I have a customer that I'm making a baby shower cake for and the Mom-To-Be LOVES Cassata Cake. After researching Cassata Cakes and determining all involved to make one, I explained that it's more of a specialty cake that's not really my forte....however, gave her the name/number of a local Greek pastry shop that excels in these types of deserts. Anywho, she calls today to confirm the regular baby shower cake I'm making, and states that she has been unable to find a baker that will make a Cassata Cake for her. She would like to surprise the Mom-To-Be with her own, personal Cassata Cake. I've researched recipes on the web and they all seem sooo complex, something that wouldn't be worth my efforts in time or ingredient cost to make, but this customer is sooo loyal and sweet, I'd like to help her out (and she said she's willing to pay whatever price I come up with).....does anyone have a recipe similar to Cassata Cake (w/out the liqueur) that may be easier than the traditional cake? I told her I would research and get back to her by Friday! I would appreciate any help you all can provide!
Cammie
Never had cassata, but found two somewhat easy recipes for you. HTH
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cooking/msg020957285957.html?19
http://cake.allrecipes.com/az/ItalianCassata.asp
Do you have a local italian restaurant or bakery that make their own cannolis? The bakery I used to work at got pre-made cannoli filling, and we used to use that for our once in a while cassatta cakes. Sometimes the small, independent italian restaurants still make their own cannoli filling, and you may be able to buy it from them. Otherwise, I would try searching recipes for cannoli fillings, and using that, it may be a little easier.
Found these local restaurants that may be of help to you:
http://www.bucadibeppo.com/fd_index.asp
http://www.francos-italiano.com/ (click on appetizers to see desserts)
http://yp.yahoo.com/yp/Brookville_OH/Food_and_Dining_Restaurants_Italian/8228757.html
One of the local bakeries makes a cassada cake that is simply a white sponge cake with a custard style filling and layers of fresh strawberries inside as well. The whole thing is covered in a whipped cream style frosting. It is wonderful! I checked out the recipes given already and this cake is different obviously but again, it is called a cassada cake as well.
Hello everyone,
Cassata is a Sicilian specialty... basically a sponge cake with a cheese and fruit filling; the cheese is typically ricotta and the fruit is a combination of dried or candied fruit; sometimes pine nuts or pistachio are also added;The name Cassata is also used for another Italian dessert, which is an ice cream dish.
the www.cooks site has a couple of dozen cassata recipes listed; check this link for one of the easier ones:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1918,151176-226193,00.html
Overall it does not need to be complicated or overly expensive to make. (but even in an Italian bakery, cassata is expected to cost more than your average birthday cake!).
Once you make it, you have to taste it... it is delicious. Enjoy
IMS
I agree - I love Cassata Al Forno at Christmas - the icing though is more like a sugar glaze than a buttercream.
YUMMY !
I'm on the east side of Cleveland and cassata cakes are the rage there, too. They take on lots of forms, from very simple (sort of a strawberry shortcake completely covered with whipped cream) to the complex like some of the recipes above.
I've had several types, but never made one. My son worked at an Italian deli ("famous" for their cassatas) and he told me that all the cakes were frozen, mass produced yellow sponge cakes that they filled with whipped cream and strawberries 
If I were asked to make one, I'd do a yellow cake--probably add a little bit of almond extract to it, a simple cannoli filling (2 c. or 1 lb. ricotta cheese 1 c. sugar blended smooth--too much for a small cake, but it can be halved or quartered), and a stablilized whipped cream--Wilton has a good one on their site. I'd torte & fill with the cannoli filling and some fresh strawberry slices, ice with the whipped cream, refrigerate, and add a few berries to it right before serving. You could jazz up the whipped cream by adding a bit of rum extract to it--gosh, now I'm hungry!
Let us know how you do it, if you do it!
Rae
Go Buckeyes!
My boyfriend is originally from Cleveland, and when I asked him what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday recently, he practically drooled all over himself telling me about the Cassata cakes in Little Italy back in Cleveland. That, of course, sent me on a mission to find out how to make one of those suckers! I never came up with an exact recipe, but what I did learn is that a Cassata cake in Cleveland is not the same as a Cassata cake elsewhere. The Sicilian Cassata cakes apparently have dried fruit, sometimes chocolate pieces, different things. What he was raving about was the custard filled sponge cake with strawberries and from what I gathered, a whipped cream type icing. I made my interpretation of his description of this cake, and it was really delicious. I have no idea if it was like the ones in Little Italy, but it really was good.
I am also from Ohio (North Olmsted) and there is a bakery called Fragipanes that makes Cassata cakes. I also agree this is not a true Cassata but I have done one also using a yellow sponge cake, added custard (or you could use french vanilla pudding between layers) add sliced strawberries and be sure to add a thick dam of icing around outer layers. Frost with a stabilized whipped cream - I use 1 packet of Oetker WhipIt and 1 packet of Oetker Vanilla sugar to each 1/2 pt of whipping cream. Be sure to keep it refrigerated. Pat
How funny...I ordered my wedding cake from Fragapane's in North Olmsted five years ago. Cassata. (Fruit with custard filling) They did tell me that they offer a chocolate version as well. It's one of my favorite bakeries.
It's funny because it's the most requested cake I get to bring into work when I offer to bring in a cake for me to practice on. I don't do it because it's WAY too hot here now to trasport a cake like that.
I was looking for a recipe for the filling as well. I think I saw one with ricotta that looked good.
Thanks for the post! Some really good links.
Angie
I make a simplified cassata cake ... yellow cake with a layer of bavarian cream filling and a layer of strawberry filling and a layer of fresh strawberries, with whipped cream icing. I always explain my version of it when customers order it, and my customers really love it. It's one of my most popular cakes! Hope this helps! 
Hi Angie: now that's funny.....my sister-in-law loved their Cassata but I am not nuts about it. There is a bakery in parma called Collazzo's (not sure of the spelling) that makes every flavor of Cassata you can think of include Pina Colada. Try one of their's....their bakery is wonderful. I find the ricotta filling is thick and no too sweet but way more traditional of the real Cassata which also has dried fruit in the filling.
They did a tyler florence episode on Food network where they made a cassate cake.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_26896,00.html
I used to work at a Sicilian family owned resteraunt, and to this day their Cassata is my favorite cake. He made a version of it that was quite easy and ridiculously delicious. He took pre-made Italian Pannetone bread (You know what I mean? It comes in a box and is all over the stores around the holidays. It's sweet and somewhat sponge-like with raisins?) and tears it into pieces. He assembles the cake in a cake pan, with a layer of torn pannetone pieces drizzeled with a layer of Limonchello (lemon liquor) and then a layer of sweetened ricotta cheese. He repeats this until the pan is filled, ending with a layer of pannetone. He lets it freeze together, then inverts the pan, takes out the cake, and frosts it with a sweetened ricotta frosting or sometimes chocolate ganache. It's to die for! I know you didn't want liquor, but you could use a sweetened lemon syrup or juice!
I think I know the bakery you're talking about! Do they have breads there, too? My sister-in-law lives up the street from Pleasant Valley. I live out in Avon Lake, so the drive is a pain in the butt, but the bakery up the street from her is great. By the way, I just realized that Mare's in North Olmsted has luster dust and I am quite excited. It's nice to meet so many local people on CakeCentral!
Angie
Here is a recipe that looks pretty easy:
http://www.sorrentocheese.com/recipes/recipe.cfm?recipe=33
Hmmm, that is a good one to use. Not loving the maraschino cherries, but that's just me. Thank you for the link.
Angie
K. Casrata and Cassata are not the same thing then I'm guessing lol- I got all excited when I read the first post, but I'm thinking of an ice cream cake (pistachio ice cream, vanilla ice cream, sherbert, and egg whites and rum and candied fruit etc etc etc)- doesnt sound the same as what I made LOL-
sorry cant help but it sounds tasty 
Hello. I am also in North Olmsted and looking for a cake for my wedding and my fiance and I want to do a Cassata cake. However we were told by one of the local bakeries that a cassata cake would not hold up well because it needs to be refrigerated and can not sit out for show.
My question to you is how did your Cassata cake hold up for your wedding???
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