Cassatelle di Ricotta is a Sicilian dessert made for Easter.
There are at least five variations:
- A cake pan is lined with a sweet-crust pastry dough, then filled with crumbled sponge cake, A filling made of ricotta, sugar, candied fruit, vanilla and grated chocolate is spooned over it, then it is topped with a top crust of the pasty dough, baked until the pie crust is cooked. Then it is allowed to cool, finished with a dusting of icing sugar.
- A cake pan is lined with waxed paper, then with thin pieces of sponge cake. It is hen filled with a ricotta mixture and enclosed with a top layer of thin sponge cake pieces. The Cassatelle di Ricotta is then chilled, inverted to serve and dusted with icing sugar (no baking involved.)
- Around Modiciano, Sicily, the filling is made from cooked, ground chickpeas mixed with wine.
- A cake pan is lined with waxed paper, then with thin pieces of sponge cake, doused in wine. It is then filled with a ricotta mixture, and enclosed with a top layer of thin sponge cake pieces. Finally, it is brushed with beaten egg yolk, then baked.
- A dough is made from flour, lard, sugar and white wine, formed into half-moon pieces filled with ricotta, honey and chocolate. It is then deep fried and sprinkled with sugar.
Language Notes
Cassatelle di Ricotta is called “cassateddi” in Sicily.