good cake and filling! Good job Kevin!

I have made this several times for my traditional Italian husband and in-laws. It is a really great dessert. I follow the recipe to the letter and use the whipped cream frosting. For anyone who has found the ricotta filling too loose - be sure to use WHOLE milk ricotta- its thicker. I have even drained the cheese before adding anything to it.

being raised in NY and having Italian in-laws this was the closest thing to an Italian Bakery desert and I enjoyed making it and eating it.

This cake was a huge hit! though i gave it 4 out of 5 stars because i was upset before i had a peice. it took me about 5 hours to make this cake. I only had one cake pan, and one mixer going, and made three instead of 2 layers, regurdless its very time consuming, but very worth it. now the reason i was upset was because the filling is so gewy it does not stay between the layers very well, especially since this is a pretty heavy cake. and i was prepared to do some very nice cake decorating, but the filling kept oozing out and mixing in with the frosting, witch by the way i used cheesecake frosting instead of what this recipe required...and it was a big hit, im sure especially because the filling and the cheescake frosting mixed a bit on the outside as well...yumm...also due to the three layers, witch i decided to do because two didnt look enough...the cake was tipping a little bit, i think if the filling wasnt so slippery and alittle more solid it would have worked better, but hey it taste good...sooo...i am definetly going to make this cake again...however, i am going to use two layers and make each layer with an extra 1/2 the amount to make them alittle bigger...before i put the filling in im gonna hallow the cake alittle bit so the filling will stay in better...and im still gonna use the cheesecake frosting because is was such a big hit...also im gonna buy another cake pan hahaha...

I stole the cake only part of this recipe and used it for a strawberry shortcake/layer cake. I had trouble finding a sponge cake recipe I liked; this worked GREAT and was delicious! It's a great base cake for fruits - very light and lovely. Note: I found lining the pans with parchment paper difficult. Spraying with non-stick cooking spray (or buttering) and then flouring works just fine. Thanks for the recipe - i'll try the whole thing next time.

The cake was excellent. I made it for a family birthday and everyone wanted seconds even those who aren't fans of ricotta cheese. I followed all instructions as directed for the spongy cake. But made a few variations in the filling and final assembly. Instead of chocolate squares, I used mini chips to save time. I also omitted the candied lemon peel and the rum (personal preference). And instead of a chocolate glaze, I used a plain whipped cream for the frosting and pressed sliced almonds on the outside. Delicious!

This is the best I've had. I did make a few changes. I didn't use the recipe for the cake, I made my own. I also did not put the chocolate icing on top. (I never had chocolate on it) I used the filling on top also, and used toasted almond slivers on the sides. My family absolutely loved it. I will make this again.

This was a fantastic cake. Every year I purchase a cassata cake from a local italian bakery for my dad for father's day. This year I decided to give it a try on my own. He absolutely loved it. I did make a few substitutions based on the cassata cakes that we have enjoyed in the past. I substituted mini chocolate chips instead of the grated chocolate & I omitted the candied lemon peel. I also left off the chocolate glaze (I have never seen this on a cassata cake) and instead substituted a whipped cream frosting, also from this website. I also used a vanilla flavored light rum for the filling. My entire family loved this one, I'll definitely make it again.

This recipe is GREAT as I said in my first review. Perfect cassata cake that is even better than any NYC Italian bakery I have ever tasted because it is not sickly sweet and made with fresh filling rather than bagged pre-made filling. ***BUT*** DO NOT use the chocolate glaze for the top...I always use the whipped cream frosting (made with a teaspoon of gelatin) from this website. I have never seen nor have I had Cassata cake with chocolate glaze. The combination of this cake with that frosting is PERFECT!!! =)

A little time consuming but turned out very well - I substituted mini-chocolate chips for shaved chocolate (got that idea from a local italian bakery) and melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and used milk instead of whipping cream for the glaze and it worked well; spreads better after it cools in the frig. I would make it again.

MUCHO good.... worth the time and effort!!!! Excelencio

YUCK! This was awful and didnt taste like any canolli I've ever tasted in my 27 years(and I'm from Philly and now live in NYC where there are awesome italian bakeries and restaurants). Using semi-sweet chocolate on the top was not a good idea because the filling wasnt sweet enough to offset the bitterness of the chocolate. Also, I found that the filling didnt thicken enough, it was way too runny. I wouldnt recommend this to anyone.

The cake is extreemly delicious...I sometimes make 3 layers stuffed with choc and vanilla rum cream,. and it is outstanding. Highly reccommended.

this is an excellent recipe. i've used it at least five times since i found it. the cassata cake turns out better than the ones i had from the italian bakery when i was little, and those were pretty good!