Cassata siciliana

Whisk the eggs and sugar for a long time until the mixture is well aerated, voluminous and frothy. Flavor with the vanillin.

Sift the flour over the mixture and fold it in, then pour the batter into a buttered and floured 20x30 cm rectangular pan and bake at 180°C for 25–30 minutes.

Remove the sponge cake from the oven, unmold it and let it cool on a rack.

Line a 20 cm diameter cassata mold with plastic wrap and cover the bottom with a sponge cake disc cut to size.

Also cut slices about 5 cm high with the sides slightly trapezoidal to easily line the sides of the mold.

Pass the ricotta through a sieve, add the icing sugar and the vanilla aroma, then beat until creamy.

Add the candied fruit.

Fill the sponge cake shell with the filling and level it.

Cover with a second sponge cake disc cut to size and place a plate on top, pressing lightly.

Put in the refrigerator for 8 hours.

Unmold the cassata onto a rack, placing it on a firm disc with a slightly smaller diameter which will allow you to move the cassata easily.

Brush the cassata with warm apricot jam.

On a sheet of parchment sprinkled with icing sugar, roll out the almond paste already colored with a touch of green food coloring to a thickness of 3–4 mm.

Wrap the border of the cake leaving a few millimeters of overlap.

Remove any remaining icing sugar with a brush dipped in a little white liqueur.

Prepare the glaze by beating the indicated ingredients; set aside 100 g and pour the rest over the surface of the cassata to cover it.

Strengthen the remaining glaze with 20 g of icing sugar and, using a piping bag fitted with a small round tip, pipe dots along the border and decorate the green band.

Return to the fridge for a few hours and, before serving, complete the center of the cake with a garnish of candied fruit.