OMG: Not as bad as Sandra Lee's Kwanzaa Cake...

I am at a loss for words... Seriously,... This is when it is great to go to your favorite local

market and purchase a pie. edited to add; assuming that RR came up with this recipe because she was short on time or energy to make a dessert.

 
I'm not sure what makes me giggle more... You, using this as the base recipe to recreate your

cannoli cake that you enjoyed in NYC or the expressions on our devote italians on our forum. Both would be priceless!

 
So what was the bakery with the great cake--like I could get there from here. But inquiring..

Italians want to know.

We finally found a decent cannoli here in a pizzeria run by transplanted New Yorkers. Praise be to the lord of pastry.

Now I have to find some cappicolla. Y'all. BG.

 
State of Cannoli

Of my unofficial samplings, the best cannoli I had on my trip to NYC was found at Veneiro's in the East Village. -swoon- The cannoli shells dipped in bittersweet chocolate and then filled sent me into orbit.

The Cannoli Cake on the dessert cart at Patsy's Italian Restaurant on W. 56th is the gold standard. This is the one I want to create when I finally give this a whack.

Not an authentic Cassata Siciliana, it's the Americanized layer-cake version of Cassata, but the flavor in that cake was out of this world. I'm certain they used Alkermes (see link) as at least part of the liquor. I've been trying to pry the recipe out of them since February and they are currently ignoring my third pleading and begging letter.

Barb, you know me too well. Yes, I stumbled upon Miss Ray's unfortunate Unholy Cannoli Disaster in my research. I have about 30 different recipes printed that I'm studying for technique, ingredients, etc. I think I can come really close to recreating Patsy's Cannoli Cake, even if they won't share the recipe.

A friend returned from Florence with the real deal, I now have a bottle of the original Alkermes from the Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella to play with.(the monks also make amazing parfums, soaps, and other things out of their herb gardens--the pomegranate scent is out of this world).

What I'm going to do is make 4or 5 layers of Pan di Spagna, brush these with Alkermes syrup, make the classic ricotta cannoli filling flavored with orange zest, cinnamon, diced candied fruit, pistachios, and shaved bittersweet chocolate to fill and stack the Alkermes-soaked layers of sponge cake. Then I will make a mascarpone-based buttercream that I will fold in equal parts whipped cream to cover the cake once assembled. The sides will be covered with more shaved bittersweet chocolate, the top ornamented with Baroque swirls of the frosting, and then decorated with candied cherries, pistachios, and candied orange slices.

And of course I will share the results here.

http://www.carpediemtv.com/episodes/europe/santa-maria-novella/

 
I would have guessed that it was consumed at Veneiro's -- one of the best Italian bakeries in the

City.

Various bakeries in NJ make a similar cake, but none as elaborate as what Richard is describing.

I have tried to recreate same with a sponge, rum soaked, cannoli cream filled, whipped cream iced, with toasted sliced almonds on the sides. That is more typical of the cakes we had growing up. The Italian-American version I am sure.

 
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