You will need to begin this recipe a day ahead.
Cassata
Australian Gourmet Traveller Italian cake recipe for cassata
- 30 mins preparation
- 25 mins cooking plus standing
- Serves 8
Print
Ingredients
- 5 eggs
- 100 gm caster sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 100 gm (2/3 cup) plain flour, sifted
- For brushing: limoncello
- 1-2 drops green food colouring
- 750 gm fondant icing (see note)
- For dusting: icing sugar
- To serve: shaved cedro and orange, and glacé fruit (see note)
Ricotta filling
- 450 gm ricotta, drained (see note)
- 120 gm caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 orange, finely grated rind only
- 2 tsp limoncello
- 150 gm finely chopped glacé fruit, such as orange, cedro and clementine
- 50 gm good-quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
Method
Main
- 1Preheat oven to 180C. Whisk eggs in an electric mixer for 2 minutes, add sugar and whisk until pale and thick enough to hold a ribbon of mixture (8-10 minutes). Stir in vanilla, then gently fold through sifted flour. Divide among eight 1 cup-capacity buttered and floured metal moulds and bake until golden and centre springs back when lightly pressed (20-25 minutes). Cool on a wire rack.
- 2For ricotta filling, process ricotta, sugar, vanilla, orange rind and limoncello in a food processor until smooth. Stir through candied fruit and chocolate. Refrigerate until required.
- 3Halve cakes horizontally and brush cut sides with limoncello. Divide ricotta mixture over sponge bases and cover with tops. Refrigerate until required.
- 4Knead 1-2 drops of food colouring into fondant icing until combined. Divide into 8 pieces and roll each out on an icing sugar-dusted surface to 4mm-thick. Place over sponges to cover and trim excess, refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Decorate with cedro and serve with candied oranges.
Notes
To drain, place ricotta in a muslin-lined sieve over a bowl in the refrigerator. Fondant icing is available from supermarkets. Cedro and glacé citrus fruit are available from
and David Jones Food Hall.