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Rich, tender, luxuriously decadent, and a chocolate lover’s dream, Chocolate Ganache Cannoli Cake will be love at first bite. Filled with a creamy ricotta and chocolate chip filling, this confection is a celebration of sumptuous flavors and texture.

This cake combines a classic Ultimate Decadent Chocolate Cake with a delicate cannoli filling. The entire cake is draped in a silky coat of silky ganache. As soon as you sink your fork into that first perfect tender and moist bite, you will immediately crave the next. This is a cake that will truly make you pause and appreciate the moment.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Easy Process – Don’t be intimidated by making a layered cake from scratch! If you can mix up a box mix, you can make this cake. Not only do you have completely control of the ingredients but you can also customize this to make it Gluten and Dairy Free if you like.
Make Ahead – Looking for a dessert to bring to a birthday party or celebration? This is it. You can make it a day or two in advance and it will still be incredibly moist and delicious.
Balance of Flavors – There are a couple of ingredients in the cake that not only intensify the deep chocolate flavor, but aid in making it rich without being overly sweet.
Accessible Ingredients – This chocolate cake recipe combines baking staples like gluten free 1.1 flour with fresh ingredients like ricotta and heavy cream. You can easily use either plant based, dairy free options or full dairy.

Ingredients

Celebrate the chocolate lovers in your life with this Chocolate Ganache Cannoli Cake. You will find chocolate in every aspect of this cake from the cocoa powder in the batter to the mini chocolate chips in the filling and finally dark chocolate in the ganache.

Flour – I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking flour but you can use regular all purpose flour for this recipe.
Cocoa Powder – Pick a high quality cocoa powder for this recipe as it is the source of the chocolate flavor in the cake itself.
Sugar
Baking Soda
Baking Powder
Sour Cream – Adds tang to balance the sweetness while also giving this cake its moist texture.
Kosher Salt –
Vegetable Oil
Espresso Powder – Enhances the natural flavor of the chocolate.
Freshly Brewed Coffee – Enhances the flavor of the chocolate while keeping it tender and moist.
Eggs
Vanilla Extract – The better the quality the vanilla, the more pronounced the flavor will be.
Ricotta Cheese – This is the base for the cannoli cream filling.
Heavy Cream – Used in both the cannoli cream filling and also the ganache.
Powdered Sugar – Dissolves easily into the ricotta and heavy cream mixture.
Mini Chocolate Chips – Gives the cannoli filling texture and even more chocolate flavor to the cake.
Dark Chocolate – Pick a good quality dark chocolate for the ganache.

How to Make Chocolate Ganache Cannoli Cake

The only thing better than a decadent chocolate cake is a chocolate cake filled with a sweet, creamy, and dreamy cannoli filling. With the addition of a silky dark chocolate ganache, this just might be the ultimate chocolate creation.

Time needed: 2 hours and 30 minutes

Rich chocolate cake is filled with a cannoli cream and draped in dark chocolate ganache.

Pregame
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 8″ round cake pans with nonstick baking spray and set aside.
Wet Ingredients
Add the eggs and sugar to a bowl and mix on high for 3 minutes. Add the sour cream, vanilla, oil, and espresso powder and mix.
Dry
Add the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated, careful not to overmix. Finally add the coffee and mix.
Bake
Divide the cake batter between the two cake pans. Allow the cakes to bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely.
Cannoli Cream
Add the ricotta, heavy cream, and powdered sugar to a bowl and mix until smooth and creamy. Mix in the mini chocolate chips. Spread the cannoli cream on top of the first cake and stack the second on top.
Chocolate Ganache
Create a double boiler. Add the dark chocolate and heavy cream to a bowl and place over the top of a pot of simmering water, making sure the water never touches the bottom of the bowl. Continue to stir until the chocolate is melted and the heavy cream is completely incorporated. Smooth the ganache over the top of the cake.

Variations

This chocolate cake recipe was made with Gluten Free and Dairy Free ingredients. However, you can make the same recipe with regular all purpose flour. You can also use dairy heavy cream and ricotta.

Storage

The cake portion itself can be made up to five days in advance. Once the cake has cooled wrap the individual cakes tightly in plastic wrap and keep them refrigerated until your ready to fill and frost in the dark chocolate ganache.

Once your cake has been fully assembled, keep it covered in either a cake keeper, or an airtight container. Because of the cannoli cream filling you will want to keep this cake refrigerated. You can allow it to sit out and come to room temperature before serving.

How to Make a Double Boiler

When you create a double boiler, it allows you to cook or melt something at a gentle heat without worry of over cooking it. This is useful for making custards, meringues, melting chocolate, etc. The best part is you don’t need any special tools.

Armed with a pot of simmering water and a glass bowl, you can easily create a double boiler at home. The key is to make sure the water never touches the bottom of the bowl. You want the steam created from the seal to do all of the work.

Top Tip for Chocolate Ganache Cannoli Cake

Regardless of whether you are using gluten free flour or all purpose flour, you always want to be careful when mixing in your flour. Don’t over mix it. This will ensure that you have that tender, airy, and delicate texture.