Cannoli Cake Celebration!

While working in the bakery of Tops Friendly Markets, I came face to face with one of the most delectable melt-in-your-mouth desserts on the planet.

Cannoli Cake.

Now there are multiple variations on this old Italian favorite. Working there I discovered that making an amazing cannoli cake doesn't have to be a really involved process to be wondrous, and that's what Simply Saturday is all about. Short time investment=great return. Wall Street:  Look Out!!!

You will need:

One cake mix, mixed and cooked as directed in 8" or 9" round pans. A 13 x 9" pan can be used but you have to be good at slicing it in half.

The doll is "A.J."  A.J. and Melissa came to live with us about 12 years ago... They are well loved!
Today his help was requested by a cute, small grandchild.

One cup whipping cream, whipped
1/3 cup sugar (mixed with whipping cream)
8 oz. dry ricotta (Ricotta has natural moisture remaining. I dry mine by pressing it out on paper towel layers multiple times. When dry enough, you'll have to peel the paper away from the cheese. This is super quick and works way better than hanging the cheese in cheesecloth overnight for the cats to lick.)
4 oz. Cream cheese, softened.

Mix Ricotta and cream cheese in blender or food processor to remove those tiny ricotta lumps. Add 1 cup confectioners (also known as powdered or 10X sugar) sugar. Blend well. Fold in sweetened whipped cream.

Slice cake.

Use icing (whipped cream, dark chocolate work best) to make a "dam" around outside edge of cake so that the cheesy filling doesn't leak through.

Use 1/2 of cheese filling on bottom layer.

Put second layer in place. Frost.

Add bottom part of top layer. Fill with cheesy filling (repeating step one of damming the edge with frosting)

Add top layer.

Frost.

Done!

Frosting choices:  The dark chocolate I use is the Hershey's dark chocolate frosting recipe found HERE. It's the best dark glossy chocolate frosting I've ever found and it's foolproof, idiot-proof and delicious! I also copied and pasted it below because you have to dig to find it on the webpage. Scroll down on the right and it's tucked under the chocolate cake recipe, which is a crime because this glossy chocolate icing is so perfect it deserves a page of its own.

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING 

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine 2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa 3 cups powdered sugar 1/3 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Option Two:

Whipped cream icing:

Whip 3 cups of heavy whipping cream at high speed until thick. Peaks should form. Add in 2/3 cup of sugar while mixing. Frost cake sides first, end with top. 

Refrigerate this cake for optimum taste, texture and to keep from possibly poisoning anyone you love. 

Also:  Some folks add fresh fruit to their cannoli cakes. Fresh fruit, cheese filling and whipped cream can never be considered BAD. So feel free to add pitted sweet cherries, sliced bananas, slivered almonds, sliced peaches, etc. The fruit/cream/cheese mix is a very continental blend and delicious in its simplicity.

My bad!!!  I forgot to do a final pic of the cake and this is the last slice... listing slightly like the Leaning Tower in Europe!!!  But you get the idea, right???  You get the idea while I get a fork!

YUM.