Cannoli Poke Cake Recipe - A Classic Italian Dessert in Poke Cake Form (2024)

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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!

Table of Contents

• Why You’ll Love This Cannoli Poke Cake Recipe
• What You’ll Need
• How to Make Cannoli Poke Cake
• Tips for Success
• Why is my topping so thin?
• Proper Storage
• More Poke Cake Recipes
• Get the Recipe

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.

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• 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

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