Ruby Bhogal’s Sicilian cassata recipe

3 hours ago

4 min read

Perfectly plate-lickingly delicious.

Cassata_Cake — Ruby Bhogal’s Sicilian cassata recipe (Matt Russell/PA)

“Made from two simple, lighter-than-air lemon sponges, soaked in a maraschino liqueur syrup, it’s filled with an orange, cherry and chocolate ricotta filling and wrapped in a layer of marzipan before being topped with decorative royal icing and maraschino cherries. A mouthful in every sort of way – think of this as cake-come-cannoli,” says food writer and TV cook Ruby Bhogal.

Ruby Bhogal’s Sicilian cassata recipe

Ingredients:

(Serves: 14)

Hands-on time: Less than 1½ hours

Territory: Sicily

Difficulty: Advanced

For the sponge:

225g caster sugar
Zest of 2 lemons
5 large eggs, whole
2 large eggs, yolks only
110g plain flour, sifted
110g cornflour, sifted
¼tsp salt

For the ricotta filling:

1kg ricotta, fridge temp
200g icing sugar, sifted
125g dark chocolate, chunks or chips
100g candied orange peel or mixed peel
2tsp vanilla bean paste
Zest of 1 extra-large orange
80g glacé cherries, roughly chopped

For the soaking syrup:

100ml water
75ml maraschino liqueur
125g caster sugar

To decorate:

300g icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting
1 large egg, white only
Apricot jam, to glaze
200g marzipan (approx)
Green or yellow food colouring (optional)
2–3 maraschino cherries
23cm springform or loose-bottomed cake tin, greased and lined

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C /gas mark 4. Start with the sponge. Add the caster sugar and lemon zest to a stand mixer bowl and, using the whisk attachment, mix on a medium speed for 5 minutes to help release the oils for a punchier flavour.

2. Scrape the sides and base of the bowl before adding the eggs and yolks, then whisk on a medium-to-high speed for 8–10 minutes until you reach the ribbon stage (i.e. it’s aerated, doubled in volume, and the whisk leaves a trail of batter on the surface when removed).

3. In a separate bowl, put the flour, cornflour and salt and use a balloon whisk to mix together. Add the flour into the mixer bowl and gently fold through by working the spatula around the side and cutting through the middle, then scraping the bottom and bringing up before working the side and repeating. Try to keep as much air in the batter as possible.

4. As soon as there remain no visible streaks of flour, pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 32–35 minutes until the top of the sponge bounces back when gently pressed and a skewer returns no batter when inserted.

5. Place the tin on a cooling rack and allow the sponge to sit in the tin for 10 minutes. Carefully turn out the sponge onto a large sheet of clingfilm, then wrap and set aside to cool at room temperature.

6. Whilst the sponge is baking, make the filling. Slowly strain the ricotta through a muslin or sieve to remove excess water – this will take about 2 hours.

7. Whilst the ricotta is straining, make the soaking syrup. Add all the ingredients to a pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for a further 5–10 minutes until you are left with a lightly thickened syrup. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

8. Once strained, add the ricotta to a stand mixerbowl, along with the icing sugar, dark chocolate, candied orange peel, chopped glace cherries, vanilla bean paste and orange zest. Using the paddle attachment, mix on a medium speed until smooth, then transfer to a piping bag and pop into the fridge until you are ready to construct the cake.

9. When the sponge is cool, level the top using a serrated knife, before carefully dividing the cake into three equal-sized sponges. Line the tin you baked the sponge in with plenty of clingfilm, ensuring the edges overflow the sides and the clingfilm is pressed tightly into the base.

10. Place one of the sponges into the lined tin and, using a pastry brush, liberally apply the maraschino soaking syrup. Cut the second sponge into 5cm strips and use these to line the edge of the tin – this will be a bit like a forcing a jigsaw to work but trust the process.

11. Fill the cake cavity with the chilled ricotta filling, using the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to condense the filling, remove any air pockets and level out the top.

12. Drench the last sponge layer with the remaining maraschino syrup, then place on top of the ricotta (soaked side down), sandwich and seal. Bring the edges of the clingfilm over the top of the cake to wrap completely before popping into the fridge to set overnight.

13. The next day, unwrap the top of the sponge and carefully turn out the cake onto a serving plate. Remove the clingfilm. Now it’s time to decorate. In a bowl, put the icing sugar and egg white and mix well with a spoon to form a thick but fluid royal icing. Pour three-quarters of the icing on top of the cake and use an offset palette knife to create a smooth, even layer, taking the icing up to the cake edge. Brush the side of the cake with the apricot jam, generously coating so it can act as a glue for the marzipan.

14. Lightly dust a worktop with icing sugar, add a few drops of food colouring to the marzipan and knead until you’re left with an even colour. Roll out the marzipan and slice a long strip, equal to the height of the cake. Carefully apply the marzipan strip around the outside of the cake, blending the two edges to conceal the joint. Using the remaining royal icing and any leftover marzipan and maraschino cherries, decorate the top as you wish.