According to tradition, the Sicilian Cassata was invented around 998, at the height of Muslim domination, by the court cooks of the Emir who resided at the Kalsa in Palermo. The name derives from the Arabic word "Quas'at", which means large and round bowl, and the richness of its ingredients reflects the characteristics of Saracen cuisine, which loves to harmonize contrasting flavors, such as pan di spagna stuffed with ricotta mixed with sugar and pieces of chocolate. Its ancient birth is testified by a document of the Synod of Mazara del Vallo of 1575, in which the cassata is defined as "indispensable in Easter celebrations". In 1700 the cloistered monasteries took over the primacy of the production of the cake, enriching it with the characteristic green border of almond paste. Its decorations are baroque and it differs from the baked one which is its simpler variant.
The preparation takes a couple of days, but the result will remain indelible to the eye and the palate.
Preparations of the day before
Preparation of the filling
Ingredients:
1,2Kg of sheep's ricotta cheese
280g of powdered sugar
100g of dark chocolate chips
If you like, you can also add 50g of candied orange peel.

Drain the sheep’s ricotta cheese well in a colander and then mix it in a bowl together with the vanilla icing sugar, cover the bowl with cling film, and put everything in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, pass the ricotta through a sieve twice until you get a smooth and soft cream. At this point, add the chocolate drops (and, if you like, the candied orange peel cut into small cubes) to the cream and place the filling obtained in the refrigerator in a bowl covered with cling film. 

Preparation of the Pan di Spagna
Ingredients:
10 medium eggs
300g of sugar
300g of flour
1 pinch of salt
1 vanilla pod 

To prepare the Pan di Spagna, break the eggs into the bowl of a planetary mixer; then take the vanilla pod, cut it in half and take the internal seeds with the blade of a smooth knife. Add them to the eggs and also add a pinch of salt. Then turn the planetary mixer on at medium speed and work the mixture for about 15-20 minutes in total, adding the sugar a little at a time in order to favor its absorption. In the meantime, carefully grease and flour the rectangular mold measuring 35 cm x 25 cm, and as soon as the egg and sugar mixture has become light, swollen, and fluffy, turn off the machine. At this point, place a fine sieve on the mixer bowl and pour the flour. Sift and mix everything with a hand whisk or a spatula making bottom-up movements. Do this step very gently so as not to disassemble the mixture. As soon as everything is completely blended pour into the mold and use a spatula to level the surface. In this step it is essential not to bang the mold on the surface to level it, otherwise, the mass will disassemble. Bake the Pan di Spagna in a static oven preheated to 160 ° on the lowest shelf for about 50 minutes. Once cooked, take it out of the oven and let it cool. 

Preparation of the pasta reale
Ingredients:
125g of peeled almond flour
125g of sugar
50ml of water
Pistachio paste
1 sachet of vanillin

Put 125 g of sugar and 50 ml of water in a pan. Bring to a boil and as soon as the sugar begins to spin (112 ° -115 °), remove the saucepan from the heat; Incorporate 125 g of peeled almond flour (which you will obtain by blending the peeled almonds with a coffee grinder with small intervals so as not to overheat and release the oil), the pistachio paste and 1 sachet of vanillin. Mix until a homogeneous mixture is obtained and then pour it on a cold marble table.
As soon as the pasta reale has cooled, work it until it becomes smooth and compact (if needed, use icing sugar in the same way as flour). Roll out the marzipan into a 12 cm wide and 1/2 cm thick sheet, then cut it in two lengthwise (you will get two 6 cm wide strips) and cut into small pieces of dough similar in shape to a trapezoid.

For the cassata a particular round cake pan, typical of Palermo, will be used, with flared edges about 5 cm high and a slightly raised bottom: the one used in this recipe has a diameter of 30 cm in its widest part.
Cut the pan di spagna into strips at least 6 cm high from which you will also obtain trapezes in this case (precisely because the edges of the pan are flared). Sprinkle the pan very well with icing sugar and then line the edges alternating the trapezoids of pan di spagna with those of green marzipan, pressing well towards the sides and being careful not to leave spaces between one and the other. If the piece just placed will have the upper side wider than the lower one, the next one must have the opposite characteristics. The trapezoids can be placed both with the dark side outwards and inwards.
Once you have completed the entire perimeter of the pan, you can place the bottom, with the spongy part down. Press the edges of the pan di spagna firmly to make it adhere better to the shape of the pan. Now, with a knife with a smooth and sharp blade, you can even out the pieces that protrude from the side edges of the pan.

Preparation of the Bagna
Ingredients:
150ml of water
50g of sugar
½ glass of liqueur (maraschino, rum, cointreau)
½ untreated lemon zest

Dissolve 50 grams of sugar in 150 ml of water, together with the zest of half a lemon (or orange) and half a glass of liqueur of your choice, and let it cool. Then pour the syrup on the sponge cake.

Now you can fill the base with the ricotta cream, which you will level with a spatula. Crumble the leftover pan di spagna on the bottom of the cassata, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least two to three hours (preferably overnight).

Preparation of the glaze
Ingredients
350g of powdered sugar
Water to taste

Put the icing sugar in a saucepan with a little water, as much as you need to obtain a creamy and still white mixture. As soon as it comes to a boil, the fondant will be ready to be poured into the center of the cassata and spread with a spatula. Do the same thing on the sides of the cassata too, the fondant will dry almost instantly as soon as it is spread and must have a shiny and transparent consistency.
Now you can move on to the decoration of the cassata: cut strips of zuccata (candied pumpkin) and candied fruit into small pieces. Place the slices of pumpkin on the cassata, bending them as if to form the petals of a flower in the center of which you will place, for example, a candied mandarin cut in half.

Preparation of the royal ice
Ingredients:
1 egg white
150g vanilla powdered sugar

Beat an egg white until stiff and gradually adding the icing sugar until a very thick consistency is obtained.
The final touch to your cassata will be given by the decoration with royal icing. With a pastry bag equipped with a mouthpiece with a rather thin hole, create decorations both on the fruit and on the edges of the cassata, to make it even more rich and sumptuous.
Your cassata is ready to be tasted, but what about if you first share a picture of it on our Facebook and Instagram.

Credits to Chef Monica Sammarco - Hassin Cottage