ITALIAN CHERRY LAYER CAKE

This huge impressive three layer cake is one of the best tasting cakes I have ever eaten. It has everything in it, maraschino cherries, chocolate chips, cream cheese, ricotta cheese and the icing is delicious. I have made this cake several times after coming across the recipe in an Italian cook book, it is well worth the effort it takes to make this cake. I have served it to my husband as a birthday cake and he loved it, I had it decorated beautifully and the cake was a big hit. I hope you try it and love it.

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Cake:

1 cup butter ,softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1-3/4 cups milk

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9-in. round cake pans; set aside.
Cream together butter and sugar.Beat in eggs and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Mix well. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the centre comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Cannoli Filling:

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 jar (16 ounces) maraschino cherries
1 cup miniature chocolate chips

Frosting:

1 cup shorting
1 cup butter, softened
1 package (2 pounds) confectioners' sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
4-5 tablespoons water


In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and ricotta until combined. Add confectioners' sugar and extracts. Drain cherries well, reserving 1 teaspoon cherry juice. Chop cherries. Stir chopped cherries, chocolate chips and reserved cherry juice into ricotta mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until spreadable.
In another mixing bowl, cream shorting and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Add enough water to achieve a spreadable consistency.
To assemble, split each cake in half horizontally. Place one layer on a serving plate; spread with a third of the filling. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining cake layer. Frost cake top and sides of cake, making sure you save enough frosting to decorate.
Decorate cake anyway you like, there is a lot of icing for piping flowers and leaves. If you are not going to decorate the cake, you can cut back the amounts, in the frosting ingredients.