Cassata Siciliana Recipe | Oven Baked Cassata
Cassata Siciliana is a shortcrust pastry and ricotta cream dessert, a sort of closed tart that has nothing to envy to the more famous traditional cassata.
It's one of a kind dessert: you are going to amaze everybody with this recipe which I made easy to follow!
It is very easy to make, just make sure you follow the steps below and don't panic. Trust yourself because there are recipes much more difficult than this!
To make Cassata you need farina 00' and a stand mixer to simplify this recipe even more! You can find in the link down below:
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[instagram-feed feed=1]The "Cassata al forno" (Sicilian oven baked cassata) is an exquisite dessert, the ancient version, without icing and easier to make, of the classic Sicilian Cassata. It is prepared with a double layer of shortcrust pastry which encloses a creamy filling of ricotta and chocolate chips; cooked in the oven like a tart, it is then turned upside down and finally decorated with powdered sugar! A unique, easy and decidedly less laborious goodness that is prepared for Easter and Christmas, as an alternative to the more famous, sumptuous and colorful "sister" with candied fruit and marzipan!
- 300 g butter
- 80 g egg yolks ((about 4))
- 200 g powdered sugar
- 500 g flour 00' or Manitoba flour
- 1 1 Zest of organic orange
- 500 g fresh sheep ricotta cheese ((drained overnight about 400gr))
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 80 g chocolate chips
- Instructions for ricotta cream:
The day before drain and refrigerate the fresh ricotta for at least 10 hours.
The next day, add the sugar and refrigerate again for a couple of hours. - Instructions for the dough:
In a bowl of the stand mixer, add the soft and large cubes of butter, add powder sugar and mix for a couple of minutes at speed 1 or 2.
Once the butter has absorbed all the sugar, add the egg yolk at room temperature and continue to mix until it reaches a creamy consistency.
Start adding the flour a little at a time and mix until you get a homogeneous dough.
Transfer to a table and start compacting it lightly with your hands. Wrap and refrigerate for 10 hours. If you are in a hurry, just put it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Cut the shortcrust pastry in half with a pastry cutter and give it a slight crank. Form a ball and with the help of a little dusted flour and a rolling pin, roll out the dough maintaining a circular shape. The thickness should be about 1 cm. Final dusting of flour and roll the dough on the rolling pin.
Take a pan of about 24 cm, already buttered and floured and gently roll the dough into the pan.
Gently match the edges with your right hand and lift the pastry with your left to prevent it from tearing until it adheres well to the bottom. With the rolling pin cut the edges and prick the center with a knife.
Take the ricotta, previously drained and sweetened, and add the cold chocolate chips.
Add the ricotta cream mixture to the shortcrust pastry and distribute evenly.
Roll out the other half of the pastry and add to the top of the cake.
Adjust with your hands and cut again with a rolling pin. Trim the edges with the knife and lightly prick the cake in the center with a fork. That way it won't over-inflate.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 25/30 minutes.
Once cooked, leave it in the pan or mold you used to cool. Then place it in the fridge for about an hour, so it will keep the structure and shape.
Take a tray and turn the cassata upside down. Decorate with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
I also added orange peel and dried cherries.
Enjoy folks!
- You have to let the baked cassata cool completely before removing it from the mold. Baked cassata can be kept for 2-3 days under a glass bell.
