Cassata Cake (Sicilian Ricotta Cheesecake)
Source: Bonnie Stern, Toronto (Ann)
Cake Base:
1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 eggs
2 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 T lemon juice (or Brandy, orange ligueur or Amaretto)
Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a 9 x 5 loaf pan.
Cream butter until light and add sugar gradually.
Beat eggs in one at a time.
Add vanilla and flavorings
Whisk dry ingredients together and stir into egg mixture quickly. Pour into pan and bake 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.
Note: This cake improves with age and freezes well.
Filling:
1 pound ricotta cheese
2/3 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 oz liqueur (Orange, Cognac, Amaretto, your choice)
2 oz semisweet chocolate grated (I use mini chocolate chips)
1/4 cup candied fruit (I omit)
Beat the sugar into the cheese. Add vanilla, liqueur, fruit and chocolate.
Slice the cake into 3 or 4 layers and spread each with some of the cheese mixture reshaping the cake into a loaf as you proceed. Finish with a layer of cake. The cake will keep, well wrapped, two days at this point.
Icing:
2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup 10x sugar
2 oz liqueur (use the same as above)
A few hours before serving, whip the cream until light and add the sugar and liqueur. Continue beating until quite stiff.
Spread a coating of cream over the sides and top of the cake. Place the remaining cream into a piping bag and decorate the cake. It could be garnished with pistachio nuts , chocolate curls or strawberries. This cake is very rich so serve think slices.
Notes: This cake can also be iced with chocolate icing and it can be made into a round instead of in a loaf.