Cassata

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Cassata is a famous Italian dessert that comes from Sicily, especially the city of Palermo. The classic version is a round sponge cake soaked with fruit juice or liqueur, layered with ricotta cheese and candied fruit, and wrapped in a shell of marzipan with pink and green icing and decorative designs.

Origin and name
Cassata likely began in Palermo in the 10th century during Muslim rule in Sicily. The word cassata is connected to Arabic words for a bowl or the maker of the cake, reflecting its long history of cross-cultural influences in the region.

What it’s like to eat
A traditional cassata combines a light sponge cake with creamy ricotta and pieces of candied fruit. It is often covered with marzipan and colorful icing and may be shaped as a round cake or, in some places, as a rectangular or square dessert.

Variations

- In Italy
- Cassata al forno: a baked version that is common in Sicily, featuring ricotta as a filling.
- Cassata siciliana can vary by town, with different crusts or fillings, and is sometimes made as a “cassata catanese,” a pie-like cake with a top and bottom crust.
- Cassatella di Sant’Agata: a smaller, individual-size version from Catania, often with a green marzipan coating and a candied cherry on top.
- Some cassatas are served in different shapes or with less sweetness in places like Messina.

- In the United States
- In Cleveland, Ohio, the term “cassata cake” refers to a layered yellow sponge cake soaked in rum, filled with fresh strawberries and custard, and usually topped with whipped cream and more strawberries.
- In Utica, New York, cassata typically means a baked ricotta cake (cassata al forno).

- In India
- The name cassata can describe a dessert with multiple layers of ice cream on top of sponge cake, sometimes with nuts.

Notes on ingredients and variations
A cassata can be adapted by substituting gelato for the ricotta to create an ice-cream cake, and many families have their own local twists. The dessert remains a symbol of Sicilian baking, celebrated for its rich flavors and colorful presentation.