Sicilian Cassata

So, I'm going to let you have a little slice of the secret family recipes!  This is my Aunt Carol's recipe for Sicilian Cassata.  It's served at every Christmas.  If you love cannoli's then you are going to love this recipe!  I wish I had a magic wand to erase calories so I could eat this everyday!

Now this recipe is not the most traditional, but I think it's the best.  Most of the time there is candied fruit inside and it's covered with marzipan, but who needs that stuff?  We stick to the liquor, cannoli cream and cake!

Sicilian Cassata

What you'll need:

1 pound cake {homemade or store bought is ok for this}

1/4 cup white crème de cacao

1/4 cup Cointraeu

2 lbs. whole milk ricotta cheese {homemade recipe if you like}

1/2 cup almonds, toasted and chopped

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1-2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 bag semi sweet chocolate chips {I prefer mini, but you can use regular too}

What you'll do:

In a small bowl, combine the crème de cacao and cointreau and set aside.  In a large bowl, beat the ricotta cheese and sugar until smooth.  Reserve 1/2 cup or more for frosting.  In the large bowl, add in the vanilla and cinnamon and blend well.  Fold in the nuts and chocolate chips.

Place slices of cake in a serving dish {approximately 8 x 8} to cover the bottom.  Sprinkle with the liquor and smooth on some ricotta mixture.

Continue to layer until the dish is full.  Top with the reserved frosting and you can garnish with some additional toasted almonds.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least overnight.

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