My Italian Cannoli Pound Cake topped with a creamy white chocolate ganache, is the perfect dessert for the winter season. But I love the rich, tender crumb of this moist pound cake all year long. Loaded with chocolate chips with a delightful cinnamon flavor, this cake is sure to be a hit with your whole family.
Mama Jeanette’s delicious cake has long been a holiday tradition in our home, but it seems to be showing up more and more throughout the year. It is a twist on my delicious cannoli cake.
Be sure to try my cannoli recipe too, it is a delicious cannoli filling.
It’s an old family recipe that I’ve been trusted with and one I wanted to share with my extended family of friends and followers across the internet.
Ingredients for Cannoli Pound Cake
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my Cannoli Pound Cake. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”
Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Made with simple ingredients
- ricotta cheese
- all-purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- large eggs
- vegetable oil
- vanilla extract
- chocolate chips
- cinnamon chips
- orange zest
- lime zest
- baking powder
- cinnamon
- salt
Where Can I find Cinnamon Baking Chips?
Hershey’s makes the cinnamon baking chips that I use when I make this pound cake, but you can use any brand that you like. If you can’t find them at your local grocery store or Walmart, you can find them on Amazon.
If you can’t find the cinnamon chips, you can leave them out of the cake. Although they do give the cannoli pound cake an added layer of flavor, it’s not a deal breaker if you have to leave them out.
How to make Cannoli Pound Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F and place the oven rack in the center of the oven.
- Prep a Standard loaf pan, coating it with butter and sugar, or use pan spray to coat the pan.
- Add the all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon to a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk the dry ingredients to combine.
- Add the sugar, orange zest, and lime zest to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or electric mixer and a large bowl).
- With the mixer on low, mix the zest into the sugar allowing the oils from the zest to blend into the sugar. Mix for about two minutes, then set aside until needed.
- Add the vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and room-temperature eggs to a large bowl.
- Mix until well combined.
- Add the ricotta cheese to the wet ingredients.
- Whisk until well blended.
- Add the granulated sugar to the mixture.
- Mix to blend into the wet ingredients.
You want a mild-tasting oil for this cake, you can use olive oil if you like, but it will change the flavor.
- Add the dry ingredients to the ricotta mixture.
- Mix just enough until blended.
- Add the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and cinnamon chips to the cake batter.
- Mix just enough to incorporate the chips. Don’t overmix!
- Pour the cake batter into a prepared loaf pan and place the pan on the center rack of your preheated oven and bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack in the baking pan for 15 minutes, then turn the cake out of the pan and onto the rack to finish cooling.
- Place the white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. In a separate, microwave-safe container, microwave the heavy cream for 20-30 seconds.
- Pour the cream over the white chocolate, making sure that most of the white chocolate is covered. Let stand for 5 minutes. Then, stir in a gentle, circular motion until the white chocolate has melted completely and the mixture is smooth.
*If necessary, the mixture can be microwaved for a few seconds more.
Pour the white chocolate ganache over the cooled cannoli pound cake and allow it to set for a few minutes until it starts to firm up.
This cake comes together pretty quickly and has such a delicious blend of flavors your house will smell amazing as it bakes in your oven. This old family recipe is one of my favorite Italian desserts.
After one bite of this delicious cake, I know you’ll agree that this is the best Cannoli Pound Cake you’ve ever tasted!
I can thank Mama Jeanette for teaching me how to make her famous Italian Pound Cake. It may not be the easiest pound cake recipe, but trust me when I tell you, this cake is definitely worth the effort.
This is my favorite loaf pan and the chips I use for baking my cannoli pound cake.
Feel free to use the chocolate chips of your choice to make this cake.
More Cakes You’ll Love!
Very Best Italian Cannoli Pound Cake
Equipment
- standard loaf pan 8-½ x 4-½ x 2-½ inches.
Ingredients
- butter and sugar to coat loaf pan (flour and butter or pan spray can be substituted)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- ½ cup cinnamon chips Hershey's Brand – available at Walmart, Blairs Candy, and Hershey's
White Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and place the oven rack in the center of the oven.
- Prep a Standard loaf pan, coating it with butter and sugar, or use pan spray to coat the pan.
- Add the all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon to a large mixing bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients to combine and set aside until needed.
- Add the sugar, orange zest, and lime zest to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or electric mixer and a large bowl). With the mixer on low, mix the zest into the sugar allowing the oils from the zest to blend into the sugar. Mix for about two minutes, then set aside until needed.
- Add the vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and room-temperature eggs to a large bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Add the ricotta cheese to the wet ingredients. Whisk until well blended.
- Add the sugar mixture to the mixture. Mix to blend into the wet ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients to the ricotta mixture. Mix just enough until blended.
- Add the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and cinnamon chips to the cake batter. Mix just enough to incorporate the chips. Don’t overmix!
- Pour the cake batter into a prepared loaf pan and place the pan on the center rack of your preheated oven and bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool on wire rack in pan for 15 minutes, then turn the cake out of the pan and onto the rack to finish cooling.
White Chocolate Ganache
- Place the white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl.
- In a separate, microwave-safe container, microwave the heavy cream for 20-30 seconds.
- Pour the cream over the white chocolate, making sure that most of the white chocolate is covered. Let stand for 5 minutes. Then, stir in a gentle, circular motion until the white chocolate has melted completely and the mixture is smooth.*If necessary, the mixture can be microwaved for a few seconds more.
Assembly
- Pour white chocolate ganache over the cooled pound cake.
Donna says
I can’t wait to try this! Do you recommend dark chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips for this cake?
Chef Dennis Littley says
I like dark or semi-sweet chips in the pound cake.
Mila R. Palag says
Chef Dennis, I can’t thank you enough for all your wonderful recipes! I have tried many of them and I always got raving reviews from the recipients. Thank you so much for sharing!
Have a grace-filled Christmas and a wonderful 2025!
Chef Dennis Littley says
You are very welcome and I’m happy to hear you’ve been enjoying my recipes!
Merry Christmas!
Teresa Milano says
I’m addicted to this site. Every recipe has turned out excellently.
I’ve made all recipes more than once.
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m very hapy to hear you’ve been enjoying my recipes!
Elaine says
Can you substitute the cinnamon chips with anything else?
Shelley says
This cake if fabulous! Standard loaf pan definitely did not work for me. Made it a second time in a 9×5 pan and it was perfect. Much in demand from family!
Muriah says
I baked this for over 65 minutes and the center of it would not bake and was just mush while the edges were overcooked! What am I doing wrong?
Chef Dennis Littley says
I had this happen to one other person and found out they used a smaller loaf pan rather than the standard loaf pan, or your oven runs hot. Either will cause that to happen. I’m very sorry you ran into this problem
Muriah says
It’s a 9×5 loaf pan but it’s a glass one, could that be the problem?
Chef Dennis Littley says
That’s it, the sides and bottom brown at a much faster rate than the interior cooks in glass bakeware. If you reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees that should help
Donn says
I have added 1 Tablespoon of Marsalla to the recipe. It definitely adds to the taste. But I was thinking, but didn’t want to take the chance of ruinning the cake, of adding some Marsalla directly onto the cake when it is removed from the oven for extra mositure. What do you think? And if you think it might work, how much would I use? BTW…thanks for your many recipes.
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m not a fan of marsala in desserts but if that’s a flavor profile you enjoy, you could brush the cake with marsala. Personally, I think you would be adding another flavor to fight against the others. You might try it on one piece and see if you like it.
Dennis Calloway says
If we cannot find cinnamon chips, can ground cinnamon be substituted? Any idea how much ground cinnamon to use?
Chef Dennis Littley says
ground cinnamon will be a lot stronger and wouldn’t be a good substitute for the chips. You can add a tsp to the mix to add cinnamon flavor and add extra white chocolate chips to make up for the cinnamon chips
Chris says
What do you consider a “standard size” loaf pan? 9×5 or 8×4.5? Thanks.
Chef Dennis Littley says
A standard loaf pan is 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches. You can make it in the slightly larger 9 x 5 x 2-1/2 inches pan but the cake will be flatter.
Cristen says
Anyone else have an issue with greasing with butter and sugar? I was nervous this would caramelize and it did. I wound up with 2 (doubled recipe) nice looking cake/loaves that were super-glued to their pans.
Chef Dennis Littley says
I have not had that issue with this cake, but you are free to prepare the pan anyway you like. I use a variety of methods including pan spray.
Michelle says
This recipe looks amazing. I am excited to try it. Would it be possible to use a 4-cavity mini loaf pan if so how would that change the baking time? Thanks!
Chef Dennis Littley says
you can definitely break the recipe up into smaller pans, as for cooking time you’ll probably want to reduce the cooking time by 15-20 minutes. I have not baked the smaller version so this is just an estimate.
julie says
the flavor was good but it was a little dry and crumbled when I cut it. What can I do differently next time?
Chef Dennis Littley says
I think you may have just overbaked the cake. It should be very moist.
Dawn says
I see another commenter said just what I was thinking:
“You had me at cannoli!” Do you think this recipe could be doubled and baked in a Bundt or angel food cake pan? Presentation would be spectacular!
Thanks for all the wonderful recipes. Your tiramisu has become my regular! I increase ingredients by a half and make in a 9×13. So delicious I practically eat the whole thing myself. Started freezing leftovers so I wouldn’t be so tempted but discovered it is just as good in a frozen state!
Dawn
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m not sure how well it would bake if you doubled the recipe. There is that fine line with it completely cooking and not drying out in the process.
You are right it would spectacular and worth the try if you’re up for it.
I’ve started sending food to the neighbors so I won’t eat it all. Since I eat for a living, I’m always cooking more than we need!
Annetre says
I have made the Italian cannoli poundcake and it is so delicious and it was such a hit. Could that poundcake be made ahead of time and frozen? My email is Annette
Chef Dennis Littley says
yes you can freeze this pound cake. Just double wrap it.