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Desserts

Cassata Siciliana (Sicilian Ricotta Cake)

Learn how to make Cassata Siciliana, the iconic dessert of Palermo with sweetened sheep's milk ricotta, sponge cake, and candied fruit.
Recipe Cassata Siciliana (Sicilian Ricotta Cake)
  • Difficulty Medium
  • Preparation 30 minutes
  • Cooking 30 minutes
  • Servings for 6 people

If you dream of a journey into the authentic, refined flavors of the most lavish Italian pastry, the Cassata Siciliana recipe will surprise you and win you over at the first bite. This famous ricotta and chocolate dessert, a symbol of the most important occasions, is a true feast for the senses: every bite holds the delicacy of sweetened sheep’s milk ricotta, the richness of dark chocolate chips, and the lightness of sponge cake, wrapped in lavish pasta reale, an almond paste, and decorated with colorful candied fruit. If you want to impress your guests with a cassata cake with candied fruit of timeless charm and unique style, here you will find the perfect guide to making cassata with ricotta, with every secret explained step by step.

Making cassata with sponge cake is not just a ritual tied to holidays like Easter: any special occasion, from birthdays to baptisms, is perfect for bringing this cassata birthday cake to the table, a cake that speaks of conviviality and passion. Created by the skilled hands of nuns during the Easter celebrations, this dessert has stood the test of time, gathering flavors and historical influences that make the Easter cassata recipe a true mosaic of pleasures. Follow the step-by-step cassata instructions and you will discover how rewarding it is to choose genuine ingredients and put love into the final decoration, learning how to decorate cassata to impress on every occasion.

If you love rich, showstopping desserts, also explore the Cuccia di Santa Lucia, discover festive citrus with Pan d’Arancio (Sicilian Orange Cake), the Original Recipe, or treat yourself to the Cocoa Tart with Ricotta; if you are looking for new ideas for a special cake, don’t miss the Torta Susanna and the traditional Christmas Cake. But now get ready: the magic of Cassata Siciliana is about to enter your kitchen.

Ingredients for 6 people

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Method

  1. To make the Cassata Siciliana, start with the filling. Pour the ricotta into a large bowl, add the sugar, and stir to combine. Add the dark chocolate chips and the candied orange, and stir until the mixture is smooth.
  2. Once you have a smooth mixture that is completely free of lumps, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, move on to the sponge cake. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar and a pinch of salt, whipping them until they have almost quadrupled in volume.
  4. Mix the flour with the baking powder and sprinkle them into the egg mixture, folding gently from the bottom up. Pour the batter into a rectangular baking pan, level it with a spatula, and bake at 180 °C (350 °F) for about 20-25 minutes.
  5. When the sponge cake is ready, take it out of the oven and let it cool completely. Once it has reached room temperature, cut it into slices about 1 cm thick.
  6. Take the candied fruit, slice it, and set it aside. Dust the work surface with powdered sugar and roll out the green marzipan with a rolling pin until you have a sheet about 4-5 millimeters thick.
  7. Line a cassata mold with parchment paper and cover it with the green marzipan, pressing it well against the mold and trimming off the excess.
  8. Following the circle inside the mold (or making one by simply placing a glass bowl in the center of the mold and pressing to mark the circle), cut the marzipan and remove the central part, so that you are left with only the side strip covering the edge and a small piece (about one centimeter) of the bottom of the mold.
  9. Make the syrup. Pour the sugar into a small nonstick saucepan, add the water and the liqueur, and cook until the sugar has completely dissolved, stirring constantly.
  10. Arrange the sponge cake in the pan to form an even layer, and moisten it lightly with the syrup you just made.
  11. Pour the ricotta filling over the sponge cake and level the surface. Make another even layer of sponge cake, brush it with the syrup, and transfer everything to the refrigerator to rest for a couple of hours.
  12. Shortly before taking the mold out of the refrigerator, make the glaze. Put the powdered sugar in a small saucepan and gradually add the water, stirring until you get a glaze. Warm it over low heat for a few minutes so that it becomes more fluid.
  13. Take the mold out of the refrigerator and turn it out onto a serving plate. Remove the parchment paper and cover the visible part of the sponge cake with the glaze.
  14. Arrange the candied fruit slices as you like, decorate them with the leftover glaze, and finally serve the Cassata Siciliana. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

If you can’t find green marzipan, you can use pasta reale or almond paste, also green.

If you like, you can make the filling of the Cassata Siciliana with only the dark chocolate chips.

Tips

For an even tastier filling, you can proceed as follows: the day before you make the Cassata, mix the sugar into the ricotta and let it rest until the next day. Finely sieve the sweetened ricotta and then add the other ingredients, namely the dark chocolate chips and the candied orange.

Storage

Leftover Cassata Siciliana keeps for a few days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

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