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Layered cake with rich ricotta cannoli filling topped with an italian buttercream and homemade mini cannolis
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Cannoli Cake
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: cake, cannoli
Servings: 15
Author: Jackie
Ingredients
  • Cake:
  • 3 cups cake flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 sticks butter , softened to room temperature
  • 1 ½ sugar
  • 4 large eggs , room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cups buttermilk , room temperature
Cannoli Filling
  • 3 cups ricotta , drained through a cheesecloth
  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¾ mini chocolate chips
  • 8-10 mini cannoli shells
Cinnamon Italian Meringue Buttercream
  • 1¼ cups sugar , divided into 1 cup and ¼ cup
  • ⅓ cup water
  • 6 large egg whites , room temperature
  • ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 cup Plugrà European salted butter , very soft cut into pieces
  • 1¼ cup Plugrà unsalted butter , very soft, cut into pieces
  • 1 heaping teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • Ganache:
  • 1 cup good quality semi sweet chocolate
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1 and ½ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. To make the cake:
  2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 7 inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and line the bottoms with a parchment paper circle.
  3. In a bowl, combine cake flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and mic to combine.
  4. In the bowl of your mixer, beat butter and sugar until it becomes light and fluffy.
  5. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly before each addition.
  6. Beat in vanilla.
  7. Alternatively and gradually add flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter/egg mixture, mixing until just combined. Do not over mix.
  8. Divide batter into 3 pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife is inserted and comes out clean.
  9. Once baked, allow to cool completely before filling and frosting.
  10. To make the cannoli filling:
  11. Combine ricotta and powdered sugar and beat for about 5 minutes on high, until fluffy and smooth. Add cinnamon and beat for another minute.
  12. Mix in chocolate chips.
  13. Place filling into a piping bag attached with a large round tip, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
  14. Once cake has cooled, pipe about ½ cup of filling in-between 2 layers.
  15. Pipe remaining filling into the mini shells.
  16. To make the Italian Meringue:
  17. Combine 1 cup of sugar and water in a small sauce pan.
  18. Heat sugar and water on medium until boiling (you want large bubbles).

  19. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar until frothy.

  20. Increase your mixer speed to high and beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.

  21. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly and carefully pour hot sugar mixture into egg whites.

  22. Slowly increase the mixer speed again and beat until the mixture is no longer hot or warm and is fluffy and doubled in size. (Mixture needs to be as close to room temperature as possible before adding butter).

  23. With the mixer set at medium speed, slowly add butter pieces. Mix until smooth.
  24. Once smooth, add cinnamon and stir to combine.
  25. Assemble and frost cake.
  26. Press mini chocolate chips into the bottom half of the cake, carefully.
  27. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
  28. To make the chocolate ganache:
  29. Heat chocolate, cream, and butter in a small sauce pan on medium low until it is melted and smooth, stirring constantly.
  30. Once melted and smooth, remove from heat and allow to cool until room temperature (15-20 minutes).
  31. Pour ganache over top of cold cake and spread with an offset spatula.
  32. Top cake with filled cannoli shells and sprinkle with powdered sugar.