Cassata Napoletana

Cassata napoletana is a traditional Christams cake in the neapolitan tradition.
The Sicilian have invented the cassata but neapolitan loved it so much that they adopted it as their own.
The Sicilian and napolitain cuisine have a lot in common due to their geographical vicinity, common history having been part for centuries of the Reign Of The Two Sicilies of which Naples was the capital.
I have cooked it with my daughter during the Christmas holiday. However, it has not been a complete success due to the poor quality of the ricotta available in the UK. The success of every dish always depends, first and foremost, on the good quality of the ingredients.
In Naples we normally use the Ricotta Romana which is much firmer and tastier than the one you can find in UK .
Anyway here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

PAN DI SPAGNA (Spounge)

 5 Eggs
160 gr Flour (type "oo")
160 gr Caster Sugar
pinch of salt
Vanilla

FILLING
500 gr Ricotta Cheese
300 gr caster sugar
3 table spoon of whipped cream
Chocolate chips
Candied pumpkin

DECORATION
Marzipan
Drops of green food colour
Candied Fruit
Icing Sugar

Preheat oven at 180 degree. Grease and flour rounded shaped alluminium tin.
Whisk eggs, sugar vanilla and lemon zest until quite firm. (it is ready when it does not come off the wooden spoon). Add the flour  very gently after passing it through a sieve.
Put in the tin and oven for about 20 minutes. then when ready let it cool down.

Mix the ricotta with sugar then add the cream,  chocolate chips and pumpkin.

After cleaning the tin and drying it carefully add soem icing sugar inside so that the cake will not stick to it. Roll the marzipan and place it inside the tin along the board. Cut the excess over the board of the tin. place one layer of the spounge on the bottom of the tin, add the ricotta cover with the other sponge.
Carefully turn it upside down in a plate.
It is now ready to decorate. Mix icing sugar with some drops of water spread it over the top and decorate with candied fruit.

Yum!