Italian Cassata Cake

Name: Italian Cassata Cake
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 10
Cuisine: Mediterranean, Italian, European
Ingredients: 79 milliliters dried currants; 2 Tbsps heavy cream; 340 grams package prepared pound cake; 1 pint ricotta cheese; 28 grams 12 semisweet chocolate, chopped; 468 grams pitted dark sweet cherries, drained with syrup reserved; 237 milliliters unsalted butter; 59 milliliters white sugar

Italian Cassata Cake is a gluten free recipe with 10 servings. One portion of this dish contains approximately 8g of protein, 28g of fat, and a total of 433 calories. This recipe covers 8% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. This recipe is typical of Mediterranean cuisine. If you have sugar, heavy cream, ricotta cheese, and a few other ingredients on hand, you can make it. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes around 2 hours.

Instructions

Combine dried currants and 2 tablespoons Marsala in small bowl.

Ingredients you will need

Dried Currants

Marsala

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Let soak for 15 minutes.

Drain cherries and cut into eighths; drain on paper towels.

Ingredients you will need

Cherries

Equipment you will use

Paper Towels

Drain currants.

Ingredients you will need

Currants

In a food processor, puree ricotta cheese, sugar, 3 tablespoons Marsala and whipping cream until smooth.

Ingredients you will need

Ricotta Cheese

Whipping Cream

Marsala

Sugar

Equipment you will use

Food Processor

Transfer to medium bowl. Gently mix in currants and cherries.

Ingredients you will need

Cherries

Currants

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Peel any loose crust from pound cake and discard.

Ingredients you will need

Pound Cake

Crust

Cut pound cake lengthwise into 3 horizontal layers.

Ingredients you will need

Pound Cake

Place bottom layer on serving platter.

Spread half of filling over.

Ingredients you will need

Spread

Place second pound cake layer on top of filling.

Ingredients you will need

Pound Cake

Spread remaining filling over. Arrange third pound cake layer on top of filling. Smooth sides with rubber spatula. Refrigerate cassata until filling is firm, about 2 hours.

Ingredients you will need

Pound Cake

Spread

Equipment you will use

Spatula

Combine 1/2 cup reserved cherry syrup, semisweet chocolate and 1/4 cup Marsala in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.

Ingredients you will need

Semisweet Chocolate

Chocolate

Marsala

Cherries

Syrup

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan

Remove from heat.

Add unsalted butter a few pieces at a time and whisk until melted. Refrigerate frosting until thickened to spreading consistency, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Unsalted Butter

Frosting

Equipment you will use

Whisk

Slide sheets of waxed paper under edges of cassata to protect the serving dish. Put 1 cup chocolate frosting to pastry bag fitted with medium star tip.

Ingredients you will need

Chocolate Frosting

Equipment you will use

Pastry Bag

Spread remaining chocolate frosting over sides and top of cassata. Pipe frosting in pastry bag in swirls on long sides and in rosettes along upper edges of cassata. Refrigerate for several hours until set.

Ingredients you will need

Chocolate Frosting

Frosting

Spread

Equipment you will use

Pastry Bag

Let cassata stand at room temperature 20 minutes before serving.

Equipment

Ingredients

Servings:

79milliliters

dried currants 2Tbsps

heavy cream 340grams

package prepared pound cake 1pint

ricotta cheese 28grams

12 semisweet chocolate, chopped 468grams

pitted dark sweet cherries, drained with syrup reserved 237milliliters

unsalted butter 59milliliters

white sugar

Recommended wine: Chianti, Trebbiano, Verdicchio

Chianti, Trebbiano, and Verdicchio are my top picks for Italian. Italians know food and they know wine. Trebbiano and Verdicchio are Italian white wines that pair well with fish and white meat, while Chianti is a great Italian red for heavier, bolder dishes. One wine you could try is Spalletti Chianti Reserve Poggio Reale. It has 5 out of 5 stars and a bottle costs about 23 dollars.