Sicilian Cassata "Cassata"
Product included in the national list of traditional agri-food products (PAT)
Typology PAT : Fresh pasta and products from the bakery, biscuits, pastry and confectionery
Production area:
Technical data sheet of the traditional agri-food product (PAT)
Area of production: All of Sicily.
Brief description of the product: Cake made of sponge cake soaked in liqueur wine and stuffed with ricotta cream enriched with small pieces of chocolate and all covered with sugar glaze (white) and decorated with candied fruit. In Palermo, some sections of the edge of the cake are covered with almond paste "pasta reale" colored with pistachio green.
Description of the processing, conservation and maturing methods: Cake made of sponge cake soaked in liqueur wine and stuffed with ricotta cream enriched with small pieces of chocolate and all covered with sugar glaze (white) and decorated with candied fruit. In Palermo, some sections of the edge of the cake are covered with almond paste "pasta reale" colored with pistachio green.
Ingredients for the sponge cake: Eggs, fine flour and sugar.
Ingredients for the filling: Sheep ricotta, sugar, dark chocolate, cinnamon.
Ingredients for the cover: Assorted candied fruit and icing.
Preparation of the sponge cake: In an earthenware container, beat with a drum, for a long time only the yolks
egg mixed with sugar. Incorporate the whipped egg whites until stiff peaks and, always stirring, the flour. Pour the mixture into a pan and place in the oven for about 30 minutes.
Preparation of the ricotta cream: Mix the sheep's milk ricotta with the previously crushed sugar in the mortar, and pass through a sieve several times. To the cream thus obtained, add small pieces of chocolate and cinnamon powder and part of the chopped candied fruit. Cut the sponge cake into slices and lay it in layers, alternating it with the ricotta filling, in a cylindrical container previously lined with a sheet of waxed paper. During the operation, the slices of sponge cake must be moistened from time to time with a little syrup obtained by boiling some sweet liqueur (maraschino, mandarin) with a few spoonfuls of water. Place the container in the fridge for a few hours, then turn the cassata out of the mold on a serving plate, removing the sheet of waxed paper. With the blade of a large knife, cover the cake with an icing prepared separately and decorate the cassata with the remaining candied fruit and put it back in the fridge until it is ready to serve.
Specific materials and equipment used for preparation and conditioning: Casserole for cooking sponge cake and sieve for preparing ricotta cream.
Description of the processing, storage and maturing rooms: Pastry workshops and domestic premises.
Elements proving that the methodologies have been practiced in a homogeneous way and according to traditional rules for a period of not less than 25 years: It is the traditional Easter cake, even if today it is found almost in all seasons. The name cassata seems to derive from the Arabic “quas'at”, but with two different meanings: round bowl (due to the original shape), -or Torta- di cacio. Once upon a time the cassata packaged in the Valverde Monastery in Palermo were famous. A document of the Synod of Mazara of 1575 is authentic on the ancient tradition of cassata in Sicily; in chap. XXI (page IV), we read that the cassata was one of the sweets "inevitable in the holidays". (Giuseppe Coria, Scents of Sicily, Ed. Cavallotto)
Source Pat Cards: Sicily Region
Card insertion: Ignazio Caloggero
Information contributions: Web, Region of Sicily
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