Cassatine
Baking and Desserts • Italian
Description
I got this recipe from a hostess at a family café in Rome, who is originally from Sicily. Of course, mine didn't turn out as elegantly as hers, but it's delicious. Warning: don't overindulge in the dessert, enjoy it in small portions :)
Ingredients
- Chopped almonds 10 oz
- Ricotta cheese 10 oz
- Sugar 5 oz
- Candied fruits 0 oz
- Sponge Cake Base 3 pieces
- Liqueur 5 fl oz
- Orange zest 1 tablespoon
- Citrus Zest Mix 1 tablespoon
- Salt a pinch
- Powdered Sugar 5 oz
- Cinnamon a pinch
- Red cocktail cherry 9 pieces
- Red Food Coloring to taste
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1
Let's work on the almonds. Take all the almonds (150 grams + 75 grams), throw them into boiling water, and boil for 1 minute. Drain the water, remove the skins from the almonds (this task is quite tedious, but the skins come off quickly). Preheat the oven to 355°F, spread the almonds on a baking sheet, and dry them in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.
Step 2
Prepare the almond paste. Heat the sugar (50 grams) in a saucepan with 1 tablespoon of water, bringing it to a caramel-like state. Add powdered sugar (100 grams), the prepared almonds (75 grams), the zest of half an orange, a pinch of salt to a blender and grind. Then pour in the caramel (hot and liquid!) and the food coloring (you can skip the coloring, and the paste will be caramel-colored, but traditionally for cassatine the paste is colored green). Blend everything again until it reaches a dough-like consistency. Place it in the refrigerator for half an hour.
Step 3
Filling! Repeat a similar caramel-making process (150 grams of sugar with a small amount of water in a saucepan). Add to the blender all the necessary ingredients: the prepared almonds (150 grams), ricotta (250 grams), candied fruits (30 grams), the zest of half a lemon, a pinch of cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and the resulting caramel. Blend until it reaches a creamy consistency.
Step 4
Create a work of art. Take three molds of 200 ml (or 6 tartlet molds (then you will need 6 smaller sponge cakes) — all within your imagination), line the molds with plastic wrap, and spread the almond paste so that it only covers the surfaces of the molds. Fill them with the filling. Take the sponge cakes, soak them in liqueur (instead of aromatic Italian Alkernes, you can use Amaretto or, at worst, regular rum) and gently press them on top of the filling in the center until the filling is level with the sponge cakes on the sides. Place in the refrigerator for an hour to cool. Remove, turn the molds onto plates, and remove the wrap. Decorate on top with a cherry in syrup (or whatever your heart desires, but a cherry is delicious).
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