Sicilian Cassata

Line a fine-mesh sieve with two layers of muslin or a clean cloth, set it over a bowl, and tip in the ricotta. Fold the cloth over the top, place a small plate with a weight on top, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight to drain thoroughly.

Preheat the oven to 170 °C fan. Grease and line a 20 cm round cake tin. Roughly chop the dark chocolate into small chunks and finely dice the candied orange peel. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, whisk the eggs and 90 g caster sugar on high speed for 8–10 minutes until the mixture is very pale, tripled in volume, and holds a thick ribbon trail for 5 seconds when the whisk is lifted.

Sift the flour and salt over the egg mixture in three additions, folding gently with a large spatula after each addition until just combined and no dry streaks remain. Add the vanilla extract with the final fold.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 22–25 minutes until the sponge is golden, springs back when lightly pressed, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Turn the sponge out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely to room temperature.

Combine the ground almonds, 100 g icing sugar, and 1 tbsp lemon juice in a bowl. Add cold water one tablespoon at a time and work the mixture with your hands until it forms a firm, smooth paste. Knead in the green food colouring until evenly distributed.

Combine the 80 g caster sugar and 80 ml water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 minutes until slightly syrupy.

Remove the syrup from the heat and stir in the Maraschino liqueur. Set aside to cool completely.

Beat the drained ricotta with the 120 g icing sugar until very smooth and creamy. Fold in the chopped dark chocolate, diced candied orange peel, and ground cinnamon. Refrigerate until needed.

Roll the marzipan between two sheets of baking paper to a thickness of 4–5 mm. Cut into strips approximately 6 cm tall and press them gently against the inner wall of a 20 cm springform tin to line the sides. Cut a circle of marzipan to fit the base if desired.

Slice the cooled sponge horizontally into two even layers. Place the bottom layer inside the marzipan-lined tin and brush generously with half the cooled soaking syrup.

Spoon the ricotta filling over the soaked sponge layer and spread it evenly to the edges. Place the second sponge layer on top, cut-side down, and brush with the remaining soaking syrup.

Cover the tin with cling film and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours to allow the cassata to set firm.

Unmould the chilled cassata onto a flat serving plate or board. Whisk the 200 g icing sugar with lemon juice, adding the juice gradually until you reach a thick, pourable consistency that coats the back of a spoon and holds a line.

Pour the glacé icing over the top of the cassata, letting it run just slightly over the edges, and spread gently with a palette knife. Immediately arrange the candied fruits decoratively over the surface before the icing sets.

Return the decorated cassata to the refrigerator for 30 minutes until the icing is fully set, then slice and serve cold.