Cassata Siciliana
Sicily · dolce · serves 12 · 300 min total · hard
Easter in Palermo — Saracen pasta reale (almond marzipan) over Norman ricotta over Spanish candied fruit. Sicily's cathedrals are made of frosting.
Ingredients
- 400 g pan di Spagna sponge cake
- 700 g sheep's milk ricotta, drained 24 h
- 250 g icing sugar
- 80 g dark chocolate, chopped
- 400 g green marzipan (pasta reale)
- 200 g candied fruit (orange, citron, cherries, pumpkin)
- 120 ml Marsala wine
- 60 ml water
- 80 g sugar for syrup
Method
- Ricotta cream: whisk drained ricotta with icing sugar until silky. Fold in chocolate.
- Brush a 24 cm round pan with oil and line with cling film.
- Roll out marzipan to 4 mm. Cut a long strip and stand it around the sides of the pan.
- Slice sponge cake into 1 cm pieces. Make sugar syrup with Marsala and water.
- Line the base with sponge, brush with syrup.
- Fill with the ricotta cream. Top with more sponge, brush with syrup.
- Refrigerate covered 6 hours minimum, ideally overnight.
- Unmould onto a plate. Cover top with glaze (icing sugar + water).
- Decorate ostentatiously with candied fruit — peach, orange, cherry, citron, pumpkin. Cut thin slices.