Cannoli Layer Cake | Life, Love, and Sugar

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This Cannoli Layer Cake is a lightweight, moist cinnamon cake layered with cannoli filling, chocolate chips and mascarpone frosting! All one of the best components of cannoli in a single irresistible cake!

Why You’ll Love This Cannoli Layer Cake

I’ve been making this cannoli layer cake for years and it stays one in every of my favorites. I lately up to date the recipe to make it even higher. I made a decision to vary the cake layers to my newer moist vanilla cake recipe. It makes use of complete eggs, as a substitute of egg whites, so that you aren’t losing the yolks, and it’s additionally a lighter cake. I additionally lowered the filling and added some mini chocolate chips and made the frosting a bit thicker and extra sturdy to carry the cake collectively higher.

This cake was superb earlier than so belief me after I say it’s merely irresistible now! Listed below are a couple of explanation why:

• All one of the best components of cannoli. Cannoli as a taste for truffles and different desserts at all times surprises me. It looks like a taste that’s so gentle and primarily composed of a bit cinnamon and a few sorts of cheese can be pretty boring – and but each cannoli dessert I make I completely fall in love with. They’re something however boring and this cannoli layer cake is not any exception.
• Gentle & frivolously candy. Mascarpone cheese has simply change into one in every of my favourite issues to make use of in desserts. The flavour is extremely gentle, however so darn good and simply candy sufficient. I used it for each the filling and the frosting on this cake.
• Absolute showstopper. This cake actually is phenomenal. It takes a bit time and finesse to work with the tender filling and frosting, nevertheless it’s completely price it. You gained’t wish to share a single crumb with anybody. It’s so lovely as soon as assembled and doesn’t actually require any particular adorning expertise both.

Recipe Components

Right here’s a run-down of all the pieces you’ll have to make this cake. Scroll right down to the recipe card beneath for the precise measurements.

Cannoli Filling

• Ricotta cheese – Ricotta is a should in relation to any cannoli filling. It would be best to pressure it.
• Mascarpone cheese – I exploit mine straight out of the fridge, however you would additionally let it sit out for 5-10 minutes. You simply don’t need it to get too heat. It’ll flip watery at that time and you’ll’t actually put it aside.
• Powdered sugar – Sweetens and helps to stabilize the filling.
• Mini chocolate chips

Cake Layers

• All-purpose flour – Make sure you measure it correctly. I at all times advocate a meals scale, however the spoon and degree methodology can even work.
• Baking powder & baking soda – Utilizing each helps to offer the cake a lightweight and tender crumb.
• Floor cinnamon – Provides only a bit of heat to the cake layers, which properly compliments the filling.
• Salt – Enhances the flavors already current. And not using a little salt, your cake can be bland.
• Unsalted butter – You would use salted butter, however you’d wish to pass over the added salt.
• Vegetable oil – Helps preserve the cake additional moist.
• Sugar – This cake makes use of each white and brown sugar for one of the best texture and taste.
• Vanilla extract
• Eggs – It’s greatest to make use of room temperature eggs when making as they incorporate into the batter extra simply, which helps forestall over mixing. Make sure you use giant eggs, not medium or additional giant.
• Milk – I usually use 2% however complete milk works too.
• Bitter cream – Bitter cream provides a bit of additional moisture to the cake.

Buttercream

• Unsalted butter – At room temperature.
• Mascarpone cheese – Once more, the mascarpone shouldn’t get too heat or it’ll change into watery.
• Powdered sugar – Helps to sweeten, add quantity and stabilize the buttercream.
• Vanilla extract
• Mini chocolate chips

How To Make Cannoli Layer Cake

As a result of the filling and frosting for this cake are made with ricotta and mascarpone cheeses and on the softer facet, you’ll have to pay cautious consideration to the method of constructing the cake. There’s a little bit of ready concerned at a few factors to ensure issues are agency. It’s price each second, although! You will discover the printable model of the directions within the recipe card beneath.

Pressure the Ricotta

• Pressure the ricotta. Line a big strainer with two layers of cheesecloth. Add the ricotta and canopy with extra cheesecloth. Place the strainer in a bowl with at the very least 1-2 inches on the backside of the bowl and place one thing heavy on prime of the cheesecloth to assist squeeze out the liquid. Refrigerate for at the very least 4 hours.

Make the Filling

• Make the filling. Combine the strained ricotta, mascarpone, and powdered sugar on low velocity till properly mixed. You can even combine it by hand with a spatula. It is a thinner filling and you don’t want to over combine it.
• Chill. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. (If you happen to begin making the cake layers now, it’ll be prepared when the truffles have cooled.)

Make the Cake

• Prep. Line three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper circles within the backside. Grease the perimeters and preheat the oven to 350F.
• Make the batter. Mix the dry elements and put aside. Beat collectively the butter, oil, sugars, and vanilla till gentle in colour and fluffy. Add the eggs separately, mixing till largely mixed after every and scraping down the perimeters of the bowl as wanted.
• Mix. Combine in half of the dry elements till largely mixed then slowly add within the milk and bitter cream. Add the remaining dry elements, mixing till properly mixed and clean.
• Bake. Divide the batter evenly between the ready cake pans. Bake for 20-24 minutes, till a toothpick inserted within the middle comes out with a couple of crumbs.
• Cool. Take away the truffles from the oven. Permit to chill for 2-3 minutes then take away to cooling racks to chill fully.

Make the Buttercream

• Beat the mascarpone. Beat the mascarpone and butter simply till clean. Don’t overmix or the mascarpone will change into too skinny and watery.
• Add the powdered sugar. Add the powdered sugar in two components, mixing till mixed and clean. It might look a bit separated however it should come collectively as you add extra. Gently stir within the vanilla extract.

Construct the Cake

• Prep the truffles. Use a big serrated knife to take away the domes from the tops of the truffles so that they’re fully flat.
• Assemble. Place the primary cake on a serving plate. Pipe a dam of frosting across the edge then fill with 1/2 of the filling. Add the second layer of cake, one other dam of frosting, and the remaining filling contained in the dam. Add the ultimate layer of cake on prime then add a skinny crumb coat of frosting to the skin of the cake.
• Chill. Refrigerate the cake for 1-2 hours, till agency and durable (Or you may also pop it within the freezer for half-hour). Place the remaining frosting within the fridge as properly however take away it about 20 minutes earlier than persevering with.
• Enhance. Frost the skin of the cake with the rest of the frosting. End by urgent some mini chocolate chips alongside the underside. Pipe the remaining frosting on the highest edge. I used Ateco tip 847. Refrigerate till able to serve.

Ideas for Success

Listed below are a couple of ideas for making this beautiful cannoli layer cake.

• Pressure the ricotta properly. This actually isn’t one thing you wish to skip, or your filling might be too skinny. I love to do it the evening earlier than to save lots of time. I normally get a couple of tablespoons of liquid after straining it.
• Combine the mascarpone with care. The large factor you need to watch out of when utilizing mascarpone cheese is that you just don’t wish to over-mix it or combine it at a excessive velocity. The bottom velocity you’ve gotten is greatest. It simply will get watery should you aren’t cautious or it will get too heat.
• Can I exploit much less powdered sugar? The buttercream makes use of 8 ½ cups of powdered sugar. You possibly can add much less powdered sugar to the frosting in order that there isn’t a lot sugar, however you gained’t find yourself with as a lot frosting and it gained’t be as thick. You want it thick sufficient for the dam to remain in place and preserve the filling in place. I extremely advocate utilizing the total quantity of powdered sugar.
• Thicken the filling. The filling is on the thinner facet. I didn’t add an excessive amount of powdered sugar to the filling as a result of I just like the style of the cheeses, however you would add extra to thicken it additional should you’d like.
• Chill the filling. It’s necessary to make the filling forward of time and permit it to sit back for a couple of hours earlier than utilizing it within the recipe, to permit it thicken a bit.
• Refrigerate the assembled cake. As soon as the cake layers are assembled, you’ll want to give it time to sit back and set. In any other case, the layers can slide in all places as you attempt to frost the skin. If you happen to’re in a rush, you’ll be able to freeze it for about half-hour.

Correct Storage

Hold the cannoli layer refrigerated till able to serve. It needs to be saved well-covered or in an hermetic container, comparable to this cake provider. It’s greatest when loved inside 3-4 days.

To freeze the cake, flash freeze for 1-2 hours, then wrap properly. Thaw within the fridge earlier than serving. You can even slice the cake and freeze the person slices. Wrap them individually or retailer them in an hermetic container.

Extra Cannoli Desserts To Strive

This recipe was up to date September 30, 2024 primarily based on reader suggestions. For the unique model, obtain this recipe PDF.

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