Easy Cannoli Cake

Published: Nov 5, 2021 · Modified: Nov 5, 2021 by Kate · This post may contain affiliate links

You can make this easy cannoli cake with only 6 basic ingredients. And, since it uses store-bought pound cake, there is no baking involved! A simple and truly crowd-pleasing dessert for any dinner party or potluck.

slice of cannoli cake on white plate with pan of cannoli cake in background

Note: this post was originally published in 2019 and updated in 2021 with new photos and improved instructions.

I had to name this cannoli cake recipe "easy cannoli cake" because that's exactly what it is! There is no baking involved since it uses store-bought pound cake and there are only six ingredients!

My mom made a cake similar to this one a few times during my childhood. I asked her where she got the recipe from but, alas, it is lost to time! Her version used one small pre-made pound cake, which was sliced into three horizontal layers. The cannoli cream was layered in between, and then the entire thing was coated in ganache. I have fond memories of that cake! But, when I tried to recreate it now, I had trouble with the layers sliding all over the place and it was a bit of a mess.

So, the answer was to just assemble the cake inside an 8 x 8 inch pan. No worrying about the cake holding together. Besides being really easy to assemble, this cake travels really well, all you need is to add a cover or some plastic wrap to the top of the dish. So this is the perfect dessert to take to dinner parties and potlucks.

(This would also be the perfect dessert to pair with my creamy spinach artichoke chicken casserole!)

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Recipe ingredients

Ingredient notes

Pound cake: you will need a 16 ounce (454 g) store-bought frozen pound cake. The specific pound cake I use is Sara Lee Family Size All Butter Pound Cake. I talk more about substituting other types of pound cake in the Recipe FAQs section below!

Ricotta: I prefer using whole milk ricotta for the added richness it provides to the filling, but you could substitute part-skim if you like.

Mini chocolate chips: usually I would say that you could substitute regular size chocolate chips, but the mini size is better for the cannoli filling so you aren't crunching down on large bites of chocolate (if you don't mind that then you can use regular chips!).

Step by step photos

Here is a breakdown of how to make the easy cannoli cake. To see a brief slideshow how-to, check out my web story for this recipe!

1. Before you start anything else, make sure you place your pound cake in the freezer if it's not already in there! This will make it much easier to slice the cake when it's time.

After you take care of that, then you will start to work on the ganache. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat half of the heavy whipping cream on high for 90 seconds. Then, add in 1 cup of the mini chocolate chips.

mini chocolate chips being added to bowl of heavy cream

2. Make sure all the chips are submerged in the cream, and let the mini chocolate chips sit in the hot cream for about 2 minutes. Then, stir the chocolate chips and cream together. It may seem like the chips won't melt at first, but it will come together!

If you need to, you can microwave the mixture for 15 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until everything is melted. Place the ganache in the fridge to cool down.

collage of ganache first starting to be mixed together and when ganache is fully mixed

3. Now, start to work on the cannoli filling. Add the ricotta cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar to a large bowl. Whisk everything together until smooth. Then, mix in ½ cup of the mini chocolate chips.

collage showing ricotta being whisked and chocolate chips being mixed into ricotta

4. In a separate small container, whip the remaining heavy cream to stiff peaks. I like doing this with a stick (immersion) blender because it's super quick and easy.

If you want to use this method, just place the heavy whipping cream in a tall-sided container, like this quart sized glass jar. Work the immersion blender up and down in the heavy cream until you reach stiff peaks, which should only take about a minute.

If you don't have an immersion blender, you can place the heavy whipping cream in a small bowl and use hand beaters to whip.

collage of stick blender whipping cream in jar and end of stick blender covered in whipped cream

5. Next, gently fold in about half the whipped cream to the ricotta mixture. Fold in the remaining whipped cream, again, doing so very gently to not deflate the air from the whipped cream. If you want more help on how to fold, check out this handy how-to guide on how to fold ingredients.

collage of whipped cream being folded into ricotta mixture and finished cannoli cake filling

6. At this point you can retrieve the pound cake from the freezer. Slice it into ¼ inch (6.35 mm) thick slices. If you are using the 16 ounce (454 g) Sara Lee pound cake I recommend, you should have about ¼ of the pound cake left over.

You will need 24 total slices, but this may vary if you are using a different size or brand of pound cake.

pound cake being sliced into thin slices

7. Place slices of pound cake into an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) pan. Just make an even layer, and if the slices overlap slightly that's ok. If you need to, you can very gently press the slices into place so there are no gaps or air pockets.

hand pressing down on slices of pound cake in glass pan

8. Next, add half of the cannoli filling on top and spread it out into an even layer.

cannoli cake filling being spread on top of layer of pound cake in square pan

9. Top with another layer of cake.

hand adding slice of pound cake on top of layer of cannoli filling

10. Then, add the rest of the cannoli filling, followed by the final layer of pound cake.

collage of cannoli filling being spread on second layer of pound cake and side view of finished cannoli cake layers in pan

11. Press the cake down very gently, you should see any air pockets on the sides and corners closing up!

collage showing side of cannoli cake with and without air gap between layers

12. Grab the ganache from the fridge and give it a stir so it's nice and smooth. By this point, the ganache should no longer be warm (it doesn't have to be perfectly chilled, about room temperature is good). Pour the ganache all over the cake.

ganache being poured overtop cannoli cake

13. Spread the ganache out into an even layer.

spoon smoothing chocolate ganache across top of cannoli cake

14. Finally, sprinkle on as many of the remaining mini chocolate chips as you like. Place the cake in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.

After about 15 minutes in the fridge, add a layer of plastic wrap on top (waiting the 15 minutes gives the ganache time to firm up a little so the plastic wrap won't stick).

mini chocolate chips being sprinkled on top of cannoli cake

Tips and tricks

Getting even, thin slices of pound cake is important; if they are too thick all of the layers may not fit in a pan. Based on the recommendation of a reader, recently I've been using a ruler (or my favorite bench scraper!) to mark where I need to cut and it helps a lot!

ruler on top of loaf of pound cake with knife marking lines on pound cake

I also recommend using a sharp serrated bread knife to cut the pound cake, this really helps to get clean slices. The knife I am using is the 9 inch serrated bread knife from Wusthof (affiliate link). I love this knife and highly recommend it!

When making the ganache, it may seem like the chocolate isn't melting when you first start to stir it, but it will come together so just be patient. If needed, you can microwave it for another 15 seconds and stir again. But, avoid overheating the ganache as this can cause it to split!

Recipe FAQs

What kind of pound cake should I use for this easy cannoli cake?

As I explained in the Ingredient notes section above, I use the "family size" Sara Lee Family Size All Butter Pound Cake, which is 16 ounces (454 g). This cake is sold in the freezer section of the grocery store. If you are using this cake, you will likely use about ¾ of the cake.

If you can't find the family size Sara Lee pound cake, you can also use two regular sized Sara Lee frozen pound cakes, that are 10.75 ounces (304 g) each. You will probably end up using about one and a half of those in total.

Or, you can also buy a pound cake in the bakery section of the grocery store or make your own. You will just need about 12 ounces of cake in total, but it's probably safer to buy or make a little extra just in case your cake is denser or you cut your slices a bit thicker than I did.

If you don't buy a frozen cake, just make sure to stick your cake in the freezer right when you start the recipe. When you are ready to slice the pound cake it will be easier to make thinner, cleaner slices.

What kind of pan should I use to make this cake?

This recipe calls for an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) square pan. I prefer using a glass pan, because that way you can see if you have any air pockets between the layers.

You also want to use a pan that has deeper sides. If the pan you are using has shallow sides, you may not have enough room to fit all the layers. The pan I recommend is the Anchor Hocking 8-Inch Square Glass Baking Dish with TrueFit Lid (affiliate link). It has sides that are 2.65 inches (6.7 cm) tall.

If you don't have an 8 x 8 inch pan or are concerned that the 8 x 8 inch pan you have isn't deep enough, you can make the cake in a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) pan.

If using a 9 x 9 inch pan, keep in mind that depending on the dimensions of the pound cake you are using, you may have a small gap on the sides that you can fill with smaller pieces of cake. The cannoli filling and ganache layers will also be thinner. But, the cake will still taste delicious!

Can I make easy cannoli cake ahead of time?

Yes, that's the beauty of this cake! You will need to refrigerate the finished cake for a minimum of 3 hours before cutting into it, but you can make it the day before with no problems. Just make sure to cover the top with plastic wrap (after the ganache has had a little time to set up first).

slice of cannoli cake on plate with fork on the side with bite of cake on it

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