Cannoli Cake
Everything you love about that classic Italian pastry in show-stopping cake!
Servings: 16
Equipment
- 9-inch round cake pans
Ingredients
For the Simple Syrup
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
For the Cake
- 1 ½ cups (12 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 6 extra-large eggs
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups whole milk at room temperature
- ¾ cup sour cream at room temperature
For the Mascarpone Filling
- 2 (8 ounce) containers of mascarpone cheese, softened
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of Kosher salt
- 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate morsels
For the Whipped Cream Frosting
- 1 (0.25 ounce) envelope of unflavored gelatin
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- ¼ cup boiling water
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar sifted
Garnish: rolled wafer cookies (optional)
Instructions
For the Simple Syrup
- In a small saucepan, heat the water and sugar over medium heat, stirring occasionally, just until the sugar is dissolved. Allow the syrup to cool completely.
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with parchment paper and lightly spray with baking spray; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes, stopping halfway to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
- In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour, beating until just combined after each addition. Stir in the sour cream. Evenly distribute the batter to the prepared pans and spread the batter to the sides using an offset spatula.
- Bake until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18-23 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Gently remove the cakes from the pans, place them on a wire rack, parchment side down, and let cool completely. Once cool, lightly brush or spray the top and sides of the cake with the simple syrup. Use just enough syrup to moisten the cake (about 1 ½ tablespoons for each layer). Leftover syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one month.
For the Filling
- In a medium bowl, beat mascarpone, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt with a hand-held mixer until smooth and creamy. Stir in chocolate morsels. (Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Let it come to room temperature before using.)
- Place one cake layer on a serving platter. Spread half of the filling on top of the round, leaving a ¼-inch border. Place a second cake layer on top of the filling and repeat with the remaining filling. Top with the remaining cake layer.
For the Whipped Cream Frosting
- In a small bowl, stir together the gelatin and cold water; let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the boiling water until the gelatin mixture is dissolved.
- In a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream at medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Slowly add gelatin mixture, beating until combined.
- Spread whipped cream on top and sides of cake and garnish with wafer cookies, if desired. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. The assembled cake can be made and refrigerated up to three days in advance.
Nutrition
Calories: 810kcal | Carbohydrates: 84g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 182mg | Sodium: 318mg | Potassium: 222mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 55g | Vitamin A: 1585IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 3mg
