Cassata Siciliana ___

Cassata Siciliana

Ingredients

Recipe

  • Filling: 3 cups powdered sugar (sifted), approx. 4 oz of dark chocolate chips (I use mini chips), 2 containers (32 oz) Ricotta (I use only Polly-O whole milk). (Note: the original recipe calls for sheep milk Ricotta but I cannot get it where I live). You
  • di Spagna (sponge cake) - use any sponge cake recipe you are accustomed to.
  • icing - 3 cups of powdered sugar (sifted) and water
  • marzipan - approx. oz marzipan, 1T pistachio paste, green gel food coloring (optional)
  • fruit, silver dragees for decoration
  • icing for decoration - 1 egg white, 1 - 1/14 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
  • syrup - make a simple syrup (half water, half sugar), add a lemon rind and a shot of your favorite liquor (note: I avoid the simple syrup and only use biscotti liquor for my soaking liquid).
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Directions

  1. The Day Before:
  2. Prepare and bake your sponge cake. Leave out to cool and then wrap in plastic until assembly time. Make sure that you use a pan that is the same size or is bigger than your cassata pan. (I used a 12" round pan)
  3. Prepare your cannoli filling: Mix ricotta with powdered sugar. Place in a cheese cloth and put in a strainer over a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. The excess water will drain into the bowl. Keep this in the refrigerator over night or at least 8 hours.
  4. Next Day:
  5. Prepare your marzipan: Mix your marzipan with the pistachio paste. add green coloring if desired. Wrap well with plastic wrap so it does not dry out.
  6. Take your cannoli cream out of the refrigerator and place in a bowl, add the chocolate chips and place back in the refrigerator until needed
  7. Cut your sponge cake: take your sponge cake and cut it down into 3 slices. cut side to side so that you have 3 large pieces that are 1/2" thick. Trace and cut to size the bottom of the pan on one piece and trace and cut to size the top of the pan on another piece and set aside. The third piece will be used for the sides of the cake. You will make trapezoid shaped pieces for the sides of the cake (because the pan is smaller on the (finished) top than the (finished) bottom. You will measure the height of the sides and cut strips from the 3rd cake and then make trapezoid shapes to go around the insides of the cake. The shape is determined by the type of pan you have.
  8. Take your marzipan, roll it out to approx. 1/8-1/4" and cut the same size trapezoid shapes to match the sides of the cake
  9. Assembly: dust the cassata pan (or other pan) with powdered sugar. Place the smaller cake round in the bottom of the cake pan - crumb side down. Brush with syrup/liquor. Next, place your marzipan trapezoids alternately with the cake trapezoids (crumb side out) around the sides of the pan. You can also add a trapezoid cake shape on top of the marzipan (this way the outside of the cake will show cake and marzipan and the inside will show only cake). Make sure that you do not have any spaces between the cake (especially on the bottom). Brush the cake sides with syrup/liquor.
  10. Next: Add your cannoli cream to the inside of the pan. Make sure that you fill the cake almost to the top. Smooth out the cream and then add your last cake round. Gently press down. Trim edges evenly, brush with syrup/liquor. Cover with parchment paper, then plastic wrap (so the cake does not stick to the plastic). place in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours covered with a board to compress the cake down.
  11. Decoration: Carefully take the plastic off the cake and unmold to a cake platter. If some of the marzipan sticks to the pan, just remove and replace on the cake. Don't worry if the cake does not look perfect - you will be decorating the sides and top.
  12. Cut up your candied fruit for decoration. You will be adding the fruit as soon as you put the fondant icing on the cake.
  13. Make your fondant icing. You must work quickly once the icing is made - as it thickens very fast.
  14. Mix powdered sugar and a little bit of water (a couple of tablespoons to start) until the consistency of a thick syrup. Simmer over heat until warm - keep stirring). Once it is warm, immediately spread over the top and sides of the cake. Remember to work quickly.
  15. Add your fruit as desired. You want to add while the icing is still a bit warm so that the fruit sticks.
  16. Make your royal icing: Beat egg whites till stiff, gradually adding powdered sugar until you get the consistency you want. Place icing in a decorator bag with a small piping tip.
  17. Decorate the fruit, top of the cake and sides. Add the silver dragees and any other decorations you would like.
  18. Keep cake in refrigerator until ready to eat. Store leftovers (if there are any) in the refrigerator.
  19. Enjoy your masterpiece!

This is a lot of work - but it is well worth it. If you prepare ahead of time, it will make the assembly easier. There are many sponge cake recipes that is why I did not include one in this recipe. Use the sponge cake recipe that you are accustomed to. You might be able to find candied fruit in an Italian specialty store - or you can buy it online.

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