Cassata Siciliana Recipes

SICILIAN CASSATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325F.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat egg yolks; adding sugar gradually.
• Add butter.
• Sift dry ingredients and add alternately with milk; mix.
• Add vanilla and mix.
• Fold in beaten egg whites.
• Pour batter into greased and floured 10X16-inch jelly roll pan.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
• DO NOT over bake as it will not roll.
• Turn out onto a clean dish towel sprinkled thickly with powdered sugar.
• Trim off all edges with a knife.
• Roll the cake in a towel and let stand a few minutes.
• While you let the cake, prepare the filling.
• Put ricotta cheese through a sieve to remove all lumps.
• Add cream, sugar, cinnamon and liqueur and beat until smooth.
• Fold in candied fruit, nuts and chocolate chips.
• Unroll the towel and spread with filling.
• Reroll and refrigerate for 4 hours to"ripen".
• Slice when ready to serve, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

SICILIAN CASSATA: RICOTTA CAKE

Steps:

• Place the ricotta into a fine mesh sieve and nestle this over a bowl, place into the refrigerator overnight to allow the excess moisture to drain out before proceeding with the cassata recipe.
• Place the ricotta into the bowl of a mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until the curds smooth out. Mix the drained and beaten ricotta with 1 cup powdered sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, chocolate chips and half the candied fruit. Set aside.
• Lightly oil a 10-inch springform pan with canola oil. Slice the sponge cake very thinly so that the springform may be lined with it in an even layer. Line the sides and bottom of the pan with the sponge cake. Pour the ricotta filling into the cake-lined pan. Place a final layer of cake over the ricotta filling; this now creates the bottom to the cassata. Before serving, the cassata will be inverted onto this cake bottom. Refrigerate the cassata overnight to firm the filling.
• Invert the springform pan on a wide platter. Open the hinge and remove the springform sides and bottom.
• The cassata may now be finished by either covering with a heavy coating of the remaining powdered sugar or may be coated with a thin layer of green marzipan. Either way, the remaining candied fruits should be used to decorate the finished cassata. Slice thinly and serve.