Holy Cannoli, What a Cake!

To Make the Cake:
Butter and flour a 9″ springform pan. Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

In a stand mixer with the wire whisk attachment, beat egg whites and a pinch of salt on low speed until foamy. Slowly add 1 cup of sugar and increase speed to medium, beating until soft peaks form. This will take about 5 minutes. Don’t over beat! Carefully transfer the egg white mixture to a large stainless steel mixing bowl and set aside.

Using the same mixer bowl, beat the egg yolk, 1/3 cup of sugar, orange zest, Frangelico and vanilla until it becomes thickened and pale yellow in color.

Using a spatula, gently scrape the egg yolk mixture on top of egg whites. Gently incorporate the egg yolk mixture, using a folding motion (scraping along the bottom of the bowl under the egg whites and up through the center of the mixture),

In a small bowl, whisk together the 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of flour and baking powder to blend well. Sift the flour mixture over the top of the egg mixture (if you dump it in all at once you’ll deflate it), and again gently fold in the flour just until it is combined. Gently scrape the batter into your springform pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden and the cake springs back when lightly touched.

Place cake on a baking rack to cool for 20 minutes. Remove the ring of the springform pan from the cake, using a knife if necessary to loosen the sides. Cool completely on the baking rack.

While cake cools, prepare orange simple syrup:

In a small saucepan, over high heat, stir all of the simple syrup ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Heat until mixture boils, and boil for 1 minute. Then remove from heat and cool slightly.

Using a long serrated knife, cut cake into two layers (cutting horizontally). Place strips of waxed paper, about 2 or 3 inches wide, along the edges of your serving platter, this will keep it clean while you ice the cake, then you can remove them before serving.

Remove the bottom cake layer from the springform pan base and place it on the serving platter. Brush it with half of the orange syrup. Brush the top layer with remaining syrup but don’t put it on the top of the bottom layer yet. Set both aside.

Prepare Cannoli Filling:

With the wire whisk attachment on your stand mixer, whip the mascarpone and ricotta on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the remaining filling ingredients except for the chocolate chunks, and continue beating until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chunks. If filling seems a little soft, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm it up.

Using an offset spatula (another handy helper in the kitchen – great for spreading evenly), spread the cannoli filling on the top of the bottom cake layer. You may have a little extra filling, it depends on how thick you want your filling layer to be. Then carefully place top cake layer over the filling. Cover cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate. This is one cake that gets better as it sits – so make it a day ahead. It will keep for several days in the refrigerator before it’s frosted.

To top your cake with a dusting of powdered sugar and chocolate (topping option #1):

Place confectioner’s sugar in a wire mesh strainer and sift it over the top of the cake. Finely grate a piece of semisweet chocolate on top of the powdered sugar. Add a garnish, if desired, in the center of the cake: chocolate covered strawberries, edible flowers, or mini cannolis are good choices.

To make a stabilized vanilla whipped cream frosting (topping option #2):

In a small saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Let it stand 1 minute. Then heat the mixture over medium low heat, stirring constantly until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Usually whipped cream begins to weep or separate several hours after being made – adding gelatin helps to prevent this.

Using your mixer, whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla extract on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the gelatin and continue whipping until stiff peaks form. I prefer to use superfine sugar in whipped cream, however with a cake that’s going to sit in the fridge for a day, confectioner’s sugar adds stability, due to its added cornstarch. But if you’re going to use the whipped cream right away, give superfine sugar a try sometime.

Spread the frosting on the top and sides of the cake. If desired, use a spatula to transfer some of the whipped cream to a pastry bag with a star tip and pipe decorative rosettes or a pretty border along the top of the cake. Garnish with chocolate curls, dragees, chocolate pearls, or cocoa nibs. Cake will keep in the refrigerator for 1 day once it’s frosted.