Cassata is so easy to make at home. I'm showing you to make it, customize it and add a layer of cheesecake because cheesecake makes everything better! This is better than store bought cassata ice cream and you won't believe how easy it is.
Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line an 8 x 4 inch loaf tin with oil and parchment paper. Make sure to leave the parchment hanging over the long sides of the tin.
In a mixing bowl, add sugar, curd, oil and vanilla essence. Beat on low speed with a hand/stand mixer until just combined. Make sure the oil has blended well. Scrape down sides of the bowl and increase the mixer speed gradually. Beat for 2-3 minutes or until sugar has almost dissolved.
Sieve the dry ingredients - all purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda into the wet ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to fold and mix the batter evenly.
Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake at 180C for 20-22 minutes. Bake until it is firm to touch and a skewer/knife inserted into the baked cake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let cool before for 20-30 minutes or till comes to room temperature.
Simple Syrup
Add water and sugar to a heavy bottomed saucepan. Heat over medium flame until the sugar dissolves, for 2 minutes. Once dissolved, turn off the heat and add the lemon juice. Mix well. Keep aside.
Vanilla Cheesecake
In a bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar. Beat for 2-3 minutes and ensure that there are no lumps.
Fold in the whipped cream and vanilla extract and mix well. Refrigerate till ready to use.
Roasted Nuts
Dry roast nuts over medium heat in a saucepan for 2-3 minutes while continuously stirring. Be cautious as it tends to brown quickly. Once roasted, remove from heat and keep aside.
Assembly
Line an 8 x 4 inch loaf tin with aluminium foil or cling film so that the base and all the sides are covered.
Place the layer of cake over the base and spoon simple syrup over it, using only as much as required to lightly soak to the cake.
Place 4-5 scoops of mango ice cream over the cake layer, using as much as required to create a ¾ inch layer. Use the back of a spoon or a palette knife to smoothen and level the layer. If the ice cream is not super soft, you can add a layer of strawberry ice cream on top. But we recommend refrigerating this for 60 minutes.
Place 4-5 scoops of strawberry ice cream over the mango ice cream layer, using as much as required to create a ¾ inch layer. Use the back of a spoon or a palette knife to smoothen and level the layer. Refrigerate for 60 minutes
Now add the prepared cheesecake mix on top of the strawberry ice cream layer and level it using the back of a spoon or a palette knife. Sprinkle roasted nuts on top. Allow it to set in the freezer for 6 hours or overnight.
Run a life along the edges to loosen the cassata. Place a piece of foil on top and overturn the loaf tin to demould the cassata. Then flip it over a plate again so that the cake layer is at the bottom, and the nuts are on top. Remove the foil or cling film from the sides. Slice, serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Feel free to mix up the layers of ice cream in the cassata with your favourite flavours, but we recommend keeping the cheesecake layer on top
You can use your favourite cake recipe for this cassata. You don't need to be very careful with the cake and it can be slightly dense because it has to hold all those layers
When you fold in the whipped cream into the cheesecake mixture, use gentle semi-circular strokes along the edges of the bowl. The idea is to retain the air bubbles in the whipped cream and keep this light and airy. DO NOT vigorously stir the mixture, that’ll knock all the air out of the cheesecake