This baked cassata is a simple dessert made of ricotta, typical of the Easter period. Originally, it is from Modica and Ragusa, two baroque cities of Eastern Sicily. Let us be clear, the baked cassata is not the classic Sicilian cassata, but it is its lesser known ancestor. The baked cassata is similar to a small dough-basket that contains a ricotta-cream sweetened with sugar and flavored with cinnamon and chocolate. You should definitely try this simple but delicious recipe!
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 500 gdurum wheat flour
- 200 mllukewarm table water
- 40 mlextra virgin olive oil
- 5 gfresh yeast
- 1 teaspoonsugar
- 1 pinchtable salt
- 1lemon zest (optional)
For the filling
- 350 gfresh ricotta
- 1egg
- 2 spoonsbrown icing sugar
- 2 spoonschocolate chips
- q.s.ground cinnamon (for the topping)
Preparation
For the pastry
– dissolve the yeast in a bowl with lukewarm water and a teaspoon of sugar;
– sift the flour onto a separate large bowl;
– pour the yeast diluted with water onto the flour;
– knead well with your hands until you get a moist dough;
– add a pinch of salt and oil;
– knead well for about 10 minutes or until the dough becomes soft but elastic;
– transfer the dough into a bowl and cover it with a kitchen cloth;
– allow the dough to rest, away from air drafts, for about half an hour
For the filling
– sift well the ricotta onto a large bowl;
– add the sugar and mix well until a smooth cream is obtained;
– add the egg and mix well to bind it with the ricotta cream;
– add the chocolate and mix well;
To assemble the cassata
– flatten the dough very thinly with a rolling pin;
– form 12 circles, each with a diameter of 15 cm;
– close the circles to create the baskets by pinching the dough all around its diameter;
– fill the baskets with the ricotta filling;
– dust the baskets with ground cinnamon;
– bake at 180 degrees for about 15/22 minutes;