Cannoli Cake

Tender sponge cake layers are brushed with a chocolate liqueur syrup and then spread with a luscious cannoli frosting, perfectly creamy and fluffy. Cannoli Cake-1-2

Cannoli cake is a take on the beloved Italian cannoli pastry. I personally think it’s even better in cake form. The fluffy, tender sponge cake layers are infused with a chocolate liqueur syrup and the frosting inside the cake is made with the trifecta of Italian cheeses – cream cheese, mascarpone, and ricotta. Doesn’t that sound heavenly? Smooth and creamy, this filling is so luscious and isn’t too sweet.

From all the cakes that our family makes, this is definitely in the top 5. And between all my sisters, mom and myself, there’s a lot of cake baking happening. Elina was the first one who started making this cake and it has become our go-to for many parties, special events and just when we crave some good cake. 

After making this cake for almost ten years, I’ve been adjusting the recipe until I got it “just right”. I use the base sponge cake for many of the cakes that I make and the cannoli cream is great to use not only in cakes but also for pastries and cupcakes too. 

Instructions:

Sponge Cake Layers:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of 2 round (9 inch) cake pans with parchment paper.

Separate the eggs, putting the whites in one bowl and the yolks in another.

Beat the whites using a whisk attachment on a standing mixer or a hand held mixer until foamy. Gradually pour in half of the sugar. Mix the whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Mandarin Orange Cake-1-51In the other bowl with the yolks, add the remaining sugar and use the same whisk attachment to beat the yolks until they are pale and fluffy.

Cannoli Cake-1-24Combine the milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract in a bowl or cup. Set aside.

Cannoli Cake-1-22Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the egg yolks, being careful not to deflate the batter as much as possible. Cannoli Cake-1-26Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt over the folded eggs and gently fold in the batter.

Cannoli Cake-1-27When there are still some remaining streaks of flour, pour in the milk and butter mixture into the batter by the side of the bowl.

Cannoli Cake-1-28Continue gently folding until evenly distributed.

Cannoli Cake-1-29Divide the batter in half, pouring into the prepared cake pans.

Cannoli Cake-1-30Bake in the preheated oven until they are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cannoli Cake-1-19Cool on a wire rack.

Cannoli Cake-1-16Meanwhile, prepare the chocolate liqueur syrup, the cannoli filling, and the frosting.

Chocolate Liqueur Syrup:

Make a simple sugar by heating the sugar and water in a small pot until sugar dissolves and add the chocolate liqueur. Set aside to cool.

Cannoli Cake-1-18Filling and Frosting:

Cannoli Cake-1-20In a standing mixer with a paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, cream the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Cannoli Cake-1-31Add the mascarpone cheese and vanilla. You can just fold in the mascarpone cheese with a rubber spatula, since it’s soft enough or mix with the mixer just until combined, about 30 seconds. Cannoli Cake-1-32Pour in the cold heavy cream and starting mixing the mixture on low speed, gradually increasing to high speed. Cannoli Cake-1-33Mix until the heavy cream is incorporated into the frosting, becomes thick and fluffy.

Cannoli Cake-1-34

Cannoli Cake-1-35Set aside half of the mixture in a medium bowl. This will be the frosting. Set aside.

Add the ricotta cheese to the second part. This is the cannoli filling. Set aside as well.Cannoli Cake-1-36 

Assembling the Cake:

Cut each cake in half horizontally.

Using a serrated knife, make a small cut all around the outside of the cake. This will keep your knife on the same level as you are cutting across. Continue cutting deeper into the cake until you have cut all the way through.

Cannoli Cake-1-17Another trick I use when decorating cakes is to line the serving plate all around the edge with aluminum foil so that the edge of the cake is overlapping the aluminum foil by about 1/2 inch. This will catch all the drips and crumbs, leaving your serving plate neat and clean. When you’re done decorating just carefully pull the aluminum foil out.

Using a pastry brush, brush the top and bottom of each layer with the chocolate liqueur syrup.

Cannoli Cake-1-15Spread 1/3 of the Cannoli filling over the cake layer.

Cannoli Cake-1-13Repeat with the rest of the cake layers, brushing the chocolate liqueur syrup over both sides of the cake layer and spreading the cannoli filling over the other two cake layers. You can sprinkle mini chocolate chips over the filling. I only sprinkled chocolate chips over the middle layer, leaving them out of the first and third layers, but it’s completely up to you.

Cannoli Cake-1-12Use the frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake.

Cannoli Cake-1-11

Cannoli Cake-1-10Cover the sides of the cake with cake crumbs, any nuts that you like or chocolate chips. I used some leftover scraps from another cake that I was making, putting the cake scraps into a food processor to get fine crumbs. Cup a handful of crumbs or nuts in your palm with one hand and holding the cake with the other hand, slightly turn it, press the crumbs/nuts all around the sides of the cake.

Cannoli Cake-1-7I piped some buttercream frosting around the top of the cake and sprinkled the decorative dollops with mini chocolate chips. Adding some mini cannolis to the top of the cake gives everyone a hint of what kind of cake this is. For best results, refrigerate the cake for 2-4 hours so that the cake has time to meld together and the filling and frosting soak into the cake. I prefer to do this overnight. Store the cake in the refrigerator, but let it come to room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving it, so that the cannoli filling softens and becomes so velvety and smooth.

Cannoli Cake-1-2
Cannoli Cake-1-4

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Cannoli Cake

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5 from 3 reviews

Tender sponge cake layers are brushed with a chocolate liqueur syrup and then spread with a luscious cannoli frosting, perfectly creamy and fluffy.

  • Author: Olga's Flavor Factory
  • Prep Time: 2 hours
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 2 hours 25 mins
  • Yield: 1 (9 inch) round cake 1x
  • Category: Sweets

Ingredients

Scale

Sponge Cake Layers: (makes 2 (9 inch) sponge cake layers)

  • 8 eggs, separated, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar, divided
  • ½ cup milk and melted butter, total (1/4 cup each)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Syrup:

  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup chocolate liqueur

Filling and Frosting:

  • 2 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (or to taste)
  • 8 oz mascarpone cheese
  • 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled
  • Mini chocolate chips, for decorating

Instructions

Sponge Cake:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of 2 round (9 inch round) cake pans with parchment paper.
  2. Separate the eggs, putting the whites in one bowl and the yolks in another.
  3. Beat the whites using a whisk attachment on a standing mixer or a hand-held mixer until foamy. Gradually pour in half of the sugar. Mix the whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
  4. In the other bowl with the yolks, add the remaining sugar and use the same whisk attachment to beat the yolks until they are pale and fluffy.
  5. Combine the milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract in a bowl or cup. Set aside.
  6. Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the egg yolks, being careful not to deflate the batter as much as possible.
  7. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt over the folded eggs and gently fold in the batter.
  8. When there are still some remaining streaks of flour, pour in the milk and butter mixture into the batter by the side of the bowl.
  9. Continue gently folding until evenly distributed.
  10. Divide the batter in half, pouring into the prepared cake pans.
  11. Bake in the preheated oven until they are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.
  12. Cool on a wire rack.
  13. Meanwhile, prepare the chocolate liqueur syrup, the cannoli filling, and the frosting.

Chocolate Liqueur Syrup:

  1. Make a simple sugar by heating the sugar and water in a small pot until sugar dissolves and add the chocolate liqueur. Set aside to cool.

Filling and Frosting:

  1. In a standing mixer with a paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, cream the cream cheese and powdered sugar.
  2. Add the mascarpone cheese and vanilla. You can just fold in the mascarpone cheese with a rubber spatula, since it’s soft enough or mix with the mixer just until combined, about 30 seconds.
  3. Pour in the cold heavy cream and starting mixing the mixture on low speed, gradually increasing to high speed.
  4. Mix until the heavy cream is incorporated into the frosting, becomes thick and fluffy.
  5. Set aside half of the mixture in a medium bowl. This will be the frosting. Set aside.
  6. Add the ricotta cheese to the second part. This is the cannoli filling. Set aside as well.

Assembling the Cake:

  1. Cut each cake in half horizontally.
  2. Using a pastry brush, brush the top and bottom of each layer with the chocolate liqueur syrup.
  3. Spread 1/3 of the Cannoli filling over the cake layer.
  4. Repeat with the rest of the cake layers, brushing the chocolate liqueur syrup over both sides of the cake layer and spreading the cannoli filling over the other two cake layers. You can sprinkle mini chocolate chips over the filling. I only sprinkled chocolate chips over the middle layer, leaving them out of the first and third layers, but it’s completely up to you.
  5. Use the frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake.
  6. Cover the sides of the cake with cake crumbs, any nuts that you like or chocolate chips. I used some leftover scraps from another cake that I was making, putting the cake scraps into a food processor to get fine crumbs. Cup a handful of crumbs or nuts in your palm with one hand and holding the cake with the other hand, slightly turn it, press the crumbs/nuts all around the sides of the cake.
  7. I piped some buttercream frosting around the top of the cake and sprinkled the decorative dollops with mini chocolate chips. Adding some mini cannolis to the top of the cake gives everyone a hint of what kind of cake this is.
  8. For best results, refrigerate the cake for 2-4 hours so that the cake has time to meld together and the filling and frosting soak into the cake. I prefer to do this overnight.
  9. Store the cake in the refrigerator, but let it come to room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving it, so that the cannoli filling softens and becomes so velvety and smooth.

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Cannoli Cake-1-6

125 Comments

    • Olga K.

      I bought it in a liquor store, and it’s about $20 for a large bottle. You only need to use a small amount, so it will last you a long time.

  • JoAnn

    Oh my! I used to make a cake similar to yours, I knew it as Italian cassatta I think. It was slightly different, but your cake just sounds better! Thanks for providing wonderful pics along with the recipe!

  • Natasha of Natashaskitchen.com

    Wow that truly looks awesome! Beautiful and has all the ingredients of a fabulous cake! Can’t wait! Can’t wait!!

  • Irina Malichek

    Good luck in expanding your delicious recipes. You have a great collection and I hope that you will add more of the Slavic cuisine. I will certaily try a few of your suggestions. Easter dishes and “zakuski” is something I am always looking for, as I love to cook.
    thank you again!
    Irina Malichek

  • nadia

    So I made this cake last night,and can I say this is hands down one of new favorites. Yummy doesn’t describe it :)))

    • Olga K.

      Mascarpone cheese is a creamy, rich cheese which can be found in most grocery stores in the same area as other refrigerayed specialty cheeses. It is most commonly found on Tiramisu cake and is very different from Cool Whip.

  • MARIA

    HI I JUST WANTED TO DOUBLE CHECK WHEN U SAY TO REPEAT WITH EGG YOLKS FOR THE CAKE PART DO YOU MEAN TO WHIP THEM UNTIL SOFT PEAKS FORM AS WELL AS THE EGG WHITES?

    • olgak7

      Yes, whip the egg yolks also. “Repeat with the egg yolks and the remaining 5 Tablespoons of sugar, until pale yellow and thick.”

  • inessa

    I have made this cake for my husbands birthday party… And can truly say EVERYONE loved it.. I did make just few tiny changes,, i did not have the chocolate liquor so i used coffee, and i did not use sugar in the frosting but used half of can cooked condensed milk.. The cake was awesome!!! The beskvit was soo good and I am not a big fan of biscviti, but this one yammm!! Thanks for the recipe..So simple but so good.

  • Natalka

    Olga thank you so much for your website, first time writing comment, mnogo recipes try from your blog (loved). Have some voprosik, if i dont have 2 odinokovux cake pans, testo mozna ostavit v xolodilnike kogda spechetsya pervuj tort (korzh), kak zdelat mozhna ?

    • olgak7

      Hi Natalka!
      I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog:).
      Yes, you can wait until the first cake bakes and then bake the second one, however, it might not rise as much, since the beaten eggs will deflate with time.

  • Tanya

    My cakes turned out really low, like they weren’t even high enough for me to cut them in half. Any ideas as to what I could have done wrong? I followed the recipe exactly, or so I thought I did.

    • olgak7

      Hi Tanya,
      It could be a number of different things. I talked about different issues with cake baking in a post called 8 Cake Baking Tips. Check it out.

      • erin

        Hi! A friend of mine has made a cake like this before and i’m almost positive it was this recipe, but needless to say it was absoluteley incredible and I am going to attemp to make it myself! I was reading the cake tips, and about using less sugar…do you recommend using less sugar from what your recipe says, or are you saying that for any recipe in general? i guess what i’am wondering is would i use, say 5 tablespoons instead of 10?! just curious:)
        Thank you

        • olgak7

          Hi Erin,
          Glad you stopped by!
          In the cake tips, I was talking about other recipes in general. For the recipes that I have here, I already reduced the sugar.

          • erin

            Thank you for the clarification! Also, if i wanted to make it into a rectangular cake, what size pans would you recommend loaf pans or 8×8 pans?

  • Nadia

    Can I bake the cake layers couple of days in advance? like if i bake today and then assemble it tomorrow for Saturday party?
    BTW love your site!

    Thanks

  • erin

    Hi Olga…just wondering if i can freeze the sponge cake? Made the cake part already, but later found out that our dinner plans were cancelled 🙁

  • alina

    Wonderful site. i had a quick question. how is the cream is it runny, i am making a cake and using fondant on top and wanted to try this recipe, but the cream cant be runny, it has to hold its self. this sounds soo delish im just afraid that its too Nezhniy? Thanx 🙂

    • olgak7

      Hi Alina,
      If you make the cream correctly, it’s not too runny. In fact, it’s pretty thick. Of course, not like buttercream, but I can’t stand how buttercream taste, like you’re biting into a stick of sweet butter. My opinion about desserts is that they have to taste good first. What’s the point of a pretty cake if you can’t eat it?
      I’ve decorated fondant cakes in the past, and don’t see why you can’t use this frosting. It should work well. If you want it to be a bit thicker, add a package of softened cream cheese to the sour cream and mix until it’s completely mixed. Whip up the cream separately if you’re worried that it wont whip up in the frosting and then fold it in.
      Hope that helps.

      • Ginseng MacKay-Tsibert

        I don’t see why you suggest adding cream cheese to the sour cream mix…. what sour cream mix? the recipe doesn’t call for sour cream. sorry, confused.

        • olgak7

          I’m confused as well. I just re-read the recipe instructions and don’t see sour cream referred to anywhere.

          “For the frosting, whip the heavy cream with 1-2 Tablespoons of powdered sugar.
          Gently fold in the whipped cream into the second part of the cream cheese/mascarpone cheese mixture. This will be the frosting.”

  • Alena

    Liquor stores in SC are called ABC stores. I don’t know if that’s the case in other states. Anyway, thanks for the quick reply, and S Novim Godom!

  • Mila

    Olga, I made this cake and mine didn’t turn out as perfect looking like yours but I’ll say it was delicious!!! My sponge cakes didn’t turn out as big as yours but I think its because I wasn’t mixing it gently enough, but that’s okay. You are a great cook and I love your recipes. Keep it up!

  • Tania

    Hi Olga, does it have to be chocolate liquor? I have kahlua liquor handy at home and what wondering if it’s ok to substitute that instead?

    • olgak7

      I’ll have to take a picture next time I make it. Cakes are very tough for me to photograph, since I don’t usually make them for just my husband and I. It would take us a week to eat it. I make cakes when we have company, so it’s not always convenient to take a picture of the slice of cake. I’ll keep it on my to-do list.

  • Donna

    Hi!
    I was browsing for recipes to find something for my edible mid-term for my pastry/baking class using techniques we have learned. I had made lasagna and had left over ricotta cheese and wanted to use it. I remembered a cake I had a while back that was a cannoli cake. Well,….after searching forever…I found this recipe of yours, and I knew this was IT! Can’t wait to try it(yes, I will practice first…). wish me luck:). Just for the record…you can teach an old dog new tricks..I have gone back to school after 25 years, to become an assistant pastry/baking chef.

  • Inna

    Hi Olga,
    I made this cake for mothers day. It turned out perfect. Everyone loved it and by the end of the night there was none left. Thank you so much for the recipes!!

    P.S. I have dinner in the oven as im writing this….also from your menu, the potato and chicken casserole 🙂

    • olgak7

      Thanks so much for taking the time to write, Inna! I’m thrilled to hear that you guys enjoyed the cake.
      Hope you like the casserole. It’s definitely a favorite of ours:).

    • olgak7

      You certainly can, J9. I usually make most of my cakes ahead of time. Usually, they taste even better after having time to stand and soak in all the flavors.

    • olgak7

      Absolutely, Cheri!
      As a matter of fact, almost all the cakes that I make can be prepared and assembled a few days in advance. They will probably taste better too, since there will be time for the flavors to meld and the frosting to seep into the cake layers. As long as you keep the cake refrigerated, it will be good for a few days.

  • Tony Pisano

    Olga. I am glade I found your site. I have been looking for this type of cake I will be making it in a week for a party i am having. I will let you know how I make out. Thank again for your posting of great sounding and fantastic looking recipes

  • Tony

    Olga: I made your Cannoli cake for a dinner party this past week end. It was GREAT!!!!. Not to sweet a good combination of sweet and I would say a bit of tartness. One of the guest ask if she could have my recipe I told her it was a family recipe passed down from generation to generation. Then I told her I got if off a Russian girl web site and we all laugh. They said to tell you that you sure know what you are doing and must have a little bit of Italian blood in you. LOL.
    Thanks again I will be making other items from your site.

    • olgak7

      Thanks, Tony! That really made me laugh!
      I’m so glad to read such awesome feedback. You never know, maybe there is some Italian in me:). Either way,Italian is my favorite cuisine besides Slavic. My husband and I went to Italy this summer and loved it.

        • olgak7

          That’s a good question, Nataly. I guess you can use some other sort of liquor, or rum or cognac. If you don’t want to use anything alcoholic, you could probably use coffee, although all of these will give the cake a different flavor.

  • Gina

    This recipe is FABULOUS!! My family’s new favorite. I just did a “white forest” version adding in kirch marinated cherries. Thanks!

  • Olya D

    Do you think this sponge cake will work if i make this into a cake roll instead of a layered cake? Or will it break when i try to roll the cake?

      • Olya D

        I’ll just pour, “na oko”, into my usual big rectangle pan that I use for cake rolls :). Looks like this one can even make 2 rolls, but I’ll see. I just wasn’t sure if the batter will be roll-able enough, without breaking, once baked… I’ve been in love with cake rolls for some reason. Think this would be a perfect cake roll with chopped pistachios! I’ll let you know how it works out 🙂

          • Olya D

            So I did it into one big roll instead of a regular cake. I also used chopped pistachios & chocolate chips for inside & on the outside of the roll instead of almonds. It turned out really really yummy & elegant looking! All my guests raved about it! This is my new favorite cake recipe!
            I do have to say that I barely tasted the choc liquor. It was a little too diluted for my taste. Maybe your liquor is stronger, but next time I plan to just sprinkle my chocolate liquor straight up. It’s pretty sweet.

      • Olya D

        Oh, & one more thing. Doing the whole sugar water with the liquor, is that just to dilute it? Just sprinkling straight up chocolate liquor on the cake should work too right? to save time…

  • Christina

    The cake you made looks amazing! I was browsing to make a cake that didn’t have buttercream icing and was somewhat different, when I happened upon your site! The cake is for my mom for her birthday, and she isn’t a big fan of buttercream, so this Is perfect!
    I’m currently in the process of making this cake now, and I added some of the mini chocolate chips to the filling. I had a question.. What do you think of adding chocolate ganache (just the glazed kind) to the top of the cake over frosting?

    • olgak7

      Hi Christina! I’m glad you chose to make this recipe. Thanks for visiting my blog:). I’m sorry I couldn’t answer your question earlier, but I hope it turned out well. I’m sure a chocolate ganache would have been just fine for this cake.

  • J Amari

    This recipe tastes nothing like cannoli cake or filling. I followed your recipe to the letter. The only thing that tasted somewhat like the original is the cake. I am not saying it does not taste okay it is just not cannoli cream.

      • Alex

        Cannoli cream is supposed to taste like THIS. Not the cannoli cream that is popular in the USA. This is as close to “Italian cannoli cream” as you are going to get. Not too sweet with a ricotta bite. Yes… “taste is a matter of preference”

  • Kim

    I want to use your cannoli filling for a graduation cake I’m making. I will be decorating the cake with fondant cap and diploma etc… I’m wondering if the whole cake has to be refrigerated once I add the cannoli filling in between the layers? It’s a sheet cake and not sure I’ll have room for it in my refrigerator.

    • olgak7

      I would recommend refrigerating the cake, although if you serve it soon after assembling it, you don’t have to refrigerate. I think the texture will be better if it’s cold too, Kim.

  • marta

    Hi Olga,

    A nurse by night, a wife, mother and homemaker by day?!! Please tell me – how on earth do u do that and yet still look so beautiful and well rested?! Not fair!
    Your cake, btw, looks fantastic! I wanted to make this for my husband and my birthday’s, since they’re only a day apart (July 21 & 22). I do have one question, though. I’ve used waxed paper squares to put under the cake when frosting, then pull them away after but whenever I do that, the bottom part of the frosted cake pulls away and sticks to the paper. Then I have to go back and refrost the bottom. I usually end up getting frosting all over the plate anyway, which obviously defeats the purpose. Does that happen to you and is there anyway to correct the problem? Thanks.

    • olgak7

      Thanks, Marta! The way I look so well rested is by not taking pictures when I’m exhausted, LOL. Trust me, there are plenty of days when I am exhausted and look terrible:).
      When I use wax paper for frosting a cake, it gets a little bit soft and that is why when I pull it away after frosting a cake, it leaves frosting behind. Using aluminum foil, and preferably heavy duty aluminum foil helps a lot.

  • Alex

    OK… Crazy!
    My Nona used to make a Cannoli cake when I was a kid. She never gave anyone her :secret” recipe. It was amazing.
    I have tried several cakes and it wasn’t quite right no matter how many different recipes I tried. I made this one yesterday. It took a lot of pre-planning as i wanted to get all my ingredients ready before I started. I followed the recipe step by step trying my best to not stray and add any of my own touches (as I, and many do when they download recipes online). It turned out to PERFECTION. I was amazed that it was the closest to my grandmother’s cake. My mom and aunt actually got tears in their eyes when they tasted it. “Where did you get this? It is just like nona’s!” I told them “it’s a secret”. Thank you for sharing this recipe and for making it easier than I thought to bring back my childhood memories. This recipe is a keeper. THANK YOU!!! (for the cake AND the diabetes) 🙂

    • olgak7

      Thank you so much, Alex! I am so glad to hear that you and your family really enjoyed this cake. I really love Cannoli cream and this cake is a favorite in our family.

  • Brandy

    Looks delicious. But why do you need to brush the top and bottom of each layer with the syrup? Can’t wait to try it!

    • olgak7

      Brushing the cake with syrup will make it really tender and moist, as well as give it lots more flavor, Brandi. The liqueur that I usually use in syrups gives extra flavor to the cake.

  • Lon

    DON’T use this frosting with fondant. I attempted to use it on a wedding cake thinking it was thick enough. When the frosting gets warm whatsoever it turns to a pudding type of consistency and basicly melts fondant. Don’t say you weren’t warned…

  • Mila

    Made this cake and was disappointed it wasn’t bad just in other words I had a high expectation. pouring the butter with milk at the end seemed like that ruined my cake texture ( even though I did just as it sated) and probably that’s why my sponge was nothing like sponge was more like a big fat pancake had to re do it and used momsdish.com recipie of the sponge cake and that was super easy without dividing egg yokes and whites. The cream was good but it seemed like it was not enough of it for the cake I think if I were to ever make it I would make more cream ( if you have leftovers you won’t feel guilty eating it;))

  • Camille Thompson

    I have been making my families Cannoli cream recipe since I was 15 years old. I was asked by a friend to make a cannoli cake for here sons going away party, for 75 people. 75 people!! Okay, so I read through this recipe and I knew immediately that it was a perfect recipe. Because I had to make such a large cake and the thought of multiplying the cake recipe 4 time was more than I could physically handle, I cut corners and used French vanilla cake mixes and followed the recipe to the letter. It was totally delish!!! I made it 12 hours ahead so all the flavors had time to meld. Note: the cream cheese icing would also be perfect on a fancy carrot cake since it can be piped. Love this! Thanks Olga!!!

  • Linda Phillips

    I am about to make your cannoli cake for the first time for Christmas. I have been baking for many years. May I ask do you have to wipe each layer with the chocolate liqueur mixture? Would there be a big difference in the taste of the cake if it is not done? The liqueur is expensive for the amount needed. If it is definitely needed can I replace the 1/4 cup of liqueur with coffee?

  • Linda Phillips

    I am going to make your recipe for cannoli cake for Christmas. I have been baking for many years. May I ask do you have to wipe each layer with the chocolate liqueur mixture? Would there be a big difference in the taste of the cake if it is not done? The liqueur is expensive for the amount needed. If it is definitely needed can I replace the 1/4 cup of the liqueur with coffee? What is the purpose of doing this? I would do it lightly but hate a soggy cake since the layers are so thin. Thank you so much.

  • Linda Phillips

    I am making your cannoli cake soon. Can I replace the 1/4 cup of liqueur with coffee? If I don’t brush the layers at all will it make a difference in the taste?

  • Linda Phillips

    I have written you before and my question does not show. Then I checked my e-mail and confirmed so I pray it shows now. I am making your recipe for cannoli cake for Christmas. I would like to know if the 1/4 cup of chocolate liqueur can be substituted with coffee. It is expensive and not much is needed. Does brushing each layer make that much of a difference if not done in the taste of the cake? I have been baking for many years I always bake all the Italian cookies for Christmas. They know I am making this so I get not get out of it ha. I want it to be perfect. Thank you

    • olgak7

      Hi Linda,
      If you have never commented on my blog before, your question will not show up until I approve it. I have this set up for all comments.
      You can certainly substitute the chocolate liqueur with coffee if you prefer.
      The chocolate liqueur gives more flavor to the cake as well as make it more moist. I hope you enjoy the cake.

      • Linda Phillips

        Thank you. But can the cake be made without the brushing of the layers? Once the cake is cut in half they will be very thin. Really don’t want to spend that kind of money on the liqueur for one cake.

  • Linda Phillips

    Hi Olga, I wanted to know if I can replace the sponge cake with a vanilla cake or angels food cake? Would the cake be too moist?

    • olgak7

      I honestly don’t know Linda. I’ve only used this recipe for Cannoli Cake. I think sponge cake works best for this cake, but you can try something else if you’d like.

  • Mom54

    You show in photo double portion of chocolate syrup and say half that amount is good for one cake. Since recipe makes two cakes does that mean that the recipe amount for syrup given should always be doubled?

    • olgak7

      No, this is a recipe for one cake, not 2. There are two sponge cake layers, that you will cut in half horizontally, but it is all assembled into one cake. I had a double portion of chocolate syrup in the picture because I was making 2 Cannoli cakes. I’m sorry that was confusing for you. Just follow the ingredients listed in the recipe.
      I hope that helps.

  • Anonymous

    Hi I was looking at the directions and I see you add ricotta cheese but I don’t see it in the recipe how much do you add?

  • Lena

    Hi Olga! Can I use this крем на торт медовик? Wasn’t sure if ricotta would mess up the soft medovik layers.
    Thanks a lot.

  • Leslie Lansing

    This cake is amazing! I have made it twice for two different functions and everyone has raved about it. I even tripled the recipe to make a 12 x !8 sheet cake. Thank you for sharing.

  • Peg

    The filling/frosting did not thicken!! Should the whipping cream be beat separately until thick & fluffy before adding to cream/cheese mixture??

    • olgak7

      I have never had that happen before. The heavy whipping cream needs to be really cold. If you have trouble with it, whip the heavy cream separately before folding it into the rest of the frosting.

  • Elaine

    I made this cake and it was fantastic and impressive. My only change was I used slivered almonds instead of cake crumbs for the outer coating. It turned out so close to that of my family’s favorite special occasion cake from the best Italian bakery from my childhood in NYC, and that is quite a feat, IMHO. It was for my husband’s birthday and he loved it. Thanks for the great recipe and directions!



  • Julia

    Hi Olga, I just wanted to say thank you for this recipe, it was very delicious. I made it for my husband and daughter’s birthdays and it’s such a light, fluffy cake recipe, we really enjoyed it. I put fresh strawberries in between the middle layers, and mini chocolate chips between the top & bottom layers. Huge hit!



    • olgak7

      I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the Cannoli Cake for you family birthdays:). That is such an honor for me to hear. Thank you for taking the time to write.

  • Mina

    I made it for my daughter’s birthday. It’s an amazing cake, light and fluffy. Thank you for sharing the recipe.



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