Cake "Cassata"
10 servings
180 minutes
Cassata cake is a jewel of Sicilian cuisine, impressing with its richness of flavors and textures. Its history traces back to medieval Sicily, where Arabs introduced local cooks to sugar and ricotta. This dessert is a celebration of delicate sponge soaked in aromatic Marsala and airy ricotta cream with candied fruits and almonds. The light sweetness of the creamy decoration, complemented by chocolate notes, turns each slice into true delight. Cassata is perfect for festive moments and celebrations when you want to feel the warmth of Italian traditions. Its rich yet balanced flavor makes the cake not just a dessert but a work of art that tells the story of a culture intertwining Eastern and European notes.
1
Melt the butter in a bowl, add a pinch of salt, sugar, vanilla sugar, and eggs. Place it over a water bath and whisk until foam forms. Immediately transfer the bowl to a container filled with ice and whisk for 10 minutes. Add sifted flour and starch, and gently mix.
- Butter: 4 tablespoons
- Salt: pinch
- Sugar: 1 glass
- Vanilla sugar: 0.5 teaspoon
- Chicken egg: 6 pieces
- Ice: to taste
- Wheat flour: 180 g
- Potato starch: 1 tablespoon
2
Take a round baking pan, line the bottom with greased parchment, pour in 1/3 of the batter, and place it in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 20 minutes. Let the baked layer cool and bake 2 more layers in the same way. Soak the cooled layers with marsala.
- Marsala: to taste
3
Soak gelatin in a small amount of cold water for 20 minutes, then heat it in a water bath with 3 tablespoons of cream until fully dissolved, stirring with a whisk.
- Gelatin: 20 g
- Cream 35%: 150 ml
4
Sift the ricotta and mix it with 1.5 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Combine with gelatin and mix thoroughly. Add finely chopped candied fruits and peeled almonds, mix again, and refrigerate for half an hour.
- Ricotta cheese: 500 g
- Powdered sugar: 4.5 tablespoons
- Gelatin: 20 g
- Candied fruit: 200 g
- Almond: 60 g
5
Spread the resulting cream on 2 layers and place them on top of each other, then cover with a third layer. Put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
6
For decoration, whip 100 ml of cream with 3 tbsp of powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread the cream on the cake and decorate with candied fruits and chocolate.
- Cream 35%: 150 ml
- Powdered sugar: 4.5 tablespoons
- Candied fruit: 200 g
- Milk chocolate: to taste