicious cannoli cream frosting.
• Cannoli Cookies – A cannoli version of chocolate chip cookies. A great Christmas cookie exchange cookie!
• Cannoli Cupcakes – Just like my super popular cannoli cake but in cupcake form.
• Best Cannoli Dip – Quick and easy dessert dip that is ready in minutes.

Hope you enjoy this tasty Cannoli Cheesecake. Tell me in the comments how you topped the cheesecake!

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Cannoli Cheesecake Video

Quick tutorial to show how this cheesecake comes together…

Want more cheesecake recipes? Try these easy Mini Buckeye Cheesecakes and Nutella Crunch Cheesecakes!