This cannoli cake recipe is the viral dot cake with an Italian grandmother. The internet's version is a cup of vanilla sponge dunked face-down in rainbow nonpareils. Mine trades the sprinkles for mini chocolate chips and stuffs the middle with real cannoli cream - drained ricotta, mascarpone, and a double hit of lemon and orange zest. The "dots" aren't decoration anymore. They're chocolate. They belong there.
I grew up with cannoli at every holiday, and the filling is the whole point - nobody fights over the shell. So I built a dessert that's all filling and tender cake, no frying, no piping fourteen shells at the counter. You bake one simple butter cake, cut it into rounds with a ramekin, and layer it like a tiny cannoli trifle before the chocolate-chip dip. If you like a no-fuss sweet, it's in the same easy-win category as my mini banana bread muffins and spiced pumpkin chocolate chip cookies - make-ahead friendly and gone by morning.
Watch the full reel on Instagram → @whisk__and_wine
Jump to:
Cannoli Dot Cake Ingredients
Here's what goes into the cake and the cannoli cream. See the recipe card below for exact quantities.
For the cake:
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Whole milk
For the cannoli filling:
- Whole milk ricotta, drained
- Mascarpone cheese
- Heavy cream
- Powdered sugar
- Pure vanilla extract
- Lemon zest
- Orange zest
- Mini chocolate chips (for layering and the dip)
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's the cannoli flavor without the shell. Real ricotta-and-mascarpone cream, citrus zest, chocolate chips - none of the deep-frying.
- The reveal does the work. Dipping the whole little cake face-first into mini chips gives you that satisfying dot-cake dome that stops the scroll.
- One easy butter cake. No layers to torte, no leveling. Bake it, cut rounds, assemble.
- Make-ahead. The cream needs to chill anyway, so build it the day before and pull it out when company comes.
- Single-serve. Everyone gets their own. No arguing over the corner piece.
How to Make a Cannoli Dot Cake
Drain the ricotta first - that's the step everyone wants to skip, and it's the one that decides whether your cream holds the chips or slides off the cake. Start it the night before if you can.
Drain the Ricotta
Line a strainer with cheesecloth and set the ricotta in the fridge at least 30 minutes (overnight is better). Press out the extra liquid.
Make the Cake
Cream the butter and sugar, beat in the eggs and vanilla, then alternate the dry ingredients with the milk. Spread into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350°F until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
Make the Filling
Beat the heavy cream to stiff peaks and set aside. Beat the drained ricotta and mascarpone until smooth, then add the powdered sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and orange zest. Gently fold in the whipped cream until just blended and chill at least 2 hours so the filling sets up firm enough to hold the chips.
Cut the Cake
Cut the cooled cake into rounds with a ramekin or round cookie cutter, then slice each round in half horizontally.
Layer the Cake and Cream
Set a bottom cake round on a plate and pipe an even layer of cannoli cream over it.
Add the Mini Chips
Scatter mini chocolate chips over the cream layer.
Add the Top and Frost
Add the other cake half on top, then pipe cream over the whole cake so it is completely covered.
Dip the Dots
Turn the cake frosting-side down into a plate of mini chocolate chips so the top is fully coated. That's the dot.
Substitutions
- No mascarpone? Use full-fat cream cheese, softened. Tangier and a touch firmer, but it works.
- Mini chips only. Regular chips are too heavy to stick in an even coat - mini chips make the dot pattern read.
- Citrus. All orange or all lemon works; the two-zest combo is just brighter.
- Cake shortcut. A boxed white or yellow cake baked in a sheet pan cuts into rounds just fine.
Variations
- Pistachio cannoli dot cake. Press chopped pistachios into the dip alongside the chips for the cannoli-counter look.
- Chocolate cake base. Swap a chocolate butter cake for a stracciatella feel.
- Orange-forward. Add a splash of orange liqueur to the cream for a grown-up version.
- Mini cups. Skip the cutting and layer cake and cream in small jars for true dot cups.
Storage
- Store: Keep assembled cakes covered in the fridge up to 3 days. Don't leave the dairy-based cream out longer than 2 hours.
- Make ahead: The cannoli cream holds, covered, up to 2 days before assembling. Stir gently before piping.
- Freeze: Don't freeze assembled cakes - ricotta cream weeps when thawed. Freeze plain baked cake rounds instead, then thaw and assemble fresh.
Top Tip
Drain the ricotta longer than you think you need to, and never skip whipping the cream separately. Cold, stiff whipped cream folded into well-drained cheese is what gives the filling enough body to stay put when you dip the cake - skip either and you get cannoli soup.
Cannoli Dot Cake FAQ
A dot cake is a small, single-serve cake dipped face-down into nonpareils or sprinkles so the top is covered in a dense, even coat of "dots." This cannoli version uses mini chocolate chips instead of sprinkles.
Almost always under-drained ricotta or under-whipped cream. Drain the ricotta at least 30 minutes (overnight is best), press out the liquid, and whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks before folding.
Yes. The cream chills at least 2 hours anyway, so make it a day ahead. You can also bake the cake a day early. Assembled cakes keep up to 3 days in the fridge.
Yes. Whole-milk ricotta holds a lot of water, and skipping the drain is the fastest way to a filling that will not hold the chocolate chips.
More Sweet Bakes from Whisk & Wine
If you're building a dessert table, here are a few more Whisk & Wine sweets worth pinning:
More Sweet Treats You'll Love
If the dot cake hooked you, these Whisk & Wine sweets are the natural next bake:
📖 Recipe
Cannoli Dot Cake (Easy Cannoli Cake Recipe)
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 8 dot cakes 1x
Description
The viral dot cake made Italian - tender butter cake layered with creamy ricotta-mascarpone cannoli cream and citrus zest, then dipped face-first into mini chocolate chips instead of sprinkles. No frying, no shells, make-ahead friendly.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
For the Cannoli Filling
- 16 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese, drained
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- 4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Zest of 1 orange
For Assembly
- 1 bag (about 2 cups) mini chocolate chips
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Line a strainer with cheesecloth, add the ricotta, and drain in the fridge at least 30 minutes (overnight is better). Press out the extra liquid.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
- Beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the whole milk. Mix just until combined.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake completely in the pan, about 1 hour.
- While the cake cools, beat the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat the drained ricotta and mascarpone until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar, 4 teaspoons vanilla, lemon zest, and orange zest. Beat until combined.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the cheese mixture until just blended. Chill at least 2 hours.
- Cut the cooled cake into rounds with a ramekin or round cookie cutter. Slice each round in half horizontally.
- Pipe cannoli cream onto a bottom cake layer. Add a cake round, pipe more cream, and scatter mini chocolate chips.
- Top with another cake round, then pipe cream over the top to cover the whole cake.
- Turn the cake frosting-side down into a plate of mini chocolate chips so the top is fully coated. Repeat with the remaining cake.
- Chill until ready to serve.
Notes
Drain the ricotta longer than you think - under-drained ricotta is the #1 cause of runny cannoli cream. Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks separately before folding so the filling has enough body to hold the chocolate chips.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Comments
No Comments