17 May 2011

Cannoli Cheesecake








The last time I had a cannoli was from a little bakery in Chicago.  It was called Palermo, a bit out of the way from downtown but turned out to be so worth it. Not familiar with the neighborhood, it seemed a bit sketchy and out of the way. We all seemed to be thinking 'Dad, where are you taking us?' But once we went inside, it was magical. The display case was filled with beautiful cannoli, fruit tarts and many other small confections. Everything looked so amazing and it took me about a good 5 minutes of staring at it all before I could choose my two snacks for the road. We all picked out probably two each, so with four of us we figured the bill might be a bit hefty, guessing they were 3 or 4 dollars each.  But when we got the bill it was something absurdly low like 8 or 9 dollars. And everything was so amazing tasting. The cannoli I got was perfection and I have been thinking about it ever since.  

So when I saw this recipe for a Cannoli Cheesecake, I knew that it would be my new mission. I wanted to recreate that flavor and texture. And this cheesecake met my high expectations. The ricotta cheese, orange zest and mini chips in the filling help to make this cheese cake like a giant cannoli. Two amazing foods, cheesecake and cannoli, mixed together? How could this get any better. 

I made this as a belated celebration cake for my mom's birthday! Only a few days late, damn work. It was worth the wait. So that is why the flower photos are combined with this post, they were form my dad to her. So, Happy Birthday Mom! 




Recipe found here

10 comments:

Amanda- Eating in Winnipeg said...

oh this looks soo good!!!

BeeMore said...

It's a sad thing to be eating fresh baked oatmeal bread thinking I should have made cheesecake for breakfast.

Anna said...

Palermo does indeed have the best cannoli in Chicago, and I am a huge cannoli fan! I'm really tempted to make this cheesecake, but I know that if I did I'd eat it all myself. I think I'll risk it ;D

Bianca said...

A woman after my heart- I love cheesecake AND cannoli; this looks like a dream! Im sure it tastes that way too!

mary said...

Oh my LORD. This looks incredible!

Alicia said...

How interesting! This looks fantastic. Need to try this one.

Ryan said...

Beautiful and combines two of my favorites- cheesecake and cannolis. What's not to love about this???

lamb and blonde said...

A cannoli cheesecake? How brilliant! This cake looks delicious. I love your blog, recipes, photos--everything! Just started following.

Rosie @ Blueberry Kitchen said...

Your cheesecake sounds so delicious! I really love your photos too - so stunning!

Jess Joseph said...

This looks fab! What wafers did you use? x