3 Desserts Inspired By Traditional Cannoli

When you visit an Italian bakery, you will often come by a cannoli because the dessert is often a signature Italian dish. A traditional cannoli includes a hard-baked shell formed into a tube and filled with cream. A cannoli will often come with extra toppings like chocolate filling, chocolate drizzle, or other dessert toppings.

Along with traditional cannoli, you can find a lot of Italian bakery desserts that transform cannoli into other forms. Learn some of the desserts inspired by the cannoli and how you can enjoy the treat in several different ways.

1. Cannoli Cake

The basic structure of a cannoli often gets transformed into a cake. The cake will typically feature three layers. Two layers of sponge with a center layer of cream. The visual representation of a cannoli will also include a chocolate drizzle or some sort of fruit topping on the top.

The outside of the cake may include a crumbled cannoli shell that a baker spreads across the edges. Some of the cakes may also include a miniature cannoli right on top of the cake as a nice little bonus treat.

2. Cannoli Chips

Instead of whole cannoli desserts, some bakeries may offer cannoli chips. The chip version of cannoli is an ideal way to serve a cannoli dessert to multiple guests. The cannoli shell is baked and cut into bite-sized pieces. The chips are often served on a platter with a dip bowl. The dip includes the cream filling from the cannoli.

Along with traditional cream dip, you could serve the cannoli chips with a fruit dip sauce, a caramel sauce, or a chocolate sauce. A bakery may even offer the sauces with your purchase.

3. Cannoli Bites

The way the shell forms for the cannoli can make a big difference in the way you serve the dessert. For example, you may find a dessert known as cannoli bites. Instead of a tube-like shell, the outside gets baked into a small shell about the size of a cupcake. Once baked, the shells get filled with cream and topped with extras like chocolate chips.

Cannoli bites allow you to eat smaller portions and still enjoy the same flavors. You can serve up the bites on a nice platter and mix them in with other desserts like pastries, cupcakes, and donuts.

The next time you visit an Italian bakery, see what versions of cannoli they have for sale. Try out different kinds and see which ones are your favorite.


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