Cassata Siciliana Recipes

CASSATA SICILIANA

Steps:

• In a food processor, blend the almonds and pistachio together until you have a very fine crumb. When you press it between your fingers it should almost hold together, like a dough. Set aside.
• Place the sugar and water together in a small saucepan over a low-medium heat and bring to the boil. Let it boil for about 10 to 15 minutes or until when you dip a spoon in it, rather than drip, the syrup should thread. Remove from the heat and add the nuts to combine with a wooden spoon. Turn out onto a clean, smooth surface to cool.
• When cool enough to handle but still warm, form into a ball and roll out with a rolling pin to a thickness of 1/3 inch (8 millimeters). If the marzipan sticks at all, dust with powdered sugar. Cut the marzipan into strips the height of your pie tin then cut those strips into pieces approximately an inch wide on one side and 1 1/2 inches on the other so that you have trapezoid shapes. No need to be super precise, eyeballing is fine. Set aside the marzipan pieces until needed.
• Slice the sponge cake (here is my recipe for a simple, fluffy sponge, which also happens to be gluten free: http://food52.com/recipes/27584-gluten-free-sponge-cake) into discs about 1cm thick (a little over 1/3 inch). You want 2-3 good discs from the sponge. One disc will be the base (later, it will become the top) of the cake. With another, cut strips then trapezoids the same way you did with the pistachio marzipan. With the final disc, set aside for the top (later to become the bottom) of the cake. Some also use simply the sponge leftovers for this part, breaking them into crumbs to sprinkle over the cake in a layer. If your sponge is not the same diameter as the pie tin, you can also slice the sponge into fingers and arrange them (much like you would tiramisu) in a layer across the bottom.
• For the ricotta filling, start with a fairly stiff ricotta that can stand on its own if you were to tip it out of its container. If your ricotta is quite soft, spoon it into a colander lined with a damp tea towel or a few layers of muslin or cheesecloth set over a bowl. Leave it overnight for the excess liquid to drip out. Combine firm ricotta and caster sugar together until smooth and creamy. Add the dark chocolate, roughly chopped into fine pieces. Set aside.
• To assemble the cassata, use a pie dish that measures about 10 inches (25cm diameter) along the bottom. Place a disc of sponge cake on the bottom. Assemble the marzipan and sponge trapezoids along the sides of the tin, alternating to achieve a striped look. Don't worry too much about any little gaps.
• Fill the sponge with the ricotta mixture, using a spatula to cover all the way to the sides and smoothing the top. Place a sponge disc (or a sponge crumb layer) on the top and cover with plastic cling wrap. Place a small flat plate that fits just inside the width of the pie tin on top and weigh the cassata down with a couple of jars of jam in order to keep the cassata pressed. Let rest in the fridge for at least 2 to 3 hours, or even better, overnight.
• Remove the plastic wrap and place a flat serving plate over the top of the cassata, then carefully upturn the plate and remove the pie tin (it will come out very easily). Prepare a sugar glaze by combining the powdered sugar and water in a small saucepan and heating to a simmer. It should be thick but still runny -- add water as needed, a tablespoon at a time, until you get the right consistency.
• It helps to have 4 hands for this next part. Tip the hot sugar glaze out onto the cassata and very quickly smooth over to cover the entire cassata, top and sides (it cools quickly and as it cools it hardens so it is easier to do this bit by bit).
• Decorate with artisan candied fruit, cut into slices or pieces or left whole. Serve sliced into wedges.

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.

CASSATA SICILIANA

Steps:

• The day before, preheat the oven to 160C/Gas 3/fan oven 140C. Brush a 25cm/10in springform cake tin with the melted butter and then dust with flour.
• Make the sponge. Using an electric mixer fitted with balloon whisks, beat the eggs with the sugar until pale and airy. The mixture should be thick enough to leave a ribbon trail on the surface when the whisks are lifted - it takes about 8-10 minutes to get to this stage. Gently fold in the flour and lemon zest using the whisks or a spoon, trying not to deflate the beaten eggs and sugar.
• Working quickly, transfer to the prepared cake tin and bake for about 30 minutes until firm to the touch (the cake should not have risen). Stand the tin on a wire rack and leave to cool, then remove the cake from the tin.
• Make the ricotta cream. Finely chop the crystallised fruits and frozen chocolate. Mix the ricotta with the sugar and gently incorporate the fruit and chocolate. Place in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the cake.
• Make the icing just before assembling the cake. Mix the icing sugar with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon milk, then add a drop of green food colouring to give the icing a subtle green tinge, and beat vigorously. You should have a spreadable paste with a thick, non-liquid consistency - you may need a little extra milk.
• Assemble the cake. Melt the jam with 1 tablespoon liqueur and 1 tablespoon water. Slice the sponge in half horizontally. Place the less perfect half on a flat serving plate and spread with half the jam mixture. Spread all the ricotta mixture on top. Spread the remaining jam mixture on the remaining sponge, then turn it over and put it jam side down on the ricotta cream. Spread the icing evenly across the top and smooth over with a palette knife, then place in the fridge for at least 1 hour (or for up to two days).
• On the day, a few hours before serving decorate the top of the cake with crystallised fruits, peel and angelica as the fancy takes you.

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

Steps:

• Start preparing the Sicilian cassata the day before serving. Make the sponge cake and bake it in a rectangular jelly roll pan measuring 10" x 14" (35 cm x 25 cm) 1 and let it cool (we prepare it a day ahead so it can be cut without crumbling too much). Drain the ricotta cheese well, using a sieve 2 , then mix it in a bowl with the vanilla-flavored powdered sugar 3 : cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight.
• The next day, sieve the ricotta cheese twice 4 until a smooth, soft cream is obtained. Add the chocolate chips 5 (and, if you like it, the candied orange cut into small cubes) to the cream and place the filling obtained in the refrigerator in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Prepare the green marzipan by kneading together the marzipan and the pistachio paste 6 (if you can't find it, use green food coloring), dusting the worktop with a little powdered sugar. If you want to prepare the marzipan yourself, put 1/2 cup (125 gr) of sugar and 3 1/2 T (50 ml) of water in a pan. Bring to a boil and as soon as the sugar starts to spin (soft-ball stage, 235-240° F) (112-115° C), remove the saucepan from the heat; add 1 1/4 cup (125 g) of peeled almond flour (which you can obtain by blending peeled almonds with a coffee grinder in short pulses so as not to overheat them and release their oil), the pistachio paste and 1 tbsp of vanilla extract. Mix until smooth and homogeneous, then pour the mixture out on a cold marble surface. As soon as the marzipan is cooled, knead it until smooth and compact (use powdered sugar in the same way as flour, if needed, to keep it from sticking).
• Roll out the marzipan into a sheet 5" (12 cm) wide and 1/4" (1/2 cm) thick 7 , then cut it in half lengthwise (you will obtain two 2.5" (6 cm) wide strips) and cut out pieces of marzipan in the shape of a trapezoid 8 . For the cassata you will need a round cake pan with flared edges about 2" (5 cm) deep and with a slightly raised bottom, typically from Palermo: the one used in this recipe has a 12" (30 cm) diameter in its widest part. Cut the pan di Spagna (sponge cake) into strips at least 2.5" (6 cm) thick from which you will also cut trapezoids (because the edges of the cake pan are flared) 9 .
• Dust the cake pan generously with powdered sugar 10 , then line the edges alternating the pan di Spagna (sponge cake) trapezoids with those of green marzipan 11 , pressing well against the sides and being careful not to leave spaces between one and the other. If the piece just laid down has the upper side wider than the lower one, the following one must be the opposite 12 . The trapezoids can be positioned either with the dark side facing outwards or inwards (see video).
• Once the entire perimeter of the cake pan has been completed, the bottom can be placed with the spongy part downwards 13 . Press the edges of the pan di Spagna (sponge cake) well to make it stick better to the shape of the cake pan 14 . Now, with a knife with a smooth, sharp blade, you can even out the pieces sticking out from the side edges of the cake pan 15 .
• If you want you can prepare the syrup for the pan di Spagna (sponge cake): dissolve 1/4 cup (50 g) of sugar in 2/3 cup (150 ml) of water, together with the rind of half a lemon (or orange) and half a shot of liqueur of your choice (maraschino, Cointreau, Alkermes, Strega, etc.) and let it cool. Now you can fill the base with the ricotta cheese cream and level with a spatula 17 . Crumble the leftover pan di Spagna (sponge cake) on the bottom of the cassata 18 , cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least two to three hours (better if overnight).
• When the cassata is nice and compacted and the flavors have blended, turn it upside down on a plate 19 and prepare the fondant icing. Place the powdered sugar in a small pot with a little water 20 , just enough to make a creamy, still white mixture. As soon as it comes to a boil, the fondant will be ready to be poured into the center of the cassata 21 and spread with a spatula.
• Do the same on the sides of the cassata: as you will notice, the fondant will dry almost instantly as soon as it is spread, with a glossy and transparent consistency 23 . Now you can move on to decorating the cassata: cut strips of zuccata (candied pumpkin) and other candied fruit into pieces. Place the slices of zuccata (candied pumpkin) on the cassata curving them as if to form the petals of a flower in the center of which you can put, for example, a candied mandarin orange cut in half (23-24).
• Have fun decorating the cassata with the candied fruit available, alternating different colors 25 . The final touch will be the decoration with the icing, which you can make by beating an egg white and slowly adding powdered sugar to obtain a very thick texture. With a piping bag fitted with a narrow tip, create decorations both on the fruit 26 and on the edges of the cassata 27 to make it even richer and more sumptuous. Now your magnificent Sicilian cassata is ready to be enjoyed!

TRADITIONAL CASSATA SICILIANA

Steps:

• Take a small saucepan and place the water and sugar inside. Stir over low heat until the sugar begins to spin.
• Add the almond flour and the dye to the two main ingredients. Mix well, until you reach a certain homogeneity, then pour the result on a marble surface previously cleaned and moistened with plain water.
• Let cool and then work with your hands until you get a soft and smooth dough.
• The last step involves flattening the royal pasta with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 8 mm.
• This sheet of pasta reale should be done in pieces: many small rectangles as long as the edge of the mold.
• Drain the ricotta to remove most of the whey. If necessary, help yourself with something heavy to put on top and especially do this the night before, so you can leave the ricotta to drain overnight and find it thicker in the morning.
• When the ricotta is quite dry, add the sugar and vanilla bean seeds. Mix well and let it rest for about an hour in the fridge
• After the hour has passed, take the sieve and use it to process the ricotta cream. Finally complete by adding the zuccata and chocolate.
• Take the sponge cake and divide it into 3 disks. One will go on the bottom of the pan, which should be round with flared edges.
• At this point dissolve the sugar in the water, flavour the mixture with rum and wet the sponge cake with this syrup. Be careful not to "drown" the sponge cake. Take the second disk and cut it into rectangles of the same size as those prepared with the royal pastry.
• Place them on the edge of the pan, one on each side. The rectangles, which will form the edges of the cassata, must be one of sponge cake and one of Pasta Reale, alternating. In this way you will begin to get a chromatic variation.
• Now it's time to pour the ricotta cream into the mould. Do not crush it too much and cover it with the remaining circle of sponge cake. The cassata has taken shape. Let it rest for about an hour.
• Turn it upside down on a round cake mitt and devote yourself to the icing. Weigh 150 grams of icing sugar and melt them over low heat in a small ladle of water until the sugar becomes stringy and transparent. The glaze is ready to go!
• Pour it still hot over the cassata and spread the edges well, then pour the still-hot glaze over the cassata and pay special attention to the edges. Help yourself with a spatula so as not to miss any piece.
• Let cool and then decorate with candied fruit, following your creativity.

CASSATA ALLA SICILIANA

Steps:

• In a microwavable bowl, melt the butter.
• Add the coffee and the chocolate chips and stir until melted and smooth. You might need to microwave the mixture a few short times to allow full melting of the chocolate chips.
• Once it's all melty and smooth, put the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice so it can cool down and firm up.
• Stir every 10-15 minutes to keep it smooth as it firms.
• Then start on the filling: Mix the ricotta with the sugar, orange zest and grated chocolate.
• After the pound cake has cooled, slice it into three horizontal layers.
• Drizzle the Grand Marier over all the layers.
• Then spread half the filling on the bottom layer, top with the next cake layer and spread with the remaining filling.
• Then top with the third layer of cake and spread the frosting on top and all over.
• Refrigerate until dinner.
• Drizzle the Gand Marnier.