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Home » Recipes » Desserts (All) » Cheesecakes » Cannoli Cheesecake

Cannoli Cheesecake

December 7, 2019 29 Comments

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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!

(For your shopping convenience, this post contains affiliate links.)

slice of cannoli cheesecake

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.

cannoli cheesecake slice

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).

collage of steps of making cheesecake

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, cinnamon, 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.)

whole cannoli cheesecake

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.

slice of cannoli cheesecake

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.

slice of cannoli cheesecake with whipped cream and chocolate chips

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.

top of cannoli cheesecake

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

Shop the Post:


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!
slice of cannoli cheesecake
Print Pin it!
4.47 from 13 votes

Cannoli Cheesecake

Homemade Cannoli Cheesecake that is out-of-this-world delicious!
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Cooling Time 5 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 7 hours 10 minutes
Yield 12 servings
Author Lisa Huff

Ingredients

CRUST:

  • 2 cups waffle ice cream cone crumbs (about 12 cones) see notes below for how to make crumbs if needed
  • 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted

CHEESECAKE FILLING:

  • 16 ounces mascarpone cheese room temperature & drained (see notes below)
  • 15 ounces ricotta cheese room temperature & drained (see notes below)
  • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
  • boiling water (enough to fill a large roasting pan about halfway)

TOPPINGS (optional):

  • mini chocolate chips, whipped cream, chopped nuts (pistachios), and/or maraschino cherries

Instructions

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.
  • In a medium mixing bowl mix together waffle cone crumbs, sugar, and salt. Then mix in melted butter.
  • 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.
  • Place springform pan with crust on a large baking sheet. Bake crust at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Remove crust from oven and set aside to cool leaving aluminum foil around pan. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

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, cinnamon, and salt and beat until well combined. Beat in eggs one at a time. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Bake cheesecake at 325 degrees for about 70-85 minutes or until light golden brown around edges. Careful to not overbake. The cheesecake should still be a bit soft and jiggly in the middle at this point. 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Notes

SNAPPY TIPS: I suggest using full-fat ricotta and mascarpone cheese. You can add more chocolate chips to the filling if you like a lot of chocolate. Please follow directions carefully and slowly cool the cheesecake as directed for best results and to help prevent the top from cracking.
SNAPPY SUBSTITUTIONS: Instead of mascarpone, you could substitute cream cheese. Instead of waffle cones, you could use cannoli shells or graham crackers (chocolate or original).
CONE CRUMBS: Best way to make the waffle ice cream cone crumbs is to place the cones in a food processor and process until very fine crumbs. If you don't have a food processor you could put the cones in a bag and use a meat malle or rolling pin to crush cones into crumbs.
RICOTTA & MASCARPONE CHEESE - Ricotta (and sometimes mascarpone) can vary a lot and have a lot of liquid. For best results drain ovenright to make sure the cheeses are THICK. See my post how to strain ricotta for best results.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: from scratch cheesecake, holiday dessert, homemade cheesecake crust
Did you try this recipe?Tag @SnappyGourmet or #SnappyGourmet!

cannoli cheesecake collage

Tags: cannoli, cheese, cheesecake, chocolate chips, dessert, italian, mascarpone, recipe, ricotta Categories: Cheesecakes, Desserts (All), Recipes

About the Author

Lisa Huff is a Cookbook Author, Freelance Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Blogger/Writer, and award-winning home chef. She loves creating unique recipes from healthy to decadent including cocktails, appetizers, main dishes, dessert recipes and more and has appeared on various shows, publications, and websites. <More about Lisa Huff>

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Shannon rushing says

    January 12, 2021 at 3:06 pm

    Hey! :) I am making this right now and I was wondering how smooth should the ricotta be? Will it still have the rough texture? Sorry if you have already answered

    Reply
    • Lisa Huff says

      January 12, 2021 at 3:09 pm

      Hi, the ricotta doesn’t have to be completely smooth.

      Reply
  2. Beverly says

    January 9, 2021 at 5:45 pm

    The cinnamon was left out in the method.

    Reply
    • Lisa Huff says

      January 10, 2021 at 12:10 pm

      Yikes, yes I did! Thank you! Will update right now. :)

      Reply
  3. Gina says

    December 22, 2020 at 10:03 pm

    I have been wanting to make a cannoli cheesecake for a long time and very happy I found your recipe! The flavor is amazing right out of the bowl! It is baking right now but I have a feeling we will be scooping it instead of slicing because I did strain the ricotta but not the mascarpone and even though the ricotta was very thick I probably should have strained longer. I tried adding an extra table spoon of thickener but not sure if it helped. I will definitely make this again and will probably use my homemade ricotta since it is way thicker than store bought even though I use a great brand.

    Reply
    • Lisa Huff says

      December 23, 2020 at 8:04 am

      Hi Gina! Hope it turned out ok! Unfortunately, ricotta can be a little tricky. So many different brands and makes it tough. You can also try ricotta impastata but can be very difficult to find.

      Reply
  4. Beth says

    December 10, 2020 at 11:28 pm

    Hi there!

    I notice an instruction to “remove aluminum foil” but I can’t find an instruction that says where to put the foil

    Reply
    • Lisa Huff says

      December 11, 2020 at 7:52 am

      Hi! Step one under crust you want to wrap the bottom of the pan in aluminum foil so that water doesn’t leak in.

      Reply
  5. jacque hastert says

    December 2, 2020 at 9:16 am

    This cannoli cheesecake looks so light and fluffy! I can’t wait to make this as everyone in my house loves cannolis and cheesecake!

    Reply
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Lisa Huff is a cookbook author, recipe developer, food stylist, food photographer, & award-winning home chef.

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