Cassata is an Italian dessert from Sicily combining sweet ricotta, sponge cake, marzipan, and candied fruit.
Sicilian cassata is typically made with layers of sponge cake soaked with liqueur or fruit juice, sweetened ricotta, and candied fruit. Its exterior may be covered with green-tinted marzipan, icing, or additional decoration. The finished cake is colorful and often associated with Easter and other celebrations.
The dessert reflects Sicily’s layered culinary history. Arab rule introduced or encouraged ingredients and techniques involving sugar, citrus, almonds, and sweetened ricotta, while later European influences shaped the decorated cake form familiar today.
Cassata is different from cassata gelata, a frozen dessert variation, and from other Italian ricotta cakes. It is also unrelated to the similarly named American ice-cream cake styles except through the broader name tradition.