1 pound cake, loaf, 9x5
2 cup ricotta cheese
4 oz chocolate, semi-sweet
1 oz orange liqueur
1 1/2 cup raspberry jam
2 cup chocolate frosting, or
2 cup whipped cream
1 toasted whole almonds (opt)
Directions
Chill pound cake for 1 hour. Trim edges and uneven pieces so cake is
level on all sides and top. Slice cake horizontally into 1/2" slices
and place on serving platter.
Force cheese through a sieve into a bowl and beat until smooth. Chop
chocolate into fine bits in a blender. Mix chocolate bits with
liqueur and jam.
Spread a portion of cheese on the bottom layer; then spread that with
a portion of jam mixture. Repeat until all layers are used, leaving
top plain. Press down gently. Use a spatula to even all sides. Cover
with plastic wrap and refrigerate 24 hours.
Before serving, frost with chocolate frosting or whipped cream and
garnish with almonds.
Servings: 10 servings
Cassata Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Cake; Italian
The History of Recipes
Written recipes as a concept can be found back into antiquity, in fact as far as the early Egyptians, and maybe further still. Having said that, sadly, these ancient recipes were just very simple pictorial instructions for food preparation.
In an interesting twist, the most ancient recipe found, according to Professor Solomon Katz, is a series of stone tablets in ancient Sumerian which recount the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making anyone who tried it feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. During the time of the Romans a man called Apicius compiled a collection of documents showing how to cook the recipes prepared by wealthy roman citizens. In his publication, he recounts how the roman meals were divided into starters, main meal and desserts, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. Aspicius recounts how the chefs of Roman times made use of a wide range of herbs, including many that are still in use today such as thyme, rue and dill. Later on, in the 15th century, the Crusaders brought back many new foods, spices and herbs from the Middle-East, including parsley and basil. These new spices and herbs was responsible for an eruption in books on cooking, the majority of which are kept safe in private cookery archives. Over the next few hundred years, the powerful families of Europe strove to lay on the most exotic banquets, and as a result the best cooks and their recipe collections were greatly in demand. Even so, it was during the 19th century that fine cooking and cookery books reached a high level of popularity. The Famous Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, dedicated the best years of their lives to assembling, verifying, and recording popular recipes of the day. When we get to the 20th century, cooking books were starting to become popular due to increased literacy, people having more spare time and being a little richer. |
We hope you enjoy this Cassata recipe.
