This soft and beautifully tender vegan cannoli cake is absolutely sublime with every bite. Loaded with layers of dairy free cannoli filling, moist vanilla cannoli cake, and real cannoli, you won’t believe this cake is made entirely without eggs nor dairy!

slice of vegan cannoli cake on a plate

Combining the best of cannoli and cake in one:

Here on The Banana Diaries, we have a thing for Italian desserts (must be the influence of my Sicilian grandparents 😉 ). And we also have a knack for making Italian inspired desserts from said favorite family recipe.

My great grandpa’s tiramisu we turned into both a tiramisu cake and tiramisu cheesecake; we of course have some iconic rainbow cookies and panettone (all vegan); and now, we took my great grandpa’s cannoli and turned them into both a cheesecake AND this beautiful cannoli cake.

And let me tell you, this vegan cannoli cake is one to write home about.

frosted vegan cannoli cake

It’s the most tender, lush, and deliciously soft chocolate chip-studded cake made so moist from the vegan ricotta. Then we layer it with a chocolate chip cannoli frosting and top with homemade vegan cannoli.

Can you say, showstopper?!

How is this vegan?

You might be wondering how in the heck do you make cannoli- which is typically VERY dairy based – vegan, and make it a cake – which is usually laden with eggs and butter?!

The magic of vegan baking 🙂

Ricotta: Instead of using dairy ricotta, we’re making our own! The process is actually so similar to traditional ricotta. The only difference is that we’re using a protein-rich dairy free milk (in our case, pea milk) in lieu of regular milk.

Eggs: Instead of eggs, we’re using – you guessed it – the vegan ricotta. Soft cheeses are actually great egg replacements in baking, so the theory when making this cake was that the same would be true for dairy free. And I was correct! The texture of this cake is so moist, tender, and beautifully soft. Easily one of my favorite vegan egg replacements to date.

Butter: We’re actually swapping half of the butter for a neutral oil (I like avocado oil), and the remainder, we’re using vegan butter.

Milk: My favorite swap here is oat milk, soy milk, or almond milk, but you can also use pea milk or cashew milk!

slice of cannoli cake

Dairy free ricotta alternatives:

Making my homemade vegan ricotta is super simple- it’s the easiest out of all of my homemade vegan cheeses (including mascarpone and vegan cream cheese!). It’s also nut-free and soy-free (literally 2 ingredients).

However, if you want, you can use store bought as well! The only store bought vegan ricotta that I’m aware of is Kite Hill, and I will say, it’s really good. However, it is also almond-based, so if you’re nut-free, I would recommend using my homemade version!

Now of course, pea milk might not be available to you in your region. You can use soy milk if you are not soy free, and the result will be the same. Or you can use dairy free yogurt or a vegan sour cream. Both will yield similar results, but I do believe the ricotta is best for this scenario.

As for the homemade vegan cannoli, those will definitely need a vegan ricotta!

Overview: how to make a VEGAN cannoli cake:

For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.

ricotta being formed
First, we’ll start by making sure the ricotta is prepared. Once you reach this phase, we’ll blend the ricotta until “whipped.”
whipped ricotta
Once whipped, we can use in our cake recipe and for our vegan cannoli! I recommend making about 1.5 batches.
cannoli cake batter
Next, the cannoli cake. All can be made with just a whisk. You’ll mix the wet ingredients first, followed by adding in the dry and whisk together with the dairy free milk.
cakes before baking
Pour the cake batter into two pans and bake!
cannoli frosting
Once fully cooled, you can make the frosting.
frosted cannoli cake
Next, decorate and assemble! I recommend making the cannoli while the cakes are cooling.

Decorating tips:

Now for the fun part- decorating!

I will admit, it’s slightly difficult to smear frosting loaded with mini chocolate chips, but the look of a cannoli cake isn’t to be perfectly smooth.

I like to also pipe remaining frosting on top as ledges for the vegan cannoli. You can also simply pile the cannoli in the middle of the cake!

My favorite tools for decorating cakes are:

  • Bench scraper
  • Offset spatula
  • Round large piping tip & bag
  • Cake turntable
slice of vegan cannoli cake

Honestly, you’re going to be speechless when you try this vegan cannoli cake. I can’t wait to hear what you think in the comments section! And be sure to share a photo too of your creation below and on Instagram!

Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!

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slice of vegan cannoli cake on a plate

Unbelievably Vegan Cannoli Cake Recipe

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  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 37
  • Total Time: 57 minutes
  • Yield: 16 1x
  • Category: Cake
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

This soft and beautifully tender vegan cannoli cake is absolutely sublime with every bite. Loaded with dairy free ricotta and chocolate chips, you won’t believe this cake is made entirely without eggs nor dairy!

Ingredients

Scale

Cannoli Cake:

  • 3 2/3 cup (450 g) all-purpose flour (or 512 g gluten free 1:1 baking flour + 1 tbsp arrowroot or cornstarch)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 3/4 cup (350 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (113 g) salted vegan butter, melted and room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (110 g) neutral cooking oil
  • 1/2 cup (120 g) vegan ricotta, whipped and room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (120 g) dairy free yogurt, room temperature 
  • 2 tbsp vanilla extract (yes, 2 tablespoons!!)
  • 1 1/4 cup (300 mL) dairy free milk, room temperature
  • 1 cup (220 g) vegan mini chocolate chips

Frosting:

Instructions

  1. Prep: Read instructions fully before beginning. Preheat the oven to 350F, and line two 8″ cake pans with parchment paper and oil. Make sure the vegan ricotta is prepared. You will need a 1/2 batch for the cake, and a full batch for the cannoli to go on top. For both, it is recommended that you use the whipped ricotta version.
  2. Whisk: ​​​​In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.
  3. Make the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the melted vegan butter, oil, sugar, vegan ricotta, dairy free yogurt, and vanilla extract. Mix until fully combined. Then add in the dry ingredients, along with the dairy free milk, and whisk just until combined. Add in the chocolate chips, and mix JUST until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
  4. Bake: Divide the cake batter into the cake pans, and bake for 35-37 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven.
  5. Cool: Allow the cakes to cool in the cake pans for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to fully cool. Depending on how warm your kitchen is, this could take 1 hour to several hours. You need the cakes to have absolutely no warmth coming from them before you frost.
  6. While the cakes are cooling: I recommend making the cannoli now. This will give you time for everything to cool before you assemble. For a quick fix, you can also sub in vegan puff pastry and use the cannoli filling in the recipe linked in the ingredients section.
  7. Make the frosting: When ready to assemble, make the frosting. Once creamy, you can fold in the additional chocolate chips.
  8. Assemble: Place one cake layer down onto a cake plate, and add about 1/2 cup of frosting to the cake. Spread to reach the edges of the cake. Then place the second layer down, and frost the entire cake. You’ll have some leftover cannoli frosting for decoration. Place into the fridge for the frosting to full set. While the cake is chilling, you can fill the cannoli.
  9. Decorate and serve: When ready to finish decorating, pipe the remaining frosting on top, and top with your homemade vegan cannoli. Slice and serve! Store any leftovers in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Notes

Gluten free: I recommend using King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour for gluten-free.