With the additions of chopped pistachios, some good-grade chocolate, and a delicious splash of Marsala wine, you'll be on your way after one bite of being an addicted fan to this cannoli pound cake.
The cake is delicious plain but we also love it with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and fresh sliced berries.
Perfect for birthdays and special occasions plus these are one of the most welcome gifts around the holiday freshly baked and stored in a pretty gift tin.
The cannoli cake will stay fresh and moist for days and is the perfect holiday cake when unexpected guests arrive to serve a quick dessert with espresso.
The fun part about this pound cake is it can be baked in any shaped pan for that special occasion IE: heart-shaped pans, bundt pans, sheet pans character shaped pans, and can be frosted, left plain served with fruit, or just dusted with powdered sugar!
We love cannoli in desserts of all kinds especially our Cannoli Pie Cannoli Mousse, Cannoli Ice Cream, and Cannoli Tarts.
If you love the flavors in a cannoli, this will be the perfect recipe to add to your collection, it's simply divine in flavor just scroll down to the bottom of this page for this printable recipe.
Cannoli is a Sicilian Dessert
For those of you not familiar with the original Italian Cannoli Pastry it's an actual tube-shaped shell that's fried dough and then filled with sweet creamy ricotta and other delicious ingredients.
The cannoli Italian pastry is a staple of Sicilian cuisine.
This cake is a delicious replica of those flavors and everyone always raves about it when I serve this!
Again read through the tips and alternatives there are quite a few ways to serve this beautiful pound cake!
Ingredients You Will Need
- sugar
- butter softened
- ricotta cheese drained in a cheesecloth (or I use coffee disposable filters)
- large eggs
- flour
- baking powder
- salt
- cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- Marsala Sweet Wine or rum extract for nonalcohol
- coarsely chopped chocolate bar (or use mini chocolate chips)
- coarsely chopped pistachios
Alternative Additions:
- toasted almonds
- chopped and blotted dry maraschino cherries
- shredded coconut
- lemon zest and lemon extract and cranberries or another dried fruit
- miniature kit kat bars
- cinnamon, and sugar on top before baking
- orange zest, orange extract, and cranberries dried
- mini chocolate chips, cinnamon baking chips, or lemon baking chips
Tips and Serving Suggestions
- To get the true taste of cannoli, there is a little splash of Marsala wine or substitute extracts of lemon, orange, or rum
- add different baking chip flavors to the batter instead of chocolate
- Cake freezes well for up to 6 months.
- glaze with chocolate ganache or white chocolate ganache, dust, or just dust powdered sugar with a dash of mixed cinnamon in the sugar, or serve with whipped cream and fruits of your choice.
- the cake will last up to a week in the refrigerator wrapped tightly
- bake in mini loaf pans, muffins tins, or heart-shaped pans for gift giving include the recipe
- use any kind of pan including muffin tins, bundt pans, loaf pans, or any cake pan
- for best results only use drained whole milk ricotta (I use a paper coffee filter liner or cheesecloth they work great!)
- This cake can be served with a dusting of powdered sugar, topped with sweetened whipped cream and fruit like sliced strawberries, peaches, red raspberries, or left plain and even topped with your favorite custard and puddings
More Cannoli Recipes
Italian Cannoli Cupcakes
Cannoli Cake
Cannoli Pie
Cannoli Tarts
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Best Cannoli Poundcake Flavors Ever!
If you love cake, this ricotta style is a light blend of flavors and again you can mix and match flavors!
I love a good lemon loaf with zest but I also love the Marsala with cinnamon like the original flavors.
Simple, easy, decadent, and the perfect take-along for a house party, a thank you for a good friend small loaves or made-in cupcake tins make great gifts.
Don't miss this one, I promise every cannoli lover will fall in love.
Italian Cannoli Pound Cake
Yield: 12
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 H & 10 MTotal time: 1 H & 20 M
Moist Italian Cannoli Pound Cake, one bite and you'll be hooked on this easy delicious cake perfect plain or served with cream and berries.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese drain it in a cheesecloth (or I use coffee disposable filters)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- 3 teaspoon Marsala Sweet Wine or 1 1/2 teaspoons of rum extract for nonalcohol
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped good-grade chocolate bar (or use mini chocolate chips)
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted pistachios or toasted coarsely chopped almonds
- Optional additions: add 1/4 cup chopped and blotted dry maraschino cherries to the batter (with a grated chocolate bar or mini chips) or coconut see notes below for more alternatives
- Garnish: chocolate ganache, cinnamon mixed with powdered sugar for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour any pans you decided to use ( or line with parchment paper) 10 x 10 cake pan, brownie style pan, small bundt pan, loaf pan (9-inch loaf pan will have leftover batter so you will have a little extra batter for another small mini pan), or use mini loaf pans.
- Using an electric mixer, add the butter and sugar to a bowl and cream for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir in the ricotta and mix for around 3 to 4 minutes until fluffy.
- Add the eggs until blended, then stir in the flavorings (Marsala or rum).
- In a clean bowl using a whisk, add the flour, and baking powder, plus spices, (cinnamon, and nutmeg).
- Fold into the wet ingredients just until blended do not overmix.
- Then last fold the grated chocolate bar and pistachios in gently.
- Using a spatula add the batter to the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for around 1 hour or longer, depending on the style pan you used.
- Use the toothpick method in the center to see if this comes clean when removed then it's done.
- Let cool in the pan for around 10 minutes before inverting to a wire rack.
- This cake can be served with a dusting of powdered sugar, topped with sweetened whipped cream and fruit like sliced strawberries, peaches, red raspberries, or left plain and even topped with your favorite custard and puddings.
Notes
Alternative Additions:
- toasted almonds
- chopped and blotted dry maraschino cherries
- shredded coconut
- lemon zest and lemon extract and cranberries or another dried fruit
- miniature kit kat bars
- cinnamon and sugar on top before baking
- orange zest, orange extract, and cranberries dried
- mini chocolate chips, lemon chips, or cinnamon baking chips
Tips and Serving Suggestions
- To get the true taste of cannoli, there is a little splash of Marsala wine or use the extracts of lemon, orange, or rum
- Cake freezes well for up to 6 months.
- glaze with chocolate ganache, dust with powdered sugar, or serve with whipped cream and fruits of choice.
- the cake will last up to a week in the refrigerator wrapped tightly
- bake the cake in mini loaf pans for gift giving and include the recipe
- use any kind of pan including muffin tins, bundt pans, loaf pans, or any cake pan
- use a coffee paper filter or cheesecloth
Pin for later
Some Other Recipes You May Like
Cannoli Tarts
Cannoli Stuffed French Toast
St. Joseph's Day Pastry
Cannoli-Filled Chocolate Cake
Cannoli Cupcakes
Italian Cannoli New York Style Recipe