Cannoli Poke Cake

I love cannoli. The crunch of that perfect shell, the creaminess of the ricotta and mascarpone, sides dipped in salty pistachios or delectable mini chocolate chips. It’s pretty much the perfect dessert, in my opinion. So anything that’s cannoli “flavored” is a must-try in my book. Like these cannoli bites I made last year. And this yummy white cake with ricotta mascarpone frosting and pistachios. To top it off, it’s poked and soaked in sweetened condensed milk.

Bring it on.

This was my first stab at making a poke cake and let me say- there will probably be more of these comin’ atchya in the future. It’s like an easier tres leches cake, and you can make it any flavor you want! So, so good. This white cake recipe tastes a little bit like pound cake because of it’s slightly denser texture. Very tasty, but if you’re looking for something really “light”, I would try a boxed cake mix instead. That would also save time!

Unfortunately, I didn’t take a shot of the whole cake (it was nighttime when I finished and we ate half of it by morning) but here’s some of a piece. Everyone enjoyed it- hope you do too!

Print Recipe

Cannoli Poke Cake

Prep Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs

Course: Dessert

Keyword: Cake

Ingredients

WHITE CAKE:

• 1 cup 2 sticks butter, softened
• ½ cup coconut oil room temp
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 5 eggs room temp
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ cup whole milk room temp
• ½ cup buttermilk room temp
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

TOPPING:

• 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup pistachios or mini chocolate chips optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13×9 pan with nonstick baking spray, oil, or butter, then flour. Make sure to remove any excess flour.
• Sift together flour and baking powder; set aside.
• Cream together butter and coconut oil until light and fluffy on medium-high speed with an electric mixer. Slowly add sugar one cup at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each cup before adding another. Add eggs one at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding another.
• Pour milks and vanilla into measuring cup and whisk together with a fork. Add to butter and shortening mixture alternately with flour mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
• Gently stir all ingredients until well combined, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl and making sure to have all ingredients mixed well.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then poke cake all over with a straw and pour half the can of sweetened condensed milk over the cake. Cover and place in fridge for one hour to absorb.
• Meanwhile, combine ricotta cheese, mascarpone cheese and vanilla extract in a mixer bowl. Beat until smooth. Add powdered sugar and cinnamon, if using and mix until combined. Add reserved half can of sweetened condensed milk and mix again until combined.
• Once cake has absorbed milk, spread cannoli topping evenly over cake. Top with pistachios or mini chocolate chips. Cover cake and allow to set in refrigerator for 2-3 hours. It should keep for 4-5 days.