Thursday Recipe

When I was growing up, one of the desserts we would have was poke cake.  You know, the kind of cake where you bake it then poke holes in it with the end of a wooden spoon and then pour jello or pudding over it and voila.  My favorites were white cake with strawberry jello and cool whip frosting.  Imagine my utter delight when I discovered this poke cake recipe on Pinterest for a Cannoli poke cake.  I made this and my staff was in love with it.  It was gone before lunchtime (which for me is the hallmark of a good dessert).  You can find the recipe at Life, Love, and Sugar.

Ingredients

1 box white cake mix, plus ingredients on box

1 14 oz cans sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon, optional

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1. Bake cake according to directions on box for a 9x13 pan.

2. Allow cake to cool completely.

3. Poke holes all over the top of the cake. (I used a straw)

4. Reserve half a cup of sweetened condensed milk and pour the rest of the sweetened condensed milk over the cake.

5. Put cake in refrigerator for about an hour to absorb milk.

6. Combine ricotta cheese, mascarpone cheese and vanilla extract in a mixer bowl. Beat until smooth.

7. Add powdered sugar and cinnamon, if using and mix until combined.

8. Add reserved sweetened condensed milk and mix until combined.

9. Once cake has absorbed milk, spread cannoli topping evenly over cake.

10. Top with mini chocolate chips and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

11. Cover cake and allow to set in refrigerator for 2-3 hours. Cake should keep for 4-5 days.

NOTE: Do consider straining the ricotta before using, especially if it's a particularly watery brand.