Best Cassata Al Forno Baked Ricotta Cake Recipes

SICILIAN CASSATA: RICOTTA CAKE

Steps:

• Place the ricotta into a fine mesh sieve and nestle this over a bowl, place into the refrigerator overnight to allow the excess moisture to drain out before proceeding with the cassata recipe.
• Place the ricotta into the bowl of a mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until the curds smooth out. Mix the drained and beaten ricotta with 1 cup powdered sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, chocolate chips and half the candied fruit. Set aside.
• Lightly oil a 10-inch springform pan with canola oil. Slice the sponge cake very thinly so that the springform may be lined with it in an even layer. Line the sides and bottom of the pan with the sponge cake. Pour the ricotta filling into the cake-lined pan. Place a final layer of cake over the ricotta filling; this now creates the bottom to the cassata. Before serving, the cassata will be inverted onto this cake bottom. Refrigerate the cassata overnight to firm the filling.
• Invert the springform pan on a wide platter. Open the hinge and remove the springform sides and bottom.
• The cassata may now be finished by either covering with a heavy coating of the remaining powdered sugar or may be coated with a thin layer of green marzipan. Either way, the remaining candied fruits should be used to decorate the finished cassata. Slice thinly and serve.

CASSATA AL FORNO (BAKED RICOTTA CAKE) RECIPE - (4.7/5)

Steps:

• Homemade Ricotta: Line a large sieve with a layer of heavy-duty (fine-mesh) cheesecloth and place over a large bowl. In a large saucepan, slowly bring the milk, cream, buttermilk and salt to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching, until little bubbles form on the surface, about 10 minutes. Let the mixture bubble gently, without stirring, until temperature reaches 170° on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes (curds will begin to form). Remove from heat and let sit, without stirring, for 10 minutes (pale green whey will begin to separate from white curds). Gently pour the mixture, including any bits on the bottom, into the lined sieve. Let drain until all of the liquid runs off but the cheese is still moist, about 1 hour. Discard the liquid. Chill the ricotta, covered, until ready to serve or up to 2 days. For pasta frolla, sift flour, sugar, and baking powder into a large mixing bowl, then make a well in the centre. Lightly whisk together eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Pour eggs into centre of well in flour mixture, mixture is dry and crumbly. Gradually add melted butter until a soft, wet dough is formed. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, lightly flour your hands, and knead just enough to form a smooth dough. Use a pastry scraper to help lift and knead dough, adding a little more flour if dough sticks to floured surface. (The dough will be very soft.) Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight. For crema di ricotta, put ricotta in a a strainer lined with cheesecloth, set over a bowl Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to allow excess water to drain off. (if you've made it homemade this won't be necessary since you've already strained it). Remove ricotta from refrigerator, transfer ricotta to bowl. Add sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, orange zest, eggs and yolk and chocolate chips, (and citron, if using) to ricotta and mix well. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a 9" springform cake pan, then set aside. Roll out three quarters of the dough on a lightly floured surface into a round about 12" in diameter and 1/4" thick. Gently fold then fit it into bottom of cake pan, with 2"-3" of the dough coming up the side of the pan. Spoon in filling, spreading it evenly over dough. Fold pastry edges in over edge of ricotta filling. Roll out remaining dough to a thickness of about 1/4". Cut into 1/2"-wide strips. Decorate tope of cake with strips in a lattice pattern. Bake on a baking sheet in the middle of the oven until golden, 45-55 minutes. Remove _ from oven and let cool on a cake rack for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before sugar.

CASSATA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and line with parchment paper 2 nine inch round layer pans.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
• Separate the eggs and set the egg whites aside. Beat the egg yolks together on medium-high speed until very thick, about 4 minutes. Gradually add the cold water. Add 1- 1/4 cups of the white sugar, slowly, and beat well for about 3 more minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of the vanilla. Sift the flour mixture over the egg yolk mixture and fold in.
• Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together until stiff peaks form. Fold this into the yolk mixture. Divide batter between the pans.
• Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 25 minutes. Cool on rack for 10 minutes and then invert and cool completely.
• Cut each cake layer in half. Place one of the 4 halves on a cake board or plate and sprinkle with a little of the Rum Syrup. Spread about 1-1/2 cups of the Filling over this layer. Add a second layer of cake and repeat this procedure. Top the cake with the last layer of cake. Chill at least 4 hours. Spread Chocolate Glaze over top of cake.
• To Make Ricotta Cheese Filling: Beat the ricotta cheese well and add the confectioner's sugar and cinnamon. Add 1-1/2 teaspoons of the vanilla and grate 2 ounces of the chocolate in using the coarse side of a grater. Stir in the candied lemon peel and mix. Chill until ready to use.
• To Make The Rum Syrup: Place 1/3 cup of the sugar and the water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil 1 minute and then remove from heat and add the rum. Cool to room temperature.
• To Make The Chocolate Glaze: Melt 6 ounces of the chocolate and the cream in the microwave, whisk smooth. Add the butter and whisk until dissolved. Cool mixture until spreadable. Spread over the top of the cake.