The PANETTONE CASSATA is a very indulgent variation of one of the most famous desserts in our pastry tradition and can, in some way, represent the fusion of Italian Christmas traditions, from Milan’s panettone to Sicily’s oldest cake. It’s the ideal dessert to serve during the Christmas holidays when you want to delight your guests’ palates and also give them something pleasing to the eye. Decoration, as always with desserts, is particularly important here: colored marzipan, fondant sugar and plenty of candied fruit will give the dessert that slightly fairy-tale look (remember Hansel and Gretel’s gingerbread house?) that makes us dream since childhood.
Preparing the cassata, contrary to what you might think, is not complicated: get good sheep ricotta, sieve it well and then follow the recipe step by step. In a short time, without much effort, you’ll have a holiday dessert that will delight young and old alike.
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Moderate
- Rest time: 6 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 8 servings
- Cooking methods: No-bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 panettone
- 2 1/3 cups sheep ricotta (drained)
- 1 1/6 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cups dark chocolate chips
- 7 oz marzipan
- Half tsp green food coloring
- 3 1/2 tbsp water
- 2 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp rum
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 7 tbsp water
- candied fruit
Tools
- 1 Baking pan 8 2/3 in
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Pastry board
- 1 Rolling pin
Steps
For the preparation of the PANETTONE CASSATA, buy a well-drained sheep ricotta. If it isn’t dry enough, put it in a fine sieve set over a bowl and refrigerate overnight so the whey drains out.
Once it’s dry, pass it through a sieve. Add the powdered sugar, mix well, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest for 3 hours.
After 3 hours, add the chocolate chips and fold them in.
In a small saucepan put the water and the sugar. Bring to a boil and let cook for 3 minutes or until you obtain a fairly thick syrup. Let it cool and add the rum.
On a work surface sprinkled with powdered sugar, knead the marzipan with the food coloring until you obtain a uniform color (either powder or gel coloring works; if you use gel, we suggest wearing gloves while working the marzipan).
Slice the panettone into slices about 3/8 in thick (1 cm), remove the outer crust, and cut strips the same height as the pan you will use to assemble it.
Cut trapezoid shapes and do the same with the marzipan.
Dust a cassata mold with powdered sugar (this will help unmold the dessert without it sticking to the pan), line the walls with the trapezoids of marzipan and panettone, alternating a narrow base with a wide base. Then trim any overhanging parts with a knife to even the edges.
Completely cover the center with panettone and moisten it with half of the syrup.
Pour in the ricotta and level it well.
Close with more panettone, compact it and moisten with the remaining syrup. Cover with plastic wrap and place the panettone cassata in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
After a 3-hour rest, turn the cassata out onto a plate.
In a small saucepan put the powdered sugar with the water. Place over low heat and, stirring constantly, let the sugar dissolve until you obtain a very smooth sauce. This will take about 5 minutes.
Immediately pour the fondant over the dessert and quickly cover it entirely with a thin layer, helping yourself with a spatula. This is the most delicate operation of the whole preparation because the sugar tends to harden almost immediately, so you must be very quick.Decorate the panettone cassata with a mix of candied fruit of your choice, then return it to the refrigerator until ready to serve.
