Alison’s Cassata Bites
By: Antony Perring
Published: Saturday, October 23, 2010 - 5:11pm

Ingredients




100 grams dried figs
100 grams glace cherries
75 grams mixed peel
Sponge cake, your favourite recipe or use a cake from your favourite bakery. (See note)
500 grams ricotta cheese
300 milliliters cream
1/2 cup icing sugar
100 milliliters orange liqueur
150 milliliters whipping cream
chocolate

Preparation

1 Combine figs, mixed peel and cherries and use a large knife to dice the fruit very finely. 2 In a large bowl combine ricotta cheese with cream.  Add the fruit and icing sugar and mix until well combined. Set aside. 3 Use a large serrated knife to cut the sponge into evenly sized slices. 4 Arrange the slices of cake on your bench and brush each piece with a little of the orange liqueur. 5 Top a piece of cake with a spoonful of the ricotta and fruit mix.  Layer with another slice of cake, more ricotta and finally a piece of sponge cake. 6 When you have all of your cake sandwiches assembled, whip 150ml cream to stiff peak stage and place a dollop on each cake. 7 Sprinkle with grated chocolate and chill in the fridge unti you are ready for your party. 8 Serve with a glass of champagne or with a good strong cup of tea. 9 My favourite sponge cake recipe is a classic Australian country cook’s standby, the lamington. 10 CWA Lamington Sponge (from The CWA Cook Book: Seventy years in the Kitchen) 11 Cream 140g butter and 140g (⅔ cup) sugar in a bowl. 12 Add 2 beaten eggs with 4 tablespoons of milk and a few drops of vanilla essence. 13 Finally, stir in 270g (1 ¾ cups) sifted self raising flour. 14 Grease a rectangular cake tin and pour the mixture into it. 15 Bake in a 180ºC oven for 30 minutes. 16 Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

About


I spent the morning with my great friend Alison making a batch of tasty treats for a baby shower she was heading off to.
We pulled out a Donna Hay recipe and made a few tweaks and adjustments to make a simple, no-baking-required dessert.
Cassata is a classic Italian dessert with ricotta cheese and citrus peel, and is often seen as a gelato or ice cream.
It was fun cooking along side a friend in the kitchen.

Comments:
Antony Perring

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