Cassata Siciliana 

Cassata Siciliana is a type of a Sicilian cake, consisted by a sponge cake moistened with liquor or fruit juice and covered with ricotta cheese and chocolate chips. The Sicilian cassata is a great classic of Sicilian pastry, in particular of Palermo. Together with cannoli, almond paste and Genoese, it is certainly the most typical dessert of the regional tradition, loved and known far beyond its territorial borders.

Of ancient Arab origin (the name derives from the word qas'at, or large and round bowl), the cassata is made with a base of soft sponge cake, in turn stuffed with sheep's milk ricotta and chocolate chips. Glazed and then decorated with candied fruit, in perfect Baroque style, this delight was born as an Easter recipe, but today it is possible to taste it at any time of the year. 

Apparently complex, its preparation is rather simple, as long as you respect rest and settling times: find out how to perform it perfectly by following my instructions step by step and serve it at the end of a meal on the occasion of a birthday, an anniversary or a nice Sunday lunch with the family. Apparently simple to make, the preparation of the Sicilian cassata requires a lot of skill, especially to create the elaborate decorations of which it is widely provided. Prepare it to end your menu in style!

Ingredients

SPONGE CAKE (18 CM IN DIAMETER)

1 SHEEP'S MILK RICOTTA

500 gr SUGAR

150 gr CHOCOLATE CHIPS

80 gr PISTACHIO PASTE

PISTACHIO FLOUR 75 gr

ALMOND FLOUR 50 gr

ICING SUGAR 100 gr

WATER 30 gr

RUM 1 tablespoon

FOR ICING AND DECORATION

ICING SUGAR 300 gr

WATER 2-3 tablespoons

CANDIED FRUIT to taste

Preparation

Work the ricotta, dry, in a large bowl with sugar. Add the chocolate chips 2, stir and let rest in the fridge for at least 3 hours. Meanwhile, prepare the pistachio paste: in a bowl mix the almond flour with the pistachio flour, then add the icing sugar, rum and water. Knead well, until a homogeneous dough is formed, wrap it with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for an hour. Divide the sponge cake into 3 equal discs. Cut the first into strips about 5 cm wide from which you will obtain trapezoids. Line with plastic wrap a mold of 18 cm in diameter, slightly flared, and place the trapezoids on the sides. Roll out the pistachio paste with a rolling pin, make trapezoids equal to those of sponge cake and arrange them upside down on the sides of the pan, alternating them with those of sponge cake. Use the second disc to cover the base and then spread over the ricotta cream. Close with the third disc, making it match perfectly with the side decorations. Fold the ends of the film inwards and put the cassata in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or even more if you have the chance. Prepare the icing by mixing the icing sugar with a few tablespoons of water, then turn out the cassata and transfer it to a serving plate. Pour the icing on the surface of the cassata, distributing it evenly. Refrigerate and let it stiffen for another 2 hours. Decorate the cassata with whole candied fruit and serve, cut into slices.

Recommendations

For an impeccable result, I advise you to prepare the sponge cake the day before: in this way you can cut it without crumbling too much. The ricotta must also be dry, so transfer it to a colander and let it drain for a few hours in the refrigerator. You can also sift through it. The cassata is not a cake of difficult realization but requires technical times of rest and settling that are necessary for its correct success. You can use sheep's milk ricotta mixed with cow's ricotta, for a more delicate final taste; Instead of pistachio paste, you can use sugar paste. For the top decoration you can also add royal icing and choose the candied fruit you like best. You can also prepare them at home with our recipe of candied orange peel.

Preservation

The cassata is kept in the fridge, in an airtight container, for a maximum of 3-4 days.

Tip

An alternative filling do you want to delight your guests by surprising them with an even more delicious version of cassata? Replace the candied fruit of the filling with 40 g of chocolate chips and, after cutting the first slice, no one will be able to resist and ask for an encore.