I had a little surprise brought home for me today, a cannoli cake. I immediately brewed a pot of coffee in it's honor. (Perhaps "to it's horror," but I hate espresso, so it will have to learn to deal.)
So I'm sure the first question that comes to mind is about the architecture of this fine confection. There are two ways to look at this: Is the pastry merely a garnish for the cake, or is the cake simply a podium for the pastry? In this case, tragically, the former is the case, and my calling this cake a confection is a purely aesthetic choice. The foundation upon which this cake is frosted is a simple two-layer eight-inch yellow cake. The icing is primarily a simple butter-cream icing with a light ricotta taste added into it. It's spread light on the sides and piled heavy on top as a fluted decoration, along with green sprinkles and a single thumb-sized cannolo. Between the yellow cake layers is another thin layer of icing and, joy of joys, tiny, tiny chocolate chips. A fine layer of crushed and fried dough decorates the circumference of the cake.
Perhaps your first question is whether or not it tastes good. Yes, of course, it does. It's sweets with more sweets. Is it a fair fusion of cannoli and cake? No, not really. While the primary ingredient in the filling of cannoli receives a nod, the substance of it doesn't. Instead of green sprinkles, lime zest would have been a better choice, adding a unique twist on the the typical candied citrus peels in most cannoli. The cake overpowers the cannoli aspect of the dessert if one isn't economical with the ricotta-flavored icing, and the fried dough is both, surprisingly, too little, and unsurprisingly, soggy. Do bear in mind that this is a mass-produced cake. If you're thinking of looking up a recipe (there are a few floating around out there) and making your own, I recommend abstaining from garnishing it, both with the cannolo and the crumblies, until you're ready to serve it.
I would recommend this cake as an adventure in baking, but as a supermarket purchase, it's delicious but not what you'd imagine.
Perhaps that's what was intended.
