home baked

Making your own bread at home and the thrill of eating it warm from the oven beats shop-bought any day

Lulu’s simple white loaf

strong white bread flour

sachet fast-action dried yeast

tsp salt

olive oil

milliliters water

Mix the flour, yeast and salt. Add the olive oil and gradually stir in the tepid water, adding only enough to make a soft dough. Knead with a dough hook in a tabletop mixer for about 7 mins, or using your hands on a lightly floured surface for about 10 mins, until the dough feels bouncy and looks silky rather than dimpled. Put in an oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise until doubled in size.

Oil a 2lb loaf tin. Knock back the dough by kneading the air out of it, then gently mould the dough into a thick sausage. Drop into the tin, cover and prove for 1 hr more until doubled in size.

Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Dust the loaf with flour and cut a slash in the top with a sharp knife. Bake for 30-35 mins until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.

A light cinnamon cake frosted with ricotta and mascarpone cream, the sides are covered with mini choc chips and 6 cute mini cannoli on top. An ideal dessert cake with classic cannoli flavors!

Cannoli Cake Recipe

oz (1 ½ sticks

(340 grams) superfine (castor) sugar

(60 milliliterss) oil (see notes)

eggs (room temperature)

vanilla extract

(185 grams) all purpose flour

(185 grams) cake flour

baking powder

cinnamon

baking soda

salt

1¼ cup (300 milliliterss) buttermilk

(2 pounds

(90 grams) powdered (icing) sugar

orange zest

(approx 250 grams) mascarpone cheese

(62 grams) powdered (icing) sugar

dark rum

mini chocolate chips

cannoli shells (optional)

Before beginning this Cannoli Cake, please read the recipe fully including all the all the tips for success. Be sure to use dry ricotta!

Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Grease two 8-inch/20cm round deep cake pans and line the base with non stick paper. Then flour the sides.

Whisk or sift together flours, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside

In an electric mixer, beat together butter, sugar and oil for 2 minutes on medium speed.

Scrape sides of the bowl then add eggs, one at a time until well combined. Stir in vanilla.

Add dry ingredients. Then combine on low speed until just moistened. Add buttermilk and beat for 1 minute on medium until well combined and smooth.

Pour evenly into prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Check at 30 minutes.

When done the cake will come away from the side and settle down a little on the edges. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out to cool on a wire rack.

Cool completely before filling and decorating.

Cake

In a food processor, combine ricotta, ¾ cup powdered sugar, orange zest, and cinnamon until creamy.

Fold in mascarpone. Refrigerate until needed.

Ricotta frosting

Combine ½ cup powdered sugar with dark rum. Stir to dissolve sugar. Set aside.

Rum syrup

Cut and level off tops of cakes and cut each cake in half horizontally.

Brush one cut side of each layer with rum glaze.

Place one layer on a cake plate and spread 1 cup of ricotta filling evenly over the cake.

Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of  chocolate chips.

Continue layering and filling with ricotta cream and chocolate chips finishing with the fourth layer of cake.

If you are using mini cannoli, fill with a teaspoon or a piping bag and press chocolate chips onto the ends. Keep refrigerated until needed.

Reserve ⅓ cup of ricotta cream. Then spread the rest of the cream all over the cake beginning with the sides then covering the top.

Press more chocolate chips onto the side of the cake and arranged filled cannoli shells on top spacing apart evenly.

Fill a piping bag fitted with a star tube with remaining ricotta cream and pipe 6 stars in between the cannoli on top of the cake.

Serve immediately or refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving. See notes for preparing ahead.

Assembly and decorating

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Lulu’s simple white loaf

Cannoli Cake Recipe

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Lulu’s simple white loaf

Cannoli Cake Recipe

The most viewed home baked recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine