Textual Chef Textual Chef

Cassata Cake

A traditional Sicilian cake layered with sweetened ricotta, dark chocolate bits, and candied fruit encased in marzipan. It is chilled until firm and served cold.

30 minMediumServes 8380 cal/serving

ItalianDessertNo-CookVegetarianSoy-FreeLow-SodiumPork-FreeNightshade-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

  • 2 layers sponge cake layer, sliced
  • 2 cups ricotta cheese, drained
  • 2/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup candied orange peel, finely diced
  • 8 oz green marzipan, rolled thin
  • 1/4 cup rum syrup

Instructions

  1. 1

    Mix 2 cups drained ricotta cheese, 2/3 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, and 1/4 cup finely diced candied orange peel in a bowl until smooth to make filling.

  2. 2

    Line a round cake pan with plastic wrap and arrange 8 oz rolled thin green marzipan along the inner sides.

  3. 3

    Place one slice of 2 layers sliced sponge cake layer at the bottom and moisten with 1/4 cup rum syrup.

  4. 4

    Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the cake base, then top with remaining 2 layers sliced sponge cake layer and moisten with remaining 1/4 cup rum syrup.

  5. 5

    Chill cake for 4 hours, invert onto a platter, and serve.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Questions

What is Cassata Cake?

A traditional Sicilian cake layered with sweetened ricotta, dark chocolate bits, and candied fruit encased in marzipan. It is chilled until firm and served cold. This reference files it under Italian dessert: made without cooking, rated medium and about 30 minutes start to finish.

What can I use instead of ricotta in Cassata Cake?

The entry for Cassata Cake calls for 2 cups ricotta cheese, drained. In its place: Small-curd cottage cheese, drained and blended briefly, works in baked dishes. For dairy-free, blend firm tofu with lemon juice and salt.

Is Cassata Cake vegan?

No, though it is vegetarian. What keeps it from vegan is 2 cups ricotta cheese, drained. For fully plant-based entries, see the vegan dessert collection.

Does Cassata Cake contain tree nuts?

Yes: 8 oz green marzipan, rolled thin. The full allergen list for this entry is dairy and tree nuts. Where the nuts are a garnish or a texture, toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds stand in. Packaged ingredients vary by brand, so check labels if the allergy is serious.

How many calories are in Cassata Cake?

One serving (the recipe makes 8) is about 380 calories, with 9 g protein, 48 g carbohydrate and 18 g fat, plus 2 g fiber and 180 mg sodium. The figures are estimates computed from the ingredient list.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,530 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.

More Italian entries

All Italian recipes · All Dessert recipes · All Ricotta recipes