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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 is on my menu for Christmas. Can someone tell me do I have to strain the Ricotta? Lindsay do you? Thanks.
I don’t strain it, but I know some have and prefer to. I think it’s a question of just how thick you want your icing. I don’t think you can go wrong either way, but if it’s a particularly wet ricotta, straining it might be good to be safe.
I made this today and my icing came out thick. I strained the ricotta as you are supposed to do with cannoli filling. The consistency of the icing was great however, overall I didn’t think the cake itself was great. It wasn’t very sweet and very bland, not much flavor at all. Everyone who tried it thought the same. 🙁
My topping wasn’t runny at all. It was thick and fluffy. Is that okay?
That’s perfect! It should be thicker. I’ve never actually had a problem with it being runny.
Made this for dinner tonight – absolutely delicious!!! Thinking about adding a little bit of Amaretto to the topping next time – YUM!
I’m so glad you liked it! The Amaretto sounds delicious!
It is so good my friends had it for breakfast the next day!
This is a lot easier to make than it looks. I made it for friends that lived in the Chicago area and they were pretty impressed. Just don’t try the frosting until the cake is covered or it will never get to the cake. Using the cinnamon gave the taste a little more complex and I recommend adding it in. Thanks for such a great recipe, because cannoli are a real pain to fill!
Love the recipe. Am making today for my stepdaughters birthday. Cannoli cake is her face and we all love homemade. Am going to try to thicken up icing with various tips on your comments section. So so excited
I hope it was a hit!
I made this cake into two 8×8 cakes and brought them to two different occasions. They were both met with rave reviews! The cannoli topping is so good!!! I used slightly less than the recommended cinnamon and about 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar. I am baking some white cupcakes right now to attempt to transform this recipe into cupcakes… Here goes nothing!
I’m so glad you like the cake Charlene! Did the cupcakes work out?
First crack at cupcakes did not work out… I used a different ricotta that must have been more moist because I could not get the filling to thicken… Next time I will try straining the ricotta. Also, I will alter the white cake batter – adding the sweetened condensed milk wasn’t working and a plain white cupcake was missing something… This is definitely a work in progress and I will be trying again! This cannoli frosting is too good to not be inside a delicious, moist white cupcake!
When I make a layered cannoli cake, I use whipped cream to frost the sides. Is there any way to use whipped cream into the recipe?
Maybe you could add some whipped cream around the edges of the cake? Or a scoop when you serve the pieces of cake?
Made this tonight and the filling is wonderful! I substituted the mascarpone cheese with 1 package of cream cheese, 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream, and 2 tablespoons of softened butter – just whipped them together in my mixer and it turned out awesome!
I’m so glad you were able to make substitutions that worked for you! Thanks Miranda! Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I made the cake today and for the frosting I omitted the extra condensed milk and used 1.5 cups of powdered sugar. I think it taste amazing and looks pretty sturdy. I am bringing this for a potluck along with the no-bake Oreo cheesecake. I love this site!
I’m so glad you are happy with it Sarah! I’m glad you are enjoying the site too – thanks!! 🙂
I used and did everything you said and the frosting was so runny! It would not stay on the cake…..why???? I made it twice and the same terrible end result. Why am I reading people had to alter the recpe. Why did your come out like the picture and not ours? What a mess!
I’m sorry you’re having trouble with the topping. It seems like the ricotta usually is the problem, as there’s a lot of variation in the amount of water in it. You could try replacing the ricotta with mascarpone, to avoid it completely. You could also strain the ricotta, leave the sweetened condensed milk out of the icing entirely or add more powdered sugar.
Made this tonight (according to reipe). Yes, the cannoli filling was runny even though the ricotta was not wet enough to drain. It did not stay on top of the cake but ran to and over the sides. It tastes delicious and was definitely hard to keep from eating out of the bowl. I’m hoping it will harden in the fridge because it does not look like yours. Did you whip the filling with an electric mixer or by hand? Runny or not, I will try it again!
I hope it worked out once you refrigerated it. I have an electric mixer that I use.
I wanted to let you know that this recipe was the most awesome cake I have ever made !! I also tried it over a dark chocolate cake which was absolutely heavenly !!! Kuddos to you for sharing this recipe !!!
What a compliment! Thank you Cheri!! I bet it was great over chocolate cake – yum!
Hey there! My dad is turning 40 in a week and were throwing him a surprise party tomorrow! His favorite dessert is cannoli and when I saw this recipe on Pinterest I knew it’d be perfect! I looked at every food store in my area and couldn’t find mascarpone, so I was going to sub ricotta. Would I substitute using a 1:1 ratio? Would I add any additional ingredients in? Thank you so much and I can’t wait to enjoy this recipe!
What a bummer you can’t find the mascarpone. Did you check the deli part of the store? It’s not normally with the cheddars and shredded cheese, but with the fancy cheeses in the deli. You can definitely sub ricotta though. It’d be a 1:1 ratio. And since ricotta has more liquid in it, you might consider draining the ricotta first. The other option would be cream cheese, if you want something a little sweeter. Enjoy it!
Can I make this at like 10am and not serve til 9pm at night??? Can it sit the fridge that long? Should I wait to put on the chocolate chips? Do you bring to room temperature before you serve it?
Yes, it’ll be fine in the fridge for that long. You don’t need to wait before adding the chocolate chips and you don’t need to bring it to room temperature. In fact, I recommend serving it cold. Enjoy!
I’m wondering, how thick would the filling have to be to make this into a layer cake and not be too easily oozed out of the layers? This would make an amazing birthday cake for my man!
I love the idea of making this a layered cake, but the filling is pretty thin. I’d be tough to get it thick enough. I think the flavor would be lost by the time enough powdered sugar was added. I’m sorry.