Cassata Siciliana
A rich Sicilian celebration cake layered with sponge, sweetened sheep's ricotta, and dark chocolate, encased in green marzipan and decorated with candied fruit.
- Prep
- 60 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 90 min
- Servings
- 10
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Calories
- 480 kcal
Equipment
- •22 cm flared cassata mould or springform tin
- •Electric hand mixer
- •Fine wire sieve
- •Rolling pin
- •Offset spatula
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- fat
- 19 g
- carbs
- 68 g
- fibre
- 2 g
- protein
- 9 g
- calories
- 480 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Pass the drained sheep's milk ricotta twice through a fine sieve until smooth and velvety.
- 2
Stir the caster sugar into the ricotta until fully dissolved, then fold in chocolate chips and diced candied peel.
- 3
Line a traditional flared cassata tin with cling film, leaving generous overhang on all sides.
- 4
Roll the green marzipan on an icing-sugar-dusted surface to half a centimetre thickness.
- 5
Cut the marzipan and sponge into matching trapezoid strips, alternating them around the sloping sides of the tin.
- 6
Place a round disc of sponge cake flat into the base of the tin.
- 7
Brush the sponge base and side strips lightly with Marsala or sugar syrup.
- 8
Fill the centre completely with the ricotta cream and level the surface with a spatula.
- 9
Cover the top with the remaining sponge cake slices and brush lightly with syrup.
- 10
Wrap the base in cling film and chill in the refrigerator for at least four hours.
- 11
Invert the chilled cake onto a serving platter and peel away the cling film gently.
- 12
Whisk icing sugar with lemon juice and water, coat the top smoothly, and decorate with candied fruit.
Chef's tips
Always drain the sheep's milk ricotta overnight to prevent the cake filling from weeping. Keep the syrup light so the sponge stays structured rather than soggy when un-moulding.
Ingredient substitutions
- sheep's milk ricotta → well-drained whole-milk cow's ricotta, though milder in flavour
- zuccata (candied pumpkin) → candied citron (cedro) or mixed candied citrus peel
Storage
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating
Do not reheat; serve straight from the refrigerator.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Using wet ricotta without draining, which causes the filling to run.
- •Over-soaking the sponge slices, leading to structural collapse upon turning out.
- •Skipping the refrigeration time before glazing.
Serving suggestions
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