Cassata is SicilyΓÇÖs special-occasion cake. The lightest of sponge cakes is flavored with sweet rum syrup and filled with lush ricotta cheese studded with spicy candied citron, cinnamon, and vanilla. The whole is enveloped in sheets of marzipan and gilded with candied fruits. Creamy fresh ricotta makes all the difference here. Also, the candied fruit sold in big chunks often has better flavor than the diced supermarket kind.
Prepare:
Hot-Milk Sponge Sheet
Combine in a small saucepan and simmer until the sugar is dissolved:
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup rum
1/3 cup sugar
Remove from the heat. Puree in a food processor until perfectly smooth, 3 to 4 minutes:
2 pounds whole-milk ricotta cheese
Add and pulse until combined:
1 cup powdered sugar
2/3 cup finely chopped candied citron or candied orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
Have ready one 8-inch springform pan.
Cut two 8-inch round layers and two 13 x 1 1/2-inch strips from the cooled sponge cake. Brush generously with the rum syrup. Place 1 cake layer, moist side up, in the bottom of the springform pan. Line the sides of the pan with the strips, moist sides facing in. Trim the strips to fit snugly. Scrape the ricotta filling into the pan and spread evenly. Place the second cake layer, moist side down, on top of the filling. Press to level. Cover the pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Remove the pan and invert the cake onto a serving platter (or leave it on the pan bottom). Refrigerate until needed. Combine in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer:
2/3 cup apricot jam
3 tablespoons water
Strain. Knead until smooth and pliable:
14 ounces marzipan
Use a rolling pin to roll a little less than half of the marzipan between 2 sheets of wax paper into a smooth 9 1/2-inch round. To avoid creases, peel off and reposition the wax paper now and then. Brush the top and sides of the cake generously with the warm apricot glaze. Center the marzipan, best side facing up, on top of the cake, smoothing the surface and pressing the edges over and against the sides of the cake. Roll the remaining marzipan into a rough 8 x 12-inch rectangle. Cut 4 neat strips, each 7 inches long and exactly as wide as the cake is tall. One by one, press the strips smoothly against the sides of the cake, overlapping the edges neatly. Arrange on top of the cake in a geometric pattern:
Candied fruit
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours before serving.
