The most AMAZING Cannoli Cake Recipe- American Cassata SECRET recipe--Revealed.
#cannolicake #Americancassata #cannoli
Made from scratch - authentic recipe from my Italian grandmother showing how to make amazing cannoli cake.
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Ingredients for Sponge Cake - /Pan di Spagna:-
6 large eggs at room temperature
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour (300 grams)
1 1/2 cups of sugar (300 grams)
1 tsp vanilla/lemon/anisette essence (optional)
9 inch spring form
Parchment paper
Ingredients for Cannoli Cream:-
2 lbs whole milk ricotta (drained at least 12 hours)
2 cups confectioners sugar (250 grams)
1/2 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips (100 grams)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of cinnamon
Ingredients for Simple Syrup/Bagna:-
1 cup of water (240 ml)
1/2 cup sugar (100 grams)
2 oz Grand Marnier Liqueur (60 ml) rum can also be used
3 peels of orange
1 cinnamon stick
Ingredients for Whipped Cream:-
16 oz heavy whipping cream (480ml)
2/3 cup confectioners sugar (90 grams)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Almonds:-
2 cups sliced almonds (1/4 lb)
Directions:-
For Sponge Cake - /Pan di Spagna:-
Please note- It is very important that the eggs are at room temperature but if you’re like me I never remember to take them out of the refrigerator in time. What I’ve discovered that if cold eggs placed in hot tap water for 5 minutes or while I get my other ingredients together they’ll be ready to use.
Step#1- Mix eggs and sugar together. Using a stand up mixer or hand held mixer beat until light and airy and tripled in size.
Step#2- Add the flour in thirds and each time fold in using a spatula. Gently fold moving from bottom to top. Gentle movements so that the batter remains airy and fluffy.
Step#3- Using cooking spray and grease the spring form. Cut a circle of parchment paper and cover the bottom. Now cut 2 strips of parchment paper about 4 inches tall and the length of the roll.
Step#4-Place on the side of pan.
Step#5- Pour batter and bake in pre heated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit(180 Celsius )for 40 minutes. This can be made the day before.
For Cannoli Cream:-
Step#1- In a large bowl add ricotta, confectioners sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.
Step#2- Mix with a handheld mixer for a few minutes until creamy. Using a spatula incorporate chocolate chips.
Step#3- Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
For Simple Syrup/Bagna:-
Step#1- Bring to a boil the water, sugar, cinnamon and peels.
Step#2- Boil for a few minutes until sugar is dissolved. Cool and strain.
Step#3- Add the liqueur and set aside. It can be made the day before and stored in the refrigerator.
For Whipped Cream:-
Step#1- Place heavy cream in the freezer for about 5 minutes before whipping.
Step#2- Using a handheld mixer or a stand up mixer start whipping cream at high speed. Step#3- Add confectioners sugar a tablespoon at a time. Add the vanilla. Once cream is formed don’t over whip. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to assemble cake.
For Almonds:-
Step#1- In a 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) toast almonds until golden, about 10 minutes. Careful not to burn.
For Assembling Cake:-
Step#1- Cut the sponge cake in 3 even disks/rounds. The bottom of the cake which is very even will be used on top. Sorry sounds confusing, please refer to the video.
Step#2- In the middle of serving plate add a tablespoon of ricotta cream. Add your first sponge cake disk. Cream will help cake not slide off plate.
Step#3- Using a spoon slowly wet the cake with liqueur syrup. Now add ricotta cream and spread evenly.
Step#4- Place another cake disk on top and do the same with the syrup. Add ricotta cream on this layer too.
Step#5- Final cake disk on top, wet with the remainder of syrup.
Step#6- Spread a thin layer of whipped cream all around the cake. This acts as a glueing agent the almonds. Using the palm of your hand attach almonds all around the cake.
Step#7- Using a piping bag and a star/flower tip. (I used Wilton 8B) pipe little rosettes on top of cake in a circular style. Starting from the outer rim and working your way towards the middle.
Step#8- Decorate with chocolate chips.
Step#9- Let the cake rest in the refrigerator so the flavors all come together.
Enjoy!
Cassata - Italian recipe
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The Sicilian cassata is a rich and colorful dessert: it takes some time, but the end result is a masterpiece of Italian cuisine! Find this and many more recipes with pictures on the Giallozafferano App (in English)
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Ingredients
For the filling
• 2 1/3 cups (280 g) of vanilla powdered sugar
• 3,5 oz (100 g) of dark chocolate chips
• about 5 cups (1,2 kg) of sheep ricotta
• 1,8 oz (50 g) of candied orange peel (optional)
For the sponge cake
• just under 2 ½ cups (300 g) of flour
• 1 ½ cups (300 g) of sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 10 medium eggs
For the fondant icing
• 3 cups (350 g) of powdered sugar and water, as needed
For decorating
• 7 oz (200 g) of marzipan
• 1 tbsp (20 g) of pistachio paste
• whole mixed candied fruit
For the royal icing
• 1 egg white and 1 ¼ cups (150 g) of vanilla powdered sugar
For the soaking syrup
• 2/3 cup (150 ml) of water
• a couple of strips of lemon zest
• ¼ cup (50 g) of sugar
• 1 shot of liqueur
The day before serving the cassata, you can make the sponge cake. WATCH THE SPONGE CAKE RECIPE. Still the day before, you can roughly mix the ricotta cheese with the powdered sugar and let it rest in the fridge overnight, covered with cling film; now place the ricotta mixture in a fine strainer and press it down with a spatula, to remove any lump. After it's been strained, repeat this step once more... to make it as smooth as possible. And now we can add the dark chocolate chips to this amazing ricotta filling, mix together and keep in the fridge until it's time to use it. The one in front of me is the traditional cassata pan, it's a pan with flared sides, a slightly raised bottom and measures 12 inches (30 cm) at its widest diameter. Slice the sponge cake horizontally to get a ½-inch (1 cm) thick layer, then cut it into strips, about 2 1/3 inches (6 cm) wide, to line the sides of the pan. So let's start... then cut the strips into trapezoids, because the pan has flared sides, so you don't have to make rectangles but a trapezoidal shape with one side shorter than the opposite side. If some pieces are too thick, slice them thinner with a knife. Now cut the remaining sponge cake into 2 thinner layers, to form the bottom and top layer of the cake, a small one and a large one. To make the small circular base, just press the pan into the sponge cake and cut it out. Now take the green marzipan and cut into shapes the same size as before, at least 2 1/3 inches (6 cm) tall. You can make the green marzipan by kneading 1 tablespoon (20 g) of pistachio paste into the almond paste; if you can't find pistachio paste, you can use green food coloring. So sprinkle the work surface with powdered sugar, roll it out to a thickness of ½ inch (1 cm) and cut into trapezoids. Sprinkle the pan with powdered sugar and line the sides with alternate trapezoids; as you can see, if you place a piece of sponge cake with the long side up, the following piece of marzipan will be placed with the long side down. Lay the sponge cake over the marzipan so that no space is left between them. Now line the bottom with the circle of sponge cake, pale side facing down; as you can see, the other pieces of sponge cake face in the same direction, but some people do the opposite, that is with the brown side facing out. Press it down to adhere, then even out the sides. Soak the sponge cake with a soaking syrup, made by dissolving the sugar in water, adding some lemon or orange zest and finally a shot of liqueur; I used maraschino, but you can choose any you like. Now fill the pan with the chocolate chip ricotta filling and spread it evenly of course. Cover the filling with the remaining sponge cake; now moisten with the syrup and let it rest in the fridge for at least a couple of hours, or even overnight. It's time to turn the cassata over, so cover with a plate and reverse it. Move on to the icing. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar with just enough water to get a thick, white mixture; this will be the fondant icing to cover the cassata. As soon as it comes to a simmering point, remove from the heat and pour it over the cake. We're ready to ice the cassata, so pour the icing over the centre and spread it out; work quickly because it hardens fast, and you don't want the layer to be too thick; do the same on the sides. The candied fruit is a must for topping the cassata; as you can see, it's very colorful, so you can get creative and decorate to taste. The most distinctive ingredient to garnish the cassata is candied pumpkin, called zuccata, that you can cut into strips, fold in this way and arrange on top in a flower pattern. As a finishing touch, you can further embellish it with royal icing, made by beating an egg white until stiff and adding the powdered sugar a little at a time; place in a pastry bag and decorate as you like.
Sicilian Cassata, Palermo, Sicily, Italy, Europe
Cassata or Cassata siciliana is a traditional sweet from Sicily, Italy. Cassata consists of round sponge cake moistened with fruit juices or liqueur and layered with ricotta cheese and candied fruit, a filling also used with cannoli. Cassata has a shell of marzipan, pink and green coloured icing, and decorative designs. Cassata may also refer to a Neapolitan ice cream containing candied or dried fruit and nuts. Cassata is believed to have originated in Palermo in the 10th century, when under Muslim rule. The Arabic name al-Qassāṭỉ القشاطي (Arabic for 'cassata-maker') is first mentioned in Corleone in 1178. The Arabic word qas'ah, from which cassata may derive, refers to the bowl that is used to shape the cake. Historian John Dickie claims that the Sicilian word cassata did not derive from Arabic qashatah قشاطة (bowl), as is often claimed, but from caseata (cheese concoction) Dickie observes that cassata did not signify a dessert until the late 17th century and did not take on its current striped form until the 18th century. Cassata he finds, is the subject of an invented tradition based on the claim that its roots lie in the Muslim Middle Ages. Many other local food traditions purport to be as old. Unlike the round, traditional shape some cassata are made in the form of a rectangle, square, or box. The word box in Italian is cassa, although it is unlikely that the word cassata originated from this term. Cassata Catanese, as it is often prepared in the Sicilian province of Catania, is made similar to a pie, containing a top and bottom crust, filled with ricotta, and baked in the oven. The Cassatella di Sant'Agata (pl. cassatelle) colloquially named Minni di Vergini, meaning virgin breasts is a similar dessert, but made in a smaller, personal-serving size, with a candied cherry on top, and often a specifically green-coloured marzipan. It is typically made in Catania for the festival of Saint Agatha. The allusion to the female breast relates the specific torture Saint Agatha faced as a Catholic martyr. When a cassata is made, layers of gelato (Italian ice cream) can be substituted for the layers of cheese, producing a dessert similar to an ice cream cake. The version of the recipe followed in Messina is less sweet than the one used in Palermo. Cassata can also refer to a flavor of ice-cream inspired by the sweet.