Ricette di Sicilia
Cibo, cultura e tradizioni siciliane
Sicilian Cassata: The Island’s Most Iconic Dessert
A dazzling celebration of ricotta, candied fruit and sponge cake — the timeless Sicilian cassata, full of colour, history and irresistible sweetness.
🛒 Ingredients
- ✓ 500 g sponge cake
- ✓ 400 g sheep’s milk ricotta
- ✓ 200 g icing sugar
- ✓ 250 g candied fruit
- ✓ 10 g dark chocolate
- ✓ Green food colouring
- ✓ 2 egg whites
- ✓ 1 lemon
- ✓ 200 g caster sugar
📊 Nutritional Information
Few desserts capture the festive heart of Sicily the way the cassata does. With roots stretching back to the island’s Arab past, this vibrant creation has become a symbol of Easter celebrations — but truly, it deserves to be enjoyed all year round.
A glorious mosaic of flavours and colours, the cassata brings together sweet ricotta, soft sponge cake, jewel-like candied fruit and a hint of dark chocolate, all wrapped in a glossy green glaze. It’s as much an artistic expression as it is a dessert.
Preparing a cassata is an act of love: a patient layering of textures that results in something joyous, nostalgic and utterly Sicilian.
👨🍳 Preparation
- 1
Pass the ricotta through a sieve into a mixing bowl.
- 2
Combine the ricotta with the icing sugar, 200 g of the candied fruit and the finely chopped chocolate.
- 3
Chill the ricotta filling in the fridge.
- 4
Prepare the sponge cake and allow it to cool completely.
- 5
Line a high-sided cake tin with slices of sponge cake and fill with the ricotta mixture.
- 6
Cover with another disc of sponge cake and refrigerate for a few hours.
- 7
Make the glaze by heating caster sugar, lemon juice and egg whites.
- 8
Add a little green food colouring, then pour the glaze over the cassata.
- 9
Decorate with the remaining candied fruit.
💡 Tips and Variations
Add a pinch of cinnamon to the ricotta cream for a warmer, aromatic note. For a lighter result, reduce the amount of icing sugar.
📦 Storage
- • Store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- • Freeze the cassata wrapped in cling film for up to a month.
- • Defrost in the fridge and serve at room temperature.
🍷 Pairing
Enjoy with a glass of Marsala Superiore Riserva Rubino Secco, served at 8–10°C — a perfect match for the cassata’s richness and sweetness.
Thank you for following this traditional Sicilian recipe. May preparing this cassata bring you joy — and may sharing it bring even more. Buon appetito!
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