The Sicilian cassata is a typically Palermo dessert, made of sponge cake, ricotta (strictly made with sheep's milk) and candied fruit. For those who live in Sicily it is the sweet of the holidays, now available in many variations: with or without icing, variegated with pistachio, with chocolate. Here is the original recipe
Sicilian cassata
La Sicilian cassata it's a typically Palermo dessert, made of sponge cake, ricotta (strictly made with sheep's milk) and candied fruit. For those who live in Sicily it is the sweet of the holidays, now available in many variations: with or without icing, variegated with pistachio, with chocolate.
Born from the Arab tradition, but enriched by the Spanish domination with ciccolotato and during the Baroque with candied fruit, cassata is very simple to prepare.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 200 gr of brown sugar
- 200 gr of starch
- 1 sachet of baking powder or cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 pinch of ale
- 1 kg of fresh sheep ricotta
- 400 gr of brown sugar
- candied fruit (cherries, zucchini, etc.) and chocolate drops
- Maraschino
- Preparation Time:
60 minutes - Cooking time:
20 minutes - Rest time:
30 minutes in the fridge - Dose:
4 people to - difficulty:
medium
Sicilian Cassata: preparation
Beat the egg whites until stiff and mix the egg yolks with the sugar. Combine them and mix until you get a homogeneous and creamy mixture. Add the starch, yeast, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Bake at 180 degrees in a greased pan.
Once the sponge cake is baked, it is necessary prepare the sweetened ricotta for the filling. To do this, just add the sugar to the ricotta and then pass it through a sieve using the vegetable mill to obtain a finer cream.
Ready the sponge cake? Let it cool down. And then cut it into slices half a centimeter thick and equip yourself with a large pan (not huge!). Cover it with the sliced sponge cake, starting from the bottom and then on the sides, making sure that the slices adhere to the surface of the pan. Moisten everything with the maraschino and fill the pan, lined with sponge cake, with ricotta. Cover with another layer of sponge cake slices e turn it upside down helping you with a nice big plate.
Cover the outside of the cake with ricotta and decorate as desired using chocolate chips and candied fruit. Let it rest for half an hour before serving.
Images and text: Francesca Mancuso
