Pumpkin Cannoli Cake, a homemade four-layered pumpkin cake with cannoli frosting and sprinkles of chocolate chips and walnuts. The perfect from-scratch fall and Thanksgiving dessert!
Thanksgiving is coming up soon, and this is the perfect dessert! Part pumpkin, part Italian, and overall really delicious!!
You may be familiar with my very popular homemade Cannoli Cake or Cannoli Cookies. I took all those fun cannoli flavors and combined them with fall flavors for the best holiday dessert this year!
Equipment As Seen In the Video
Here are a few items as seen in the video below PLUS a few more items you may want to make this Pumpkin Cannoli Cake…
- Bake Even Strips – These baking strips go around the cake pans and help the cakes bake in a nice even layer.
- Whisk – Of course, any whisk will do, but check out these fun colorful whisks that stores flat.
- Zester – Fresh orange zest is the perfect addition to this cake. It doesn’t overwhelm the other flavors but gives a little something extra. An inexpensive zester is great to have around.
- Cheesecloth – To drain the cheese(s) overnight you can use paper towels or cheesecloth.
- Nut Chopper – These nut choppers are fun little kitchen gadgets that make chopping nuts a breeze.
- Precut Parchment Paper – Not sure I could live without these precut parchment paper rounds. No more cakes sticking to the pans and so much easier than cutting paper out of a roll.
(Full printable recipe card is at bottom of post.)
Ingredient Tips
- Pumpkin– Make sure you use unsweetened pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling.
- Cinnamon – Instead of cinnamon you can use pumpkin pie spice or your favorite fall spice blend.
- Orange Zest & Juice – You can omit the fresh orange juice and zest, but it really does add a nice flavor and is not overwhelming.
- Ricotta & Mascarpone Cheeses – For best results for the frosting, be sure to strain your cheeses overnight. See how to strain ricotta for tips. If your cheese is watery, you’ll end up with a runny frosting. You can also subsitute cream cheese for some of the cheese if you’d like.
- Chocolate Chips – I used mini chocolate chips but you could use chopped chocolate or regular chocolate chips.
- Walnuts – I love walnuts in this cake but you can omit them completey or use another type of nut such as pecans. Or use more chocolate chips instead.
Pumpkin Cannoli Cake FAQ
How should I store the Pumpkin Cannoli Cake?
Store the cake covered in the refrigerator.
Can I freeze the cake?
I would not recommend freezing the cake because of the cheese in the frosting. You could however, wrap the unfrosted cake layers and freeze.
How long will the cake last?
Assuming your ingredients and cheese are fresh it will last at least a few days in the fridge if not longer like a week.
Substitutions?
Instead of walnuts you could use pecans or additional chocolate chips. Instead of mini chocolate chips you could use regular chocolate chips or chopped chocolate. Instead of vanilla you could use almond extract or Fiori di Sicilia. You can also substitute some cream cheese for the ricotta and/or mascarpone cheese.
Can I use low-fat ingredients?
I would not recommend using low-fat cheeses or oil substitutes for this recipe.
What should I do if my frosting is runny?
If your cheese was not drained well and turns out runny few ideas. If it’s not too runny, you can try refrigerating the frosting overnight. The frosting does tend to thicken a bit when refrigerated. You can also beat in more THICK mascarpone or ricotta cheese. OR even softened cream cheese will help thicken the frosting. Or lastly, you can also fold in some fresh whipped cream and/or defrosted whipped topping.
Can I make this vegan/vegetarian/low carb/gluten-free?
Here are some suggestions, but I can’t guarantee results. Be sure as always to check particular brands and ingredients if you’re following a specific diet or have diet restrictions or allergies.
Vegan – This would be a tough cake to make vegan but you can try using vegan ingredients including a cream cheese substitute.
Vegetarian – It’s vegetarian. Be sure to check individual brands/products just to be sure though.
Low-Carb – You can try a sugar substitute for the sugar, but it will still have quite a few carbs.
Gluten-Free -Try a gluten-free flour substitute that has a 1:1 substitution ratio.
Hope you enjoy this delicious homemade 4 layer Pumpkin Cannoli Cake!
Pumpkin Cannoli Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake Batter:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 15 ounces pumpkin unsweetened (1 can)
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Frosting: (see notes below)
- 10 ounces ricotta cheese drained overnight if needed (see notes below)
- 16 ounces mascarpone cheese drained overnight if needed (see notes below)
- 3 cups powdered sugar (possibly more if needed)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon fresh orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cups walnuts coarsely chopped
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter/grease and flour 2 (9-inch) round baking pans (or can substitute 8-inch round baking pans).
- Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium mixing bowl until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Then whisk in pumpkin followed by the orange zest and vanilla.
- Add liquid ingredient to large mixing bowl with dry ingredients and whisk together until just combined.
- Pour cake batter into prepared pans, spread to form even layers. Bake for about 23-27 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.
Frosting:
- 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, vanilla, orange juice, cinnamon, and salt until well combined.
To Assemble:
- To assemble cake, place one layer on cake dish. Top with frosting then sprinkle about 2-3 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips and walnuts on top. Repeat with remaining layers. Frost outside of cake and add remaining chocolate chips and walnuts to outside of cake or as desired. Use remaining frosting to decorate or pipe as desired. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition:
(Nutrition data is provided when available for informational purposes only and calculated using an online nutritional calculator. For the most accurate information please calculate based on specific ingredients and brands you use as well as any changes you made to the recipe. I am not a certified nutritionist or registered dietician and any nutritional information provided should only be used as a general guideline and estimate.)
Suja md says
This looks amazing and such a treat! Thank you!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
What a delicious cake with so many great flavours. Thanks so much for the tips on draining the riccota too.
Emese says
This cake has all the ingredients I absolutely love. I can already smell the cinnamon. Thanks for this delicious combination.
Carrie says
Oh wow! I am loving all of the layers of goodness happening here! :)
Stephanie says
You had me at cannoli lol. I actually think I might like cannoli cake even better! And with pumpkin? I can’t wait to try this!
Susan says
Thank you for an awesome recipe. Everyone loved this cake! Easy to prepare and lovely presentation. Only change that I made was to eliminate walnuts due to family member with nut allergy. Sure will be making this again
Lisa Huff says
Thank you so much Susan! :)
Donna says
Can this be made in a 9 x 13 pan? Thanks
Lisa Huff says
I don’t see why not although not sure of baking time since I haven’t tried it. Good luck!