Minnuzze di Sant’Agata, the recipe for the famous Cassatelle of Saint Agatha, between sacredness and tradition.
They are white, round and unmistakable in shape, with a bold flavor: the “minne or minnuzza di Sant’Agata” are a typical Sicilian sweet, produced mainly on the occasion of the festival dedicated to the patron saint of the city of Catania. Along with another characteristic sweet, the Olivette di Sant’Agata, they are part of Sicilian cuisine and grandmother’s recipes that every good Sicilian appreciates and knows. They are miniature Sicilian cassatas.
Every respectable Catanian knows that the history of the “minnuzze di Sant’Agata” recalls the life of the Saint of Catania and her martyrdom: born into a noble Christian family, the fifteen-year-old Agatha decided to consecrate herself to God and became one of the virgins consecrated by the bishop. Having rejected the advances of the proconsul Quintiliano, who tried to force her to renounce her faith, Agatha refused and in revenge suffered humiliations and tortures up to the tearing of her breasts, wounds from which she was miraculously healed during a mystical vision. The tortures continued and culminated in the ordeal of burning coals; the night after the last violence, on February 5, 251, Agatha died in her cell. The particular shape of these snow-white sweets, topped with a red candied cherry, is a traditional dedication of love to the little saint: small round pastries resembling breasts honor the martyrdom suffered by Agatha. As far as I know, there are two versions of the same sweet: an old one baked in the oven with a shortcrust shell and a creamy ricotta heart, and a modern version—more common around the city—which uses fresh raw ricotta, pasta reale (almond paste) and sugar glaze, all on a base of sponge cake soaked in liqueur.
Today we’ll prepare precisely this latter version, so if you’re curious to learn the recipe for the Minnuzze di Sant’Agata, follow me and we’ll make it together. But first, if you want to stay updated on all my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 2 Hours
- Portions: 12 mini cassatelle
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons, Winter
Ingredients
- 11 oz almond paste (– pasta reale)
- 1 1/4 cups sheep ricotta (drained)
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 oz dark chocolate
- 1 oz candied orange peel (optional)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- to taste vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp liqueur (Strega or limoncello)
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (type 00 equivalent)
- 2 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder (level)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- 6 pcs candied cherries (red)
Tools
- Molds
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper
- Round cookie cutter
- Rolling pin
Preparation
For the cassatelle glaze, I recommend buying fondant sugar; revert to homemade glaze only if you can’t find it.
Prepare the pasta reale (almond paste), following the step-by-step recipe at this link: Pasta reale or almond paste.
After preparing the almond paste, move on to the sponge cake: given the small quantity, it will take just a moment. In a bowl, place one large egg and 2 1/2 tbsp (about 30 g) of sugar, quickly work them together and add the flour, continue whisking to incorporate air, add the baking powder and mix, then pour the batter into a small baking pan.
Bake at 356°F for about 7 minutes, perform the toothpick test and remove from the oven. Cut out at least six discs matching the diameter of your molds (mine are 2 in), then halve them and set aside (you should end up with at least 12 small discs).
Work the ricotta (it must be dry and drained in the refrigerator for at least 48 hours) with the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate chips or candied orange peel if you like.
With the help of powdered sugar and a rolling pin, roll out the almond paste into a thin sheet.
Cut discs with a diameter equal to that of the silicone mold (about 2–2 3/8 in for 5–6 cm). Dust the mold cavities with powdered sugar and line them all with the almond paste discs; if the paste breaks while working, add a few drops of water and knead again to make it more elastic, then re-roll, cut discs and line the cavities. Fill with the ricotta mixture and level.
Cover with the sponge cake discs and brush with the soaking liqueur.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 4–5 hours in the refrigerator before unmolding the little domes.
For a homemade glaze, whisk the water and powdered sugar for a couple of minutes until you obtain a glaze that is not too runny. Or buy 18 oz (about 1.1 lb) of fondant sugar and melt it for a few seconds in the microwave (as I did). Place the cassatelle on a rack set over parchment paper and pour a generous tablespoon of glaze over each little cake; collect the glaze that falls on the parchment and reuse it for the other cassatelle. To make handling easier, you can place each cassatella on the bottom of a glass, let the excess glaze drip off and after a couple of minutes transfer it to a tray.
Place half a red candied cherry on each mini and let them air-dry for 90 minutes if you used homemade glaze.
Our cassatelle are ready; you can serve them immediately or keep them in the refrigerator for no more than two days.
Notes
Thoroughly dust the surface of the mold with powdered sugar before covering with the almond paste so the cassatelle come out easily. If you don’t have silicone molds, use muffin tins: the shape will be slightly different and closer to the traditional cassata, but will still work.
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