Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cannoli Cake

If you love cannoli but can’t have gluten, this cake is going to make your day. It has all the classic cannoli flavors – ricotta, chocolate chips, orange zest, and a touch of cinnamon – baked into a simple layered cake.

The cake itself is soft and moist, made with almond flour and ricotta. It has a slightly nutty flavor that works perfectly with the creamy cannoli filling on top.

Speaking of the filling, it’s thick, rich, and loaded with mini chocolate chips. It tastes just like what you’d find inside a real cannoli, but you get way more of it in every bite.

And yes, this whole thing is 100% gluten free. No weird textures, no compromise on taste. Just a really good cake that everyone at the table will enjoy.

It’s a great dessert for holidays, birthdays, or anytime you want something a little more special. Let me show you how to make it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Tastes Like a Real Cannoli – The creamy ricotta and mascarpone filling with orange zest and cinnamon gives you authentic cannoli flavor in every single bite.

Incredibly Moist Cake Layers – The almond flour and ricotta in the batter create a soft and tender crumb that stays moist for days.

You Would Never Guess It Is Gluten Free – This cake is so rich and flavorful that nobody at the table will believe it is made without regular flour.

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 2 cups Almond Flour
• 1/2 cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
• 1 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 4 large Eggs
• 1 cup Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
• 1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• Zest of 1 Orange

For the Cannoli Filling

• 2 cups Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese, strained
• 8 oz Mascarpone Cheese, softened
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• Zest of 1 Orange
• 3/4 cup Mini Chocolate Chips

For the Topping

• 1/4 cup Mini Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 cup Chopped Pistachios
• Powdered Sugar, for dusting

How to Make

Step 1

Strain the ricotta for the filling ahead of time. Place 2 cups of ricotta in a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth set over a bowl. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight to drain excess moisture. This step is critical for a thick, creamy filling.

Step 2

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

Step 3

Whisk together the almond flour, gluten free flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, 1 cup ricotta, oil, vanilla, and orange zest. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until smooth.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans.

Step 4

Bake for 28 to 32 minutes until golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Step 5

Make the cannoli filling by beating the strained ricotta and mascarpone together until very smooth. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and orange zest, beating until creamy. Fold in 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips by hand.

Step 6

Place one cake layer on your serving plate. Spread a thick, generous layer of cannoli filling over the top, using about half the filling. Place the second layer on top and spread the remaining filling over the top, leaving the sides of the cake exposed for a rustic look.

Step 7

Scatter mini chocolate chips and chopped pistachios over the top. Dust lightly with powdered sugar. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving to let the filling set.

My Tips

Strain the Ricotta Really Well

This is the most important step in the whole recipe. If your ricotta still has too much moisture, the filling will be runny and slide right off the cake layers.

Overnight straining in the fridge gives the best results. If you only have 2 hours, press down gently on the ricotta with a spoon a few times during that window to help push out more liquid.

You’ll know it’s ready when the ricotta feels noticeably thicker and there’s a good amount of liquid collected in the bowl underneath.

Weigh Your Almond Flour

Almond flour packs down easily in a measuring cup, so scooping it can give you way more than you actually need. Too much almond flour makes the cake dense and heavy instead of soft.

If you have a kitchen scale, 2 cups of almond flour should be around 192 grams. If you don’t have a scale, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife instead of scooping directly from the bag.

Use Room Temperature Ingredients for the Filling

The mascarpone and strained ricotta should both be at room temperature before you beat them together. Cold mascarpone tends to stay lumpy no matter how long you mix it.

Take them out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you plan to make the filling. When they’re both soft, they blend into each other smoothly and you get that silky cannoli texture without any grainy bits.

More Tasty Recipes

• Gluten Free Cannoli Cookies
• Gluten Free Cannoli Dip
• Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
• Gluten Free Italian Ricotta Cake
• Gluten Free Tiramisu Cheesecake

FAQ

Why do I need to strain the ricotta, and what happens if I skip it?

Straining the ricotta removes excess water so your cannoli filling ends up thick and creamy instead of runny. If you skip this step, the filling will be too loose and it can make the cake layers soggy, which is not what you want.

If you are short on time, you can speed things up by wrapping the ricotta tightly in cheesecloth and gently pressing it over a bowl. Even an hour of straining is better than none, but overnight in the fridge gives you the best results.