SICILIAN CREAM CAKE (CASSATA ALLA SICILIANA)

Sicilian Cream Cake (Cassata alla Siciliana) image

This is a "no bake" variation of a very rich, traditional Italian dessert. Since it uses store bought sponge cake as a base, it is very easy to put together. Prep time does not include overnight refrigeration time.

Provided by Dee514

Categories Dessert

Time 15m

Yield 1 Cake, 6-8 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 8

Ingredients

2 lbs ricotta cheese
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 ounce maraschino cherries or 1 ounce your favorite flavor liqueur
2 tablespoons shredded sweet chocolate or 2 tablespoons miniature chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped candied fruit
1 sponge cake, cut into 1 inch slices
confectioners' sugar (for sifting over unmolded cake)

Steps:

Combine ricotta, sugar, vanilla and liqueur in a bowl and blend thoroughly until smooth.
Add chocolate and fruit; mix well.
Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch spring form pan (or a large pan or bowl) with cake slices.
Turn ricotta mixture into lined mold.
Cover the top with remaining cake slices.
Refrigerate overnight, or place in freezer for several hours.
To serve: If you used a pan or bowl as a mold, invert pan/bowl onto a serving platter, and remove mold.
Sprinkle (lightly sift) confectioner's sugar over cake.
If you used a spring form pan, remove sides of pan, leaving cake on the pan bottom, place on serving platter, sift confectioner's sugar over cake.
Variation: If you prefer, you can frost the cake with sweetened whipped cream flavored with a little almond extract.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 621.4, Fat 21.8, SaturatedFat 13.2, Cholesterol 154.9, Sodium 313.1, Carbohydrate 86.4, Fiber 0.5, Sugar 63.5, Protein 21.2