Cannoli Cream Cake

It’s that time of the year, folks.  Finals are in three weeks, and as much as I try to tell myself that this isn’t true and that I REALLY have about ten more weeks to go, I have to face the unavoidable truth that sh*t is about to get real.

Studying for law school finals is pretty much the worst torture you will endure outside of a prison war camp.  (I’m almost not joking.)  We just finished the big appellate brief – aka the reason I’ve gained ten pounds – and now we’re expected to bulk up on study guides and outlines while still tackling our daily 80 pages of reading.

It’s a good thing you’re cute, law school.

While I’m suffocating under a pile of Property notes, the one thing that I really, really, REALLY want is cake.  I know I sound like a five year old, but when I’m stressed the only thing that I want, besides my mother and reassurance that everything will be okay, is a big slice of cake.

For many (obvious) reasons I’m not making any cakes as of late. First off, there haven’t been any birthdays and I know from experience (delicious-stomach-ache-experience) that I cannot be trusted with a cake in the fridge.  Also, cakes take a long time.  You know what I don’t have?  Time.  Or flour, actually.  I really need to go to the store.  So, I’m just going to post pictures of cake and pretend that I’m eating it.  That’s totally normal right?

Okay, maybe not so much.

I made this cake for my birthday this summer and it is probably the best that I’ve made.  It’s not overly sweet and the texture of the cake is perfectly dense with just enough spring to it.  If I didn’t have a ban on repeating baked goods, I’d make this for every.single.birthday.

Cannoli Cream Cake

Cake Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
2-3/4 cups flour
2-1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 tbs vanilla extract

Filling Ingredients:
1 carton (16 oz) ricotta cheese
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp rum extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Frosting Ingredients:
2 cartons (8 oz each) Mascarpone cheese
1-1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted (depends on the thickness of frosting)
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.  In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy.  Beat in the sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides.  Stir in the extract.

Alternate the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Beat until incorporated.  Pour the batter evenly between three prepared cake pans.  Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool completely on a wire wrack.

For the filling, combine all ingredients in a mixer, except for the chocolate chips, and mix until combined.  Spoon 1/3 cup of the filling onto the first layer of the cake.  

Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Repeat on the next layer, spreading the filling and sprinkling with the chocolate chips.  On the top layer, spread the filling but leave a one inch border around the edge of the cake.

For the frosting, combine all ingredients in a mixer, except for the chocolate chips, and mix until combined.  Frost the sides of the cake and the remaining one inch border on the top of the cake.  When finished, press chocolate chips to the sides of the cake and the one inch border.  It works on the sides best to sprinkle them from the top, using the palm of your hands to press them gently into the cake.  Leave the extra sprinkles at the bottom for decoration.

Source:  Cake and Filling/Frosting