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This Cannoli Poke Cake is a simple vanilla cake soaked with sweetened condensed milk and covered with an unforgettable topping that mimics the filling of a classic cannoli! It’s moist, indulgent, and 100% irresistible. A quick and easy recipe you’ll come back to over and over!
Why You’ll Love This Cannoli Poke Cake Recipe
Poke cakes are so fun, versatile and easy to make. If you’re looking for a dessert recipe that will knock it out of the park and not require too much time, this is it. Here’s a few more reasons to love it.
- Classic Cannoli flavor. If you dream about cannoli, you are going to go nuts over this dessert. The topping captures the glorious, rich, sweet flavor of this irresistible Italian classic perfectly.
- Perfect texture. Some poke cakes can be a bit soggy. I only soaked this one with half a can of sweetened condensed milk (as opposed to a whole can). It provides the perfect sweetness and moisture with none of the sogginess.
- Easy to make. Just bake a cake, poke some holes in it, saturate it with sweetened condensed milk, and whip up a quick topping. It’s an awesome beginner recipe.
- Make ahead. This a great recipe for making ahead of time. You could easily make it the day before you plan to serve it. It will give the cake time to absorb the moisture and the topping plenty of time to set.
What You’ll Need
Buckle up and head on over to the grocery store. Here’s what you’ll need to bring this cannoli poke cake recipe to life. Scroll on down to the recipe card below for precise measurements.
- White cake mix (plus ingredients listed on the box) – I used a store-bought white cake mix. But you could use a homemade vanilla cake mix, which is quite similar to a cake mix in texture. If you’re looking for a denser, butter-based cake, I’d recommend my Funfetti Cake. Just leave out the sprinkles.
- Sweetened condensed milk – You’ll use it in the topping and pour it over the cake. It adds a nice richness and sweetness to both components. Plus, it adds lots of moisture to the cake and is part of the “poke cake” name.
- Ricotta cheese – You don’t have to strain the ricotta although, if you are prepping ahead, you certainly can. Wrap it in cheesecloth (optional) and set it in a bowl in the fridge overnight. In the morning, discard the water that has seeped out. I don’t usually strain it and typically use the Galbani brand.
- Mascarpone cheese – Keep the mascarpone in the fridge until about 10 minutes before using it. You don’t want it to get too warm, or it’ll end up watery.
- Vanilla extract
- Ground cinnamon – The cinnamon is optional but I love the extra layer of flavor it adds.
- Mini chocolate chips – I like the more subtle mini chocolate chips, as opposed to the full-sized ones.
- Powdered sugar – I dusted my poke cake with extra powdered sugar. You don’t have to but I am a big fan of the look of it.
How to Make Cannoli Poke Cake
Here’s a quick rundown of how to make this easy poke cake. You’ll find more detailed instructions in the recipe card below.
- Make the cake. Prepare the cake in a 9×13-inch baking pan per the instructions on the box.
- Poke. Remove the baked cake from the oven and poke holes all over the top.
- Soak. Reserve 1/2 cup of sweetened condensed milk and pour the rest over the top of the warm cake. Spread it around with a spatula.
- Cool. Allow the cake to cool completely.
- Make the topping. Gently mix together the ricotta cheese, mascarpone cheese, and vanilla extract. Stir in the powdered sugar and cinnamon followed by the reserved sweetened condensed milk.
- Assemble. Spread the topping evenly over the fully-cooled cake.
- Chill. Refrigerate until the topping is set (3-4 hours or overnight).
- Finish it off. Top the cake with mini chocolate chips and dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
Tips for Success
- Poke and pour while warm. When pouring the sweetened condensed milk over the cake, do so while the cake is still warm. If it has cooled too much, the liquid won’t absorb as well into the cake.
- Let it cool. Allow the cake to cool completely before adding the mascarpone topping. Otherwise, the topping can melt or wilt.
- Keep the mascarpone cold. Mascarpone cheese has a tendency to turn watery when it gets too warm. So keep it in the fridge until about 10 minutes before you use it.
- Mix gently. Marscapone can turn watery if it is over-mixed, so, when making the topping, mix gently and just until everything is combined.
- Be patient. It may be tempting to dive right into this delicious dessert, but it needs time to set up in the fridge (unless you want a runny mess). Refrigerate it for at least 3-4 hours before slicing and serving. I like to let it sit overnight
Why is my topping so thin?
This topping is naturally on the thinner side. It does thicken in the fridge and the longer you let it sit, the thicker it gets. I even think it’s best to let it sit overnight. It doesn’t get as firm as a whipped cream or buttercream, but it certainly stays in place, like it should. That said, you can make it thicker by leaving the sweetened condensed milk out of it. If you choose to do that, you can use the remaining sweetened condense milk on top of the cake along with the rest, if you’d like. The topping will be a little less sweet that way.
Proper Storage
Wrap the cake (in its pan) tightly with plastic wrap or arrange slices in a single layer in an airtight container. You can store it in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you choose to freeze it, allow the cake to thaw in the fridge before diving back into the leftovers.
More Poke Cake Recipes
Enchanted by this whole idea of an incredibly easy, insanely delicious poke cake? I’ve got more where this one came from. Here are a few other flavor profiles I think you’ll love.
- Lemon Poke Cake
- Chocolate Turtle Poke Cake
- Oreo Chocolate Poke Cake
- Coconut Poke Cake
- Baklava Poke Cake
- Baileys Chocolate Poke Cake
Cannoli Poke Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chill Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 15-18 Servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Cannoli Poke Cake is a simple vanilla cake soaked with sweetened condensed milk and covered with an unforgettable topping that mimics the filling of a classic cannoli! It’s moist, indulgent, and 100% irresistible. A quick and easy recipe you’ll come back to over and over!
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix, plus ingredients on box*
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk, divided
- 1 1/2 cups (372g) ricotta cheese (most of a 15 oz container)
- 1 1/2 cups (339g | 12oz) mascarpone cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (115g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, optional
- 1/2 cup (85g) mini chocolate chips
- Powdered sugar, for dusting, optional
Instructions
- Bake a 9×13 cake according to the box directions.
- While the cake bakes, pour ½ cup of sweetened condensed milk into a measuring cup and set aside.
- When done baking, remove the cake from the oven and poke holes all over the top of the cake. I use a knife sharpener, but the end of the handle of a wooden spoon or spatula would work too.
- Pour the remaining sweetened condensed milk over the top of the warm cake, then spread it around with a spatula, allowing it to soak into the holes. If a little bit remains on top of the cake, that’s ok. Allow the cake to cool completely.
- When the cake has cooled, make the topping. Add the ricotta cheese, mascarpone cheese and vanilla extract to a mixer bowl and gently mix together until well combined and smooth. You do this by hand with a spatula, or mix on low speed with a mixer. You don’t want to over mix this mixture or it can turn watery.
- Add the powdered sugar and cinnamon and gently stir until well combined.
- Add the reserved ½ cup of sweetened condensed milk and gently stir together until well combined. The mixture will seem very thin.
- Spread the topping evenly over the top of the cake. Refrigerate until the topping is set, at least 3-4 hours, or overnight.
- Top with mini chocolate chips and a sprinkle of powdered sugar, then serve.
- Store cake well covered in the fridge. Cake is best if eaten within 4-5 days.
Notes
I used a store-bought white cake mix. But you could use a homemade vanilla cake mix, which is quite similar to a cake mix in texture. If you’re looking for a denser, butter-based cake, I’d recommend my Funfetti Cake. Just leave out the sprinkles.
Do consider straining the ricotta before using, especially if it’s a particularly watery brand. Also, when mixing together the ricotta and mascarpone cheese, DO NOT over mix it. If mascarpone cheese is over mixed, it becomes very thin.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 429
- Sugar: 28.5 g
- Sodium: 144.5 mg
- Fat: 22.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 50.6 g
- Protein: 8.3 g
- Cholesterol: 75.7 mg
This cake was delicious, but the topping was much too runny, even after sitting in the fridge. I followed the recipe exactly, and then added extra powdered sugar when I saw how soupy the topping was, but I think in the future I would either strain the ricotta first or else greatly decrease the proportion of ricotta to mascarpone. Maybe I just used a particularly runny brand of ricotta, but that was definitely what made the topping too thin.
It was a bit of a sloppy mess, but it tasted great!
it looks delicious!
This cake sounds great, love poke cakes. My family is coming on the weekend , celebrating my sister’s birthday, so thought this would be good Birthday Cake.
Definitely! I hope you all love it!
Whoa, this cake looks crazy good, Lindsay! Pinned. Hope you have a great 4th!
Thanks Julie! Happy 4th to you too!
I make cannoli filling and it is different than the way you make it. My grandparents came from Italy and I make it the way they taught me. I really want to make this cake but I think I will use the filling I make and also try it your way. Will let you know how it turns out.
Yes, this filling is a little different, as I added sweetened condensed milk to it. If you have a filling you prefer, I’m sure it’d be delicious!
I’ve been looking up different cannoli filling recipes since my was SOOOO runny…kinda disappointed…will make again, but perhaps straining the ricotta cheese would help…taste was delicious!!
I made this cake today and it was a huge hit! I read the comments about the frosting being runny, so I whipped mine a bit with the whip attachment on the mixer and it really helped. I used probably about 1/2 cup more powdered sugar and beat it for about 2 minutes. It set right up in the refrigerator in just about a held hour. Also, I made a 2 later cake instead of using a square pan and the frosting was perfect for spreading on the cake, not runny at all. I was also conserved about the sweetness with the sweetened condensed milk, so I mixed it with an equal portion of milk and used that to pour on the cake. My only regret is that I didn’t use more (used about 2 cups for 2 layers). Otherwise, this recipe was delicious! I could have probably eaten all of the frosting by itself! Will definitely be making this again.
I’m so glad you liked it Olivia! The frosting is the best part! 🙂
i also made this as a two layer cake. Thank you to everyone who posted hints about firming up the frosting. I added 1-1/4 cup powdered sugar, mixed using the whip attachment, and I also folded in a generous 1/2 cup of freshly made whipped cream. Result was perfect. This cake might be the best cake I have ever eaten – it will surely become a regular in the line- up!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
Made this cannoli poke cake yesterday for my Father’s Day celebration cookout! It was a huge hit cuz it was beyond delicious ……..needless to say the cake was inhaled!! Thank you so much I followed the recipe exactly
I’m so glad it was a hit Cindy! 🙂
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Thank you for the nice recipe, Lindsey. Have a Wonderful Sunday!
Is there a substitute for the mascarpon cheese? I am going to make this for my Bunko group!
You could use all ricotta cheese, or try subbing cream cheese. The cream cheese will be a little thicker and sweeter.
I’m waiting for the cake to cool so I can frost it..you’re right, there’s no keeping your fingers out of the bowl!! It’s delicious 🙂
Awesome! I hope you enjoyed the finished product! 🙂
I made this tonight and the cannoli topping is pretty runny. I even used 1 3/4 cups of sugar instead of just one, and it still wasn’t very thick. Is this how it is supposed to be/do you have any tips? I did a taste test and it tastes great, just a bit on the runny side.
Yes, it is a thinner topping. Not nearly as thick as a traditional icing, more like a thinner whipped cream. If you’d like it to be thicker next time, you could leave the sweetened condensed milk out. You could also add more powdered sugar – up to 3 cups probably.
I made this last night, covered it and then presented it for my husband’s birthday today. The cannoli topping seemed runny after being in the fridge overnight. In your pictures, you must’ve served it right away. It tasted great, but very sweet, even leaving out the powder sugar. I will def make it again but will make slight modifications to lessen the sugar/sweet. Thank you!
If you left out some powdered sugar, that could be part of the reason that it wasn’t as firm. However, the topping isn’t as thick as a normal icing. You could leave out some of the sweetened condensed milk next time to lessen the sweetness and make it firmer. Glad you liked it! Happy birthday to your husband!
Hi, I was wondering if you hand mix or mix with a mixer? Just curious.
I normally use a stand mixer.
I will be making this cake for my Hubby, his Birthday is the July Forth! instead of using choclate bits, I’m going to use White Bit’s.
He doesn’t care for ALL Chocolate.
What is “Masponecar ?
I can “Already taste the cake!”.
Please Reply.
Thank You.
Great! Mascarpone cheese is a very smooth, light cheese that is usually found in the deli and specialty cheese section of the grocery store. This is the one I use (looks like Walmart must have it too).
Is mascarpone cheese found in the cheese section of the grocery store? I’ve never heard of this before. Can you tell maybe what kind of taste it has? Thanks for the recipie. It looks great!
Its usually in the deli section. The taste is hard to describe. Its much lighter and smoother than a traditional cheese. Not really sweet, but lends itself to sweet well. Its also used in tirsamisu.