OH CANNOLI NIGHT……IT’S A CANNOLI CREAM CAKE

It’s that time of year again, the happ happiest time, that jingle bell time, that holiday season, and that can mean only one thing.  Cakes, Cookies, Candies and Pies!!!  Many years ago I was treated to a Cannoli for the very first time, I had no idea what to expect and was even a bit confused.  I mean, you make dessert out of ricotta cheese, isn’t that just for lasagna?  Mama Jeanette just shook her head and said “oh my, sonny boy you have so much to learn”.  Well, she was right, she not only taught me about cannoli’s but introduced me to a new cheese, Marscapone, and what I learned to do with Marscapone….sigh….but that’s a story for another day.

A good cannoli cream is a wonderful thing, not too sweet, creamy and with just a hint of lemon.  Over the years I have made many flavors, and varieties of cannoli’s but I always come back to the classic, time honored filling.
Not only is this filling perfect for cannoli’s but it also makes a great filling for a cake.   Now it’s not going to be a fancy, schmancy cake, but its going to be a wonderful dessert, and something your guests will talk about to their friends and neighbors.  Some times the simplest desserts are the best.  Just give me a double espresso and a slice of this cake, and I’m a happy boy.

you start with a nice yellow cake, a wonderful filling and finish it how ever you like. I happened to have some Ghiradelli Peppermint Bark and that found its way to the top of the cake.  It’s quick, its easy, and most of all, it’s delicious!

Yellow Layer Cake
2/3 cup Butter softened
1 3/4 cup Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/4 cup Milk

In your mixer cream the softened butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each egg.
Mix in the Vanilla
In another bowl add the flour, salt and baking powder and blend together
Add the 1/3 of the flour to the creamed mixture alternating with the milk, continue until all the ingredients have been added.
Divide the mixture into three floured 9″ cake pans and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center out clean.
Allow cakes to cool completely before adding cannoli cream.

Cannoli Cream
16 oz Ricotta Cheese
8 oz Marscapone Cheese
1 cup Superfine Sugar
Zest of one Lemon
1 Tbsp Vanilla
1 cup mini Chocolate Chips

Blend together ricotta and marscapone
add in superfine sugar (if you can’t find superfine, use your food processor to make regular sugar into superfine.  Do not let it become powder, that will be 10x and that makes the mixture too loose.)  The secret to keeping the cream thicker is superfine sugar.  10x sugar makes the mixture too loose.
Add in lemon zest, vanilla and chocolate chips.
Refrigerate for 2 hours if possible, before using as filling for the cake.

This is a cake that won’t make you crazy, you can do a lot to make it your own, add a little liquor to a simple syrup and brush it on the layers for some added flavor.
For variations, try adding a different liquor to the filling instead of vanilla.
Add 1/4 cocoa to the mixture along with Kahlua, for a chocolate filling.
Add candied fruit to the filling