Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the oven rack set in the center position.

2. Place your ricotta cheese in a mesh strainer lined with cheese cloth or a paper coffee filter and press it gently with a wooden spoon or your fingertips to release as much of the moisture as you can. This will give you a richer, thicker cannoli cream.

3. Beat the pressed ricotta cheese with lemon zest, vanilla and confectioner’s or superfine sugar until it is creamy and smooth and has a mildly tart flavor. Add chocolate pieces, diced dried fruit or chopped nuts such as pistachios or almonds for a more traditional cannoli filling. Cover the filling with plastic cling wrap and place it in the refrigerator.

4. Separate your egg yolks from the whites, reserving both. This can be done by cracking the egg and pouring the yolk back and forth between the egg shell halves until all of the white has drained into a bowl or by cracking an egg and pouring it into your palm, letting the white run through your fingers. You can also use en egg separator.

5. Beat the egg yolks with sugar until they are light and fluffy. Recipes vary, but for one cake you will need at least six eggs and approximately 1 cup of sugar. Beat the egg yolk for several minutes because it takes a while to incorporate enough air into the batter to achieve the desired volume.

6. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together and fold them into the beaten egg yolks and sugar. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon for this and be gentle. Do not beat the batter or you will destroy the delicate air pockets.

7. Whip the egg whites with a little bit more sugar until they are glossy and stiff. Fold them carefully into the egg yolk batter.

8. Fold the batter into your cake, bundt or tart pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Turn the pans upside down and let them cool enough to comfortably remove them from the cake using your hands. Let the cake cool for at least 1 hour before filling it.

9. Place one sponge cake top down on a serving plate or slice your bundt cake or tart-sized cakes in half horizontally using a serrated knife. Spread your cannoli filling evenly over the bottom half if your cake. Place the top half on the filling and make sure that the edges all line up. Spread some of the filling on top of the cake if you like and add chopped nuts or decorate the top of the cake with powdered sugar for a more festive look.