Cassata Cake

I’ve been so busy in the garden I’ve left most of the cooking to Judi. Here is the cake she made for my book club meeting this month.

Cassata Cake from The Lady and Sons Just Desserts by Paula Deen

2 pounds ricotta cheese
1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup white crème de cacao (odd that this “cassata” cake has no cassata in it!)
¼ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
2 ½ dozen ladyfingers, split
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar.
Maraschino cherries and walnuts or pecans, for decorating the cake.

Beat cheese, sugar, vanilla, and crème in an electric mixer on medium speed for
about ten minutes. Stir in chocolate chips. Line bottom and sides of a
springform pan with ladyfingers. Fill pan with cheese mixture, chill overnight.
When ready to serve, whip cream and granulated sugar until stiff peaks form.
Frost the top of cake and garnish with cherries and nuts.

Judi changed a couple of things here, too. She likes maraschino cherries, and added
some chopped cherries and pecans to the cheese mixture. She also added a teaspoon of crème de cacao to the whipped cream topping.

It was so fabulous! My book club loved it.