Cannoli Pound Cake
It’s been far, far too long since I last shared a recipe for an every day cake, hasn’t it? The last quick, versatile, no-frills cake I wrote about was this pistachio beauty back in 2020, meaning the blog is overdue for a breakfast-snack-dessert kind of cake that can be whipped up whenever a craving hits.
My Sicilian cooking & baking spree is still going strong — I’ve so far whipped up pane e panelle, sfincione, and caponata — and this cannoli-inspired pound cake kills two birds with one stone, singlehandedly satisfying my every-day-kind-of cake craving while harkening back to the delectable cannoli siciliani I fell in love with while in Sicily (I’m still dreaming about the ones at Pasticceria Iudice). It’'s a quick way to get your cannolo fix without all the time, skill, and special equipment that a homemade cannolo requires (though if you want to try your hand at making your own cannoli, I highly recommend it— recipe here!).
So! This is a speedy, marvelous cake that drops the fussy fried cannolo shell, focusing instead on the elements and flavors of the filling. A whole cup of ricotta (250 grams, for the rest of you) goes into the batter, making the resulting cake soft and moist; a dash of olive oil adds extra richness. There’s a dab of fragrant vanilla and a sprinkle of comforting cinnamon, plus lots of sunny orange zest, a nod to the arancia candita, or candied orange that often decorates cannoli in Sicily. Two other popular cannolo garnishes — mini bittersweet chocolate chips and a big handful of earthy pistachios — are stirred in to the batter, too, completing your one-bowl, easy-as-pie (or cake?) masterpiece, one that requires nothing more than a bowl and a whisk. Optional but highly recommended: a shower of powdered sugar over the top makes this cake extra pretty, and is a nod to the way that Iudice garnished their A+ cannoli.
Next up: a recipe for arancine siciliane.
P.S: I may or may not have looked at flights to Catania, Sicily for next month, and they’re ridiculously cheap. The Sicilian obsession continues..!
A couple of notes: The recipe as written calls for 1 tablespoon of marsala, a pinch or two of allspice, and the zest of one lemon and one orange. I didn’t have any marsala on hand, allspice is tough to come by in Italy, and lemon is not an ingredient I associate with cannoli, so I left these out, but feel free to add all or some back in. I added vanilla extract as I find it makes all dessert better, but this wasn’t on the original ingredient list. Note I used salted pistachios because that’s all I had in my pantry and they worked fine. This cake is good the first day, but great on the second and third day (stronger flavors, better texture) so do feel free to make it ahead. It should be stored at room temperature, wrapped in foil or plastic. This could also be baked in a bundt pan to make a ciambellone, the ring shaped cake that Italians love for breakfast.
Looking for other every day cakes? Click here.
For more Sicily inspired recipes, click here. I’ve also got this caponata recipe I published in the Providence Journal (scroll down).
To make your own homemade cannoli, click here.
CANNOLI POUND CAKE
Makes 1 loaf cake, serving about 8.
Ingredients:
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
Zest from 2 large oranges
1/2 cup (120 ml) olive oil
1 cup (250 grams) whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup (170 grams) mini-chocolate chips or 6 ounces semisweet chocolate bar, chopped into tiny bits
1/2 cup (60 grams) pistachios, chopped small
Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Coat a standard (8 1/2-x-4 1/4″) loaf pan with butter.
Place the sugar in a large bowl, and add zest. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar — this will release the oil in the zest and make your cake extra fragrant. Whisk in the olive oil, vanilla, ricotta and eggs. Sprinkle baking powder, salt, and cinnamon over wet ingredients, then whisk to combine. Gently stir in flour, then chocolate and pistachios until just combined.
Scrape into prepared loaf. Bake oven for 55 to 65 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out-batter free. Let cool on wire rack in pan for 15 minutes, then invert out onto rack to finish cooling.
