This Cannoli Poke Cake has all of the flavors of your favorite cannoli recipe while still being simple enough for even the most inexperienced bakers to make.
This post first appeared on Bakerish.com where I’m a contributor.
Why Is This Cannoli Poke Cake Recipe Is So Great
Use a simple cake mix for the base of this recipe and add whatever ingredients you have handy for a super simple recipe.
It’s incredibly moist thanks to the addition of sweetened condensed milk.
Deliciously flavored without being overly sweet thanks to the light ricotta and mascarpone cheese frosting.
What Is A Cannoli Poke Cake?
If you have never heard of a poke cake, it is a cake that is usually baked in a 9″x13″ pan that has holes poked in it with either a fork or the end of the handle of a wooden spoon. For this recipe, I used a candle to poke perfectly sized holes in the sheet cake.
It can consist of being poured with jello, pudding, sweetened condensed milk, caramel, or any other liquid filling you can think of. It is usually topped with a light frosting such as cool whip or a cream cheese whipped frosting.
Ingredients You’ll Need To Make This Poke Cake
One thing I love about this poke cake recipe is that I usually have the ingredients in my kitchen to make it when my sweet tooth strikes.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this delicious Cannoli Poke Cake:
White cake mix
Butter
Milk
Eggs
Sweetened condensed milk
Ricotta cheese
Mascarpone cheese
Vanilla
Powdered sugar
Cinnamon
Mini chocolate chips
How To Make Cannoli Poke Cake
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9×13 pan by spraying generously with non-stick spray and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl add the white cake mix, butter, milk, and eggs and mix well until combined.
Pour into the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes or until mostly cooled.
Use a straw (or something similar in shape) to poke holes all over the top of the cake.
Pour half of the sweetened condensed milk over the top of the cake and smooth.
Place the cake in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the ricotta and mascarpone cheese into a large bowl and mix well until combined and smooth. (NOTE: be careful not to overmix as the ricotta cheese can become very runny if this happens, add to the refrigerator for 25-30 minutes).
Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla and mix until just combined and smooth.
Pour the topping over the chilled cake and smooth.
Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the top of the cake and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Tips And Tricks For Perfect Poke Cake
You can use a standard white cake mix and the ingredients called for on the back instead of doctoring it up as we did, it just provides more stability.
Let your cake cool almost completely before poking holes.
After adding your sweetened condensed milk, you will want to chill your cake for 15 minutes or until completely cooled before frosting.
Do not over-mix your ricotta and mascarpone mixture otherwise, it can get watery, if this happens, refrigerate for about 25 minutes.
This cake needs to remain refrigerated and I do not suggest freezing.
How To Store This Yummy Cake
This Cannoli Poke Cake is very dairy-rich, so it will need to be refrigerated to keep it safe for the whole family to enjoy.
An easy way to make storing a breeze is to always bake in a cake pan with a lid so you can simply pop the top on once the cake cools completely and slide it in the fridge to enjoy later.
Can You Freeze This Cake?
If you want to freeze this cake, you can prepare the sheet cake ahead of time. I would avoid freezing this Cannoli Poke Cake once it is assembled.
Dairy doesn’t tend to freeze and defrost well without separating. So, go ahead and save yourself some time by baking the cake ahead of time and finish it off by following the steps below once your sheet cake has defrosted.
How Long Does Cannoli Poke Cake Last?
How long does a Cannoli Poke Cake last? Well, I’ve never heard of this cake lasting long enough in anyone’s kitchen to spoil.
However, if your family loves cake less than mine (or you’re just better at resisting temptation than I am) you can store this poke cake for 3-4 days in your refrigerator for the best taste and texture.
Check Out My Other Recent Recipes!
Instant Pot Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake
If you love this Cannoli Poke Cake as much as I do make sure you share it with your friends on Facebook and Pinterest so they can try it too!
Cannoli Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix
- ½ cup butter-melted
- 1 cup milk
- 4 eggs
- 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk- divided
- 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
- 1 ½ cups mascarpone cheese
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9×13 pan by spraying generously with non-stick spray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl add the white cake mix, butter, milk, and eggs and mix well until combined.
- Pour into the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes or until mostly cooled.
- Use a straw to poke holes all over the top of the cake. Pour half of the sweetened condensed milk over the top of the cake and smooth.
- Place the cake in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile combine the ricotta and mascarpone cheese into a large bowl and mix well until combined and smooth. (NOTE: be careful not to overmix as the ricotta cheese can become very runny, if this happens, add to the refrigerator for 25-30 minutes)
- Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla and mix until just combined and smooth.
- Pour the topping over the chilled cake and smooth.
- Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the top of the cake and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Does the other 1/2 of the sweetened condensed milk get used?
Hello!
You CAN use an entire small can if you don’t want it to go to waste. I actually used an entire can the other day on a chocolate poke cake and it was fine.
So you can use half and save the rest or the entire can. It will just be personal preference 🙂