Cass. di Sant'Agata

For the ricotta cream

Drain the sheep's milk ricotta in a colander and place it in the refrigerator until it has lost its whey. Then sieve it, mix it together with the sugar and add the chocolate chips and candied fruit.

 

For the sponge cake

In a saucepan, combine the eggs with the sugar, the grated zest of half an orange and a pinch of salt and beat until frothy. Add the sifted flour a little at a time and mix the whole mixture. Pour the mixture into a buttered and floured baking tin and bake at 180°C. As soon as it is ready, allow the sponge cake to cool and place it on a wire rack to dry thoroughly.

 

For the royal pastry

Dissolve the sugar in a saucepan together with the cold water and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and add the almond flour. Mix well until the mixture tends to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Wet a pastry board with water and pour in the resulting royal pastry. When this has cooled down, knead it a little more to make it smooth and homogenous and roll it out with a rolling pin into a sheet about 3 mm thick.

 

Defining the cassatelle di Sant'Agata

Line a number of small hemispherical moulds with cling film and line them with the royal pastry. Stuff the moulds with the ricotta cream and cover with 5 mm thick sponge discs lightly moistened with rosolio.

Carefully remove the cassatelle di Sant'Agata from their respective moulds and cover them with the icing prepared by mixing the beaten egg whites and lemon juice with the icing sugar. Finally, garnish the cassatelle di Sant'Agata with a candied cherry and transfer them to the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.