Cannoli
- Published: 22 Mar 23
- Updated: 18 Mar 24
Cannoli are undoubtedly the most popular dessert of Sicilian baking. A bite into a homemade cannoli delivers a simple yet glorious triumph of flavours. The thin, crispy shell is made with soft wheat flour and lard and flavoured with marsala wine, orange zest and cinnamon, while the filling is a simple mix of ricotta, sugar and candied citrus peel. The overall amount of sugar is surprisingly small, leaving the delicate flavours centre stage.
Recipe taken from Giuseppe’s Italian Bakes by Giuseppe Dell’Anno (Quadrille, £20)
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Makes 12 -
Hands-on time 1 hour 30 min, plus cooling, resting and overnight draining
Nutrition
- Calories
- 499kcals
- Fat
- 28g (13g saturated)
- Protein
- 26g
- Carbohydrates
- 34g (15g sugars)
- Fibre
- 1.4g
- Salt
- 2.2g
delicious. tips
For the shells to retain their crispy, almost flaky texture, cannoli must be filled at the very last minute. In fact, if you buy them in Sicily, unless you are eating them on the spot, you will be served a set of empty shells and a bowl of filling, so you can fill them at home.
Traditionally, cannoli are made exclusively with sifted, artisanal sheep’s milk ricotta. This is getting harder and harder to get hold of, so if you are not one of the lucky ones that can source it easily, you can use conventional cow’s milk ricotta instead. The result may not be as good or in line with the purists’ view, but it is still utterly delicious and absolutely worth the calories!