This Layered Cannoli Cake Recipe is the best of two classic desserts: Cake and cannolis. This impressive dessert is extremely easy to make but everyone is going to think it took hours. With chocolate chips between the layers and more chips along the sides, this amazing cake will leave your guests impressed.
If you love this twist on a classic Italian dessert, you will also love Italian Cream Sheet Cake Recipe.
Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Layered Cannoli Cake Recipe
This tasty cannoli cake is bursting with flavor. The french vanilla cake layers with the chocolate chips and cannoli filling are then topped with a homemade chocolate ganache. The top is decorated with cut up pieces of cannoli to take this already decadent cake over the top.
Ingredients
- French vanilla cake mix
- Eggs
- Whole milk
- Sweet cream butter
- Mascarpone Cheese
- Powder sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips
- Semi sweet chocolate chips
- Heavy whipping cream
- Chocolate Chip Cannoli
How to Make Cannoli Layer Cake
Prepare the cake pans with baking spray and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Using a mixer, beat the cake mix ingredients together and divide the batter between the pans.
Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes and allow the cake to cool completely.
Make the Frosting
Using a mixer, beat together the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract together.
Scoop 1 cup of the frosting into the piping bag.
Remove the cakes from the pans and place the bottom layer
Use a cake leveler to remove the domes on the cake to make the layers even.
Using one of the layers, scoop about 1 cup of frosting onto the top of the cake and spread it over the cake evenly.
Sprinkle ¼ C of mini chocolate chips.
Add the next layer of cake and repeat.
Add the 3rd layer of cake and frost the entire cake.
Using the remaining mini chocolate chips, coat the sides of the cake
Place into the fridge to set and make the chocolate ganache.
Heat the heavy whipping cream in a small pot on the stove until starts to boil
Pour the heavy whipping cream over the chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl and allow it to sit for about a minute.
Whisk the chocolate and heavy cream together until it is smooth.
Pour into a squeeze bottle and drizzle the ganache over the sides of the cake.
Using the frosting in the piping bag, pipe dollops of frosting onto the top of the cake.
Sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips onto the top of the cake and place cannolis onto the dollops
Cut and serve. Enjoy!
Can I Add Chocolate to Cannoli Cake?
If you want to make this a chocolate cannoli flavored cake, you can add cocoa powder to the cake batter or to the mascarpone frosting. You can also add chocolate chunks or chocolate chips to the cake itself.
Does Cannoli Cake Need to Be Refrigerated
When you make this cannoli cake, you need to store it in the refrigerator. You do not want the cake to be left out for more than 2 hours at room temperature. Make sure you have the cake covered well when storing it so that it does not get stale.
Layered Cannoli Cake
Ingredients
Cannoli Cake ingredients:
- 2 box of french vanilla cake mix
- 6 large eggs
- 2 C whole milk
- 1 C unsalted butter softened
- 3 9 inch round cake boards
- 3 10 inch round cake board
Cannoli Frosting :
- 4 C Mascarpone Cheese softened
- 5 C powder sugar
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 C mini chocolate chips
- 1 medium ice cream scoop
- 1 large piping bag with star tip
Chocolate Ganache
- 1 C semi sweet chocolate chips
- ½ C heavy whipping cream
- 6 Chocolate Chip Cannoli's Cut in half
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray cake pans with pam baking spray, set aside
- Using a standing mixer or hand beater, beat until combined all cake ingredients
- Divide the batter evenly between the three cake pans
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes
- Allow to cool completely
- Mascarpone Cheese Frosting:
- Using a standing mixer, beat the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract together until combined.
- Scoop 1 C of frosting into the piping bag
Building the cake
- Remove cakes from cake pans and place onto cake boards
- Using the cake leveler, remove the domes to make even layers
- Using one of the layers, scoop about 1 C of frosting onto the top of the layer and spread evenly
- Sprinkle ¼ C of mini chocolate chips
- Place the second layer on top and repeat the previous steps
- Place the last layer on top and frost entire cake
- Using the remaining mini chocolate chips, coat entire sides of the cake
- Place into the fridge to set
Chocolate Ganache
- Heat the heavy whipping cream in a small pot until starts to boil
- Pour the heavy whipping cream over the chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl
- Allow to sit for a few minutes
- Whisk until smooth
- Pour into a squeeze bottle
- Drizzle the ganache over the sides of the cake
- Pipe dollops of frosting onto the top of the cake
- Sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips onto the top of the cake and dollops of frosting
- Place cannolis onto the dollops
- Cut and serve
- Enjoy!