Arguably, one of the most famous desserts of Sicily, second to cannoli. The whole thing is iced and decorated with a frosting made from semi-sweet chocolate, strong coffee, and unsalted butter. The roller looks like one used to roll out fondant or gumpaste for cake decorating…, Your recent posts make me want to go to Sicily… Reply, When I see posts like this I think I want your life David. That is a cake stuffed with a cream of sweet ricotta cheese and covered with candied fruit icing. Good on you! Reply, Ha Ha Ha, Thank you for the eye candy David! 1 cup granulated sugar, divided There is actually a special pan to make the cake; it’s a mold with sloped sides and a groove around the bottom so that when Cassata mold is lined with strips of almond paste, and overturned, there’s a rim to create a neat guard against the icing from running down the sides. I have tried to make one and my friend from Roma laughed and said to keep trying, when next she visits she will bring with her the candied fruit, maybe that will help it. Although, perhaps bowing to overseas sensibilities, her mother, Anna Tasca Lanza said in one of her books that if you leave the green coloring out, you should pour the icing over the entire cake so that it hides the almond paste. 1/3 cup orange juice or lukewarm milk I am currently in traveling in Bolivia (altho towards the end of my trip), and I have been craving the variety and quality of foods in my regular San Francisco location. 2 teaspoons baking powder at an amazing rate and in all shapes and sizes. Place a final layer of cake over the ricotta filling; this now creates the bottom to the cassata. It was really fun to watch her make it! After the pans went into the oven….nothing happened. I’m particularly loving these Sicilian blogs – because ahhhahhh casatta is my dream dessert. Let the glaze set for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Slice the sponge cake very thinly so that the springform may be lined with it in an even layer. I linked to additional recipes at the end of the post.). 3 tablespoons water With a mandoline slicer, Fabrizia shaved off long strips of the candied squash, bending them into teardrop shapes, then arranging them around the top of the cake. Place a serving plate upside down on top of pie plate and invert both together so that bottom of pie plate faces up. Add the boiling water. The latter creates a more dramatic pastel effect. While you let the cake, prepare the filling. Piping bag Add 1 cup confectioners' sugar and process until finely ground. Reply, These Sicily posts make me wish I had more holiday days this year. Don’t know that I would ever attempt it myself but it’s pretty neat to know that such a thing even exists. Take the same cake pan you have used to bake the cake and wrap the inside with a layer cling film. fresh lemon juice in a medium bowl; stir until a thick glaze forms. It does appear, however, to be a only a very distant relative of this extraordinary cassata from your post. Knead several drops of green food coloring into one package of marzipan. Great tool for pushing dough up the sides of pans. MAKE THE MARZIPAN COATING: Place the apricot jam in a small dish and heat in the microwave for approximately 45 seconds. At the time it was a dessert made with shortcrust pastry and a sweetened ricotta filling, which was baked in the oven, called cassata al forno . FOR THE SPONGE CAKE: You put down a sheet of pasta dough, press down, fill them, cover with another sheet, and then seal them with the roller. Chiquetaille de Mourue (Marinated Salt Cod), Bokit: The Soul of Guadeloupe in a Sandwich, The Best Natural Wine You’ll (Probably) Never Find, A Passion for Pesto: Visiting the Art City of Genoa, Ganjang Gejang (Soy Sauce-Marinated Crabs), Ganjang Gejang: A Dish You Only Make for Someone You Love, 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. Glazed cherries, candied fig halves, green and yellow candied pears filled in the blanks, and an entire candied orange was placed squarely in the center, to finish it off, and serve. Refrigerate overnight. Cassata cake ingredients 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) sheep ricotta Sponge cake Marzipan Candied fruit to taste 200 g (7.05 oz) of chocolate chips 500 g (17.64 oz) sugar 350 g (12.35 oz) powdered sugar Lemon juice to taste Apricot jelly to taste Candied Citron Halves, Orange Peel, and Cherries. Short of ordering from the Italian Amazon site, I have a suggestion that might help us turn an ordinary pie plate into a cassata pan. I’m assuming that since you took the time to blog about it, it must have been really, really good! The glaze should be thick enough to pour but not too thin. This is a traditional Sicilian cake which is served at birthdays, weddings and Easter. Level the top with the back of a spoon and bake in the centre of the oven for 30-35 minutes. Copyright © 2020 Saveur. So somehow, people in the U.S. are able to roll the almond paste to fit snugly into the pan, but not actually find the right pan. Add the ricotta filling to within a 1/4-inch from the top. Pour glaze over top of cassata; using a rubber spatula, spread glaze to cover cake slices completely. I had forgotten the baking powder. Reply, Speaking of sheep’s milk ricotta and delicious things Sicilians make, have you come across the doughnuts stuffed with cannoli filling? I will be trying it soon myself! Before serving, the cassata will be inverted onto this cake bottom. Put ricotta cheese through a sieve to remove all lumps. I am passionate about speciality coffee and write about it on Sprudge. Cover top of ricotta mixture with remaining cake slices, cutting to fit evenly, and drizzle with remaining syrup; trim excess pistachio marzipan and then wrap pie plate in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, 2 hours. A batch of icing was quickly mixed up with powdered sugar and a dash of lemon juice, then poured over the top. :) Reply, That looks incredible! Repurpose perhaps? After cutting spongecake into strips to make a top layer for the cake, she whipped up a seriously good ricotta cream with the fresh sheeps’ milk ricotta we’d watched being made just the day before. This was in California. The first thing Fabrizia did was to make her own almond paste using finely ground almonds. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg yolks; adding sugar gradually. Mix the drained and beaten ricotta with 1 cup powdered sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, chocolate chips and half the candied fruit. See the recipe ». ricotta, drained overnight in a cheesecloth-lined strainer, or ricotta impastata, Whole candied fruits, such as oranges, apricots, and cherries, halved, Heat oven to 350°. That cassata is a pound cake, cut into layers, filled with a ricotta cream mixed with Grand Marnier, minced candied orange and lemon peel, and shavings of chocolate. Reply, This is one of those recipes that I would be very happy to take a slice or two if someone offers but looks like it requires patience to make. The next day, remove the cake from the fridge and carefully remove from the cake tin. According to Italian food specialist Clifford A. Wright, the word Cassata is derived from the Arabic word quas’at, or qas’at, which refers to a wide bowl. The glaze should be thick but still runny. I have made this version for most Christmases or New Year’s, and it is really spectacularly delicious. Originally from Rome, I have spent the past 15 years living abroad and travelling around the world. They come in 3 sizes. Cassata is an elaborate Sicilian confection made of sponge cake (pan di spagna), ricotta, marzipan, and candied fruit. Line a 12″ metal pie plate with plastic wrap and place marzipan strips along sides of plate, pressing together at seams to make one continuous band. Food, Coffee and Travel Blogger at mondomulia.com | Photographer | ☕ | Currently in Wrocław, Poland, © 2020 - All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy. Reply. It’s also available at Amazon, made by Kaiser: http://www.amazon.com/Kaiser-Bakeware-Select-Angled-Roller/dp/B007EIAUAG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403542025&sr=8-1&keywords=kaiser+dough+roller Reply, ClaireD — try a Mexican grocery store, if one is in your area, for candied squash and other candied fruits. Continue decorating cake with halved and quartered candied pears and cherries and long strips of candied citron. Using a rolling pin, flatten on a work surface dusted with confectioners' sugar until 14″ thick; cut marzipan lengthwise into 2″-long strips. A dazzling assortment of candied fruits and squash (cucuzzata) is available in Sicily. My dad grew up in Palermo, Sicily, so the Cassata cake is part of my family culinary traditions and I have grown up to love it. yummmmm Reply. The one I just looked at has fluted sides but I suspect I have one with plain sides somewhere here in the pile. Candied Kumquats or Mandarinquats (Chez Pim), Cassata: The Sicilian Cake (Background information and history, by Clifford A. Wright), Tags: bergamot cake candied fruit Cassata Cassata alla Siciliana Cassata siciliana citron Fabrizia Lanza ricotta, Gorgeous! Spritz with the sugar water. Refrigerate cake until set, 2 hours or overnight. Fabrizia Lanza taught us to make this classic Sicilian cake, rimmed in pistachio marzipan. The sides of the pan are lined with either a solid strip of green marzipan or alternating vertical strips of green and natural or pink tinted marzipan. http://www.thepaintstore.com/Hyde_Tools_1_1_4_Oval_Hardwood_Roller_p/30160.htm?1=1&CartID=0 Reply, On my recent trip to Sicily, I would have cassata at lunch, walk up the mountain to our home, burn off some calories and have another piece after dinner.