recipes

Cassatta

A delicious dessert from Catherine's Italian Kitchen

Ingredients

• For the Cake:
• 5 large eggs, separated
• ½ tsp salt
• 375g caster sugar (separate into 100g for egg whites and 275g for yolks)
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 325g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• For the Filling:
• 350g ricotta
• 150g icing sugar
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 60g dark chocolate chips
• 60g candied fruits pineapple
• 60g candied papaya
• 50g roasted pine nuts
• 100ml Marsala
• Juice of 1 medium orange
• Icing for decorating:
• 100g ricotta
• 250g icing sugar
• Candied fruits
• 425g castor sugar
• Toasted flaked almonds

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / Gas4 and then line, butter and flour a 23cm (9") spring form round cake tin.
2. Beat the egg whites, salt and 100g of caster sugar until it forms stiff peaks. Tip into a large bowl. Beat the yolks with the remaining sugar and lemon rind, in the mixer.
3. Fold the egg white mixture back into the yolk mixture. Sieve the flour with the baking powder and fold into the eggs. Pour mixture into the cake tin and bake for thirty to thirty five minutes.
4. Test the cake with a skewer and leave it to cool. For the filling, just combine all the dried ingredients together with the ricotta and set aside.

To Assemble the Cake:

1. Cut across the cake to form 2 layers, lay out some cling film and put the base of the cake in the centre. Pour the Marsala and orange juice on each layer of the cake. Mix all the other ingredients for the filling together.
2. Spread the ricotta fruit mixture over and place the other cake layer on top.
3. Wrap the cling film over. Chill for 6 hours. To finish whisk the ricotta and icing sugar together.
4. Ice the top with ricotta icing. Ice the sides and decorate with the toasted almonds and candied fruits