Cassata

This version of the Sicilian cassata is made with pistachio marzipan, sponge cake soaked in a rum syrup, and a sweet ricotta filling. It’s adorned with royal icing, as well as candied clementine, cherries and other sugared fruit — celebratory flourishes that would be welcome at any festive gathering.

Cassata was the Technical Bake for the Season 6 finale of The Great Canadian Baking Show.

Cassata

Special Equipment

• Cassata pan (or a 12-inch pie plate)
• A weight

Ingredients

Sponge Cake:

• Cooking spray
• 8 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1⅓ cups (240 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp fine kosher salt

Pistachio Marzipan:

• 2⅓ cups (200 g) almond flour
• 1¾ cups (200 g) icing sugar, plus more for dusting
• ⅓ cup (75 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp pistachio paste
• Green gel food colouring

Filling:

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 2 (500 g) tubs ricotta
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tsp finely grated orange zest
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup (95 g) mini-chocolate chips

Syrup:

• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup water
• ¾ cup white rum
• 1 (3-inch) strip orange zest
• 1 (3-inch) strip lemon zest

Glacé Cherries:

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tbsp syrup from a jar of maraschino cherries
• 1 cup (200 g) pitted maraschino cherries, any stems removed

Candied Clementine and Lime Slices:

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup water
• 1 clementine, sliced crosswise into thin rounds, ends discarded
• 1 lime, sliced crosswise into thin rounds, ends discarded

Candied Orange and Lemon Peel:

• 2 small oranges
• 2 lemons
• 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup water

Icing:

• 8 cups (900 g) icing sugar
• ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp water, divided
• 2 tbsp meringue powder

Assembly:

• Icing sugar for dusting
• Vegetable oil

Preparation

Sponge Cake:

Heat oven to 350 F. Line a three-quarter-sheet pan (15 by 21 inches) with parchment paper and spray the sides of the pan and parchment with cooking spray. 

Add the eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute, then increase the speed to high and gradually add the sugar. Beat until light and fluffy and the sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, sift together the flour and salt. 

Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Sprinkle one-third of the flour over the egg mixture, then gently whisk it in until no streaks remain. Repeat with the rest of the flour in two additions. (The batter will deflate slightly.) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Bake until the top is dry and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, 25 minutes.

Run a paring knife around the edge of the hot cake, set the pan on a wire rack, and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan along with the parchment and transfer it to the wire rack to cool. Once it’s cool to the touch, dust the top with icing sugar, turn the cake out onto the backside of a three-quarter-sheet pan, and peel off the parchment paper. Trim the edges. 

Pistachio Marzipan:

In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour and sugars. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the egg and pistachio paste. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until a shaggy dough forms.

Turn the marzipan out onto a clean counter and knead to bring it together, dusting with icing sugar if it sticks to the surface. Add two to three drops of the gel food colouring with a toothpick and knead to form a smooth dough. Wrap with plastic wrap and set aside. 

Filling:

Add the sugar and ricotta to a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Press the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large bowl. Drain off any excess liquid. Mix in the citrus zests, vanilla extract and chocolate chips and set aside.

Syrup:

Combine all of the ingredients except the rum in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the zest, stir in the rum and set aside to cool. 

Assembly:

Drizzle a small amount of oil on the surface of the cassata pan. Wipe away the excess with a paper towel, leaving only a thin coat. Dust the pan with icing sugar. 

Transfer the cooled sponge cake to a large cutting board. Using a knife, and the bottom of the cassata pan as a guide, cut out a circle from one half of the cake

Cut the other half of the cake into long strips, 2½ inches wide (or roughly the height of your cassata pan). Then cut the strips into multiple trapezoids, measuring 1 inch on one side and 4 inches on the other. You'll need enough to go around the sides of the cassata pan. Reserve the scraps of cake for the bottom of the cassata.       

Dust a smooth work area with icing sugar. Roll out the marzipan so it’s ¼ inch thick. Cut out seven trapezoids with the same measurements you used for the sponge cake. (You will have marzipan left over.)

Place the circle of sponge cake in the bottom of the cassata pan with the icing-sugar side up. Place a cake trapezoid against the side of the pan, with the icing-sugar side in and the 4-inch end at the bottom of the pan. Fit a marzipan trapezoid next to the cake trapezoid, reversing the orientation so the 1-inch end is at the bottom of the pan. Repeat with the remaining cake and marzipan trapezoids, alternating to make a pattern. Try to line up the edges as much as possible. Then cover each piece of marzipan with a sponge trapezoid so that only the sponge cake is showing. 

Generously brush the cake with the syrup. Pour the filling into the lined cassata pan and smooth with a small offset spatula. Use kitchen shears to trim any excess cake or marzipan from above the rim of the pan.

Cover the filling with the scraps of cake (this will be the bottom of the cassata) and brush with more syrup.

Place a 12-inch round cake board on top of the cassata, then place a quarter-sheet pan on top, and place a weight on top of that. Chill the cassata in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Glacé Cherries:

Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper. Lightly coat a wire rack with cooking spray and set it inside the pan.

Bring the sugar, water and cherry syrup to a boil over medium heat. Add the cherries and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated and the fruit is coated in the heavy syrup, about 10 minutes. Transfer the cherries to a section of the prepared rack, keeping them separate so they don’t stick together and leaving space for the other candied fruit. 

Candied Clementine and Lime Slices:

Add the sugar and water to a medium pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the slices of clementine and lime. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated and the pith has softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer the fruit to the prepared rack with the cherries, keeping them separate so they don’t stick together.

Candied Orange and Lemon Peel:

Using a paring knife, score the orange peels from top to bottom, dividing them into quarters. Then remove the peel and reserve the flesh for another use. Slice the peels into long, thin strips. Repeat with the lemons. Add the sugar and water to a medium pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the orange and lemon peel. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated and the pith has softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer the peel to the prepared rack, keeping them separate so they don’t stick together.

Icing:

Add the icing sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. With the mixer on low speed, gradually pour in ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons of water. Beat on low speed until the water is absorbed, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the icing is smooth and fluid. Transfer half of the mixture (500 g) to a medium saucepan and add the remaining ¼ cup water. Mix until combined and set aside. Add the meringue powder to the icing that’s left in the mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth and fluid, 2 minutes. Transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a fine round tip and set aside. 

Decoration:

Set a wire rack in a half-sheet pan and place an 8-inch cake pan on top, with the bottom side up.

Remove the weight from the cassata and invert the cassata onto the upside-down cake pan. Remove the cassata pan. Brush off any excess icing sugar from the marzipan.

Place the saucepan with the icing over low heat to thin it out, 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour it over the cassata and spread it down the sides with an offset spatula so you have a thin coat. When the icing has hardened (chill if needed), the cake is ready to decorate.

To make a flower out of candied fruit, place a clementine slice on the centre of the cake and bend the strips of orange zest around it to make petals, fitting the glacé cherries in between. Place a cherry on top of the clementine. Decorate the top of the cake with the remaining candied fruit as desired.

Pipe the royal icing on the top and sides of the cake to decorate as desired. You can make dots, zigzags, filigree or curved lines, for example. Transfer the cassata to a serving plate.

Makes one cake