CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cassata cakes have traditionally been an Easter treat.
The famed cake starts with sponge cake and is layered with sweet ricotta filling and candied fruit. The entire cake is covered with a marzipan shell.
Its history goes back centuries to Arab invasion of Sicily and the culture’s subsequent influence on Sicilian baking.
Italians brought the idea of the cake with them to Cleveland in the early 20th century. To please his children and more easily source ingredients, a local baker deconstructed the original recipe and rebuilt it. While the cake remained the same, the filling, fruit and topping changed in the new interpretation. Cleveland cassata uses strawberries instead of candied fruit, custard instead of sweet ricotta and whipped cream instead of marzipan.
In anticipation of the upcoming holiday, we visited — and tasted — 13 cakes from 12 bakeries in Northeast Ohio known for their cassata cakes.
Only one bakery made the traditional Sicilian cake. Another one offered custard or ricotta filling options. The remaining bakeries made Cleveland cassata. All bakeries made full cassata cakes available by pre-order. Most make it available by a single serving – either slice or cupcake.
The more we tasted, the more we learned. It seems that plentiful fillings — strawberries and custard — led to a sloppier slice as the layers slid apart. The look had no impact on taste.
Our top three cakes
(Be sure to check back Tuesday, March 28, when we reveal the winner of our People’s Choice poll for best cassata cake in Greater Cleveland)
No. 1Buttercream & Olive Oil
Sicilian Cassata cake from Buttercream & Olive Oil
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
Sicilian Cassata cake from Buttercream & Olive Oil
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
Address: Online only at buttercreamandoliveoil.com
Phone: 440-263-5282
Tasting note: While it was completely different from the rest, everything about this Sicilian cake was perfection. It interpreted the original Sicilian intent and had great flavor overall. The candied fruit atop the cake was different from the typical candied fruit found in U.S. grocers. The pistachio marzipan was heavenly.
No. 2Great Scott’s Bakery and Coffee
Cassata cake from Great Scott’s Bakery and Coffee located at 5286 Center Rd. (Rt. 303), Brunswick
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
A slice of cassata cake from Great Scott’s Bakery and Coffee located at 5286 Center Rd. (Rt. 303), Brunswick
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
Address: 5286 Center Rd. (Rt. 303), Brunswick
Phone: 330-225-3333
Tasting note: Every aspect of this cake was light with a good balance of flavors. We loved the look of textured whipped cream frosting and fresh, whole berries. The cake was moist, light and fluffy with a subtle vanilla taste coming through. It had a refreshing, good strawberry fruit. The custard was smooth and creamy. This is one cake you could eat all day.
No. 3Casa Dolce Bakery
Cassata cake from Casa Dolce Bakery located at 5732 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
Cassata cake from Casa Dolce Bakery located at 5732 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
Address: 5732 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland
Phone: 440-473-0660
Tasting note: Beautiful presentation. The chocolate drippings were a nice decoration. Almost perfect, though a tad sweet. We loved the chocolate-covered strawberries on top. While the topping was a bit like marshmallow, the custard was smooth and creamy with good flavor. The cake was moist, and buttery and fell apart easily. The strawberries were fresh without syrupy filling.
Best of the rest in alphabetical order:Baraona’s Baking Co.
Baraona’s Baking Co. located at 15842 Libby Rd., Maple Heights
Cassatta cakes available in 8 inch for $38; 9 inch for $42; ¼ sheet for $50; cupcakes for $5.25; or individual slices for $7.50
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
Baraona’s Baking Co. located at 15842 Libby Rd., Maple Heights
Cassatta cakes available in 8 inch for $38; 9 inch for $42; ¼ sheet for $50; cupcakes for $5.25; or individual slices for $7.50
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
Address: 15842 Libby Rd., Maple Heights
Phone: 216-662-8383
Tasting note: The generous slices barely fit into our container and left little room for tasty frosting. Four layers of cake were the best part and made room for more filling. The cake was moist and tender, and not too sweet. It had a nice vanilla flavor and let the strawberries shine through. Plenty of custard kept it moist.
Colozza’s Bakery
Cassata cake from Colozza’s Bakery located at 5880 Ridge Road, Parma
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
Cassata cake from Colozza’s Bakery located at 5880 Ridge Road, Parma
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
Address: 5880 Ridge Road, Parma
Phone: 440-885-0453
Tasting note: Colozza’s Bakery had a loaf interpretation of the cassata cake. The shape made it easy to cut and serve. While the outside frosting was a whipped topping, the frosting between the layers was a sweet buttercream in texture and flavor. The custard had a pleasant texture. We would have liked more of it. The strawberries were suspended in a thickened sauce.
Corbo’s Bakery
Slice of cassata cake from Corbo’s Bakery located at 12210 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
Address: 12210 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland
Phone: 216-421-8181
Tasting note: Cake slices are available in generous servings and come with an optional fork. It’s easy to get a bite of all components in this version. They reminded us of strawberry shortcake, but with a thickened, pink filling and whipped topping.
Fragapane Bakery – Cannoli Cassata Cake
Cassata cake (Cannoli) from Fragapane Bakery located at 28625 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
Address: 28625 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted
Phone: 440-779-6050
Tasting note: The lush ricotta-based filling in this version is reminiscent of Sicilian cassata. Substitute marzipan for whipped cream and you’re there. We enjoyed the true cannoli flavors of the chocolate-studded filling.
Fragapane Bakery – Wedding Cassata
Cassata cake (Wedding cake) from Fragapane Bakery located at 28625 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
Address: 28625 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted
Phone: 440-779-6050
Tasting note: The two-layer cake held up to the fillings and the fillings were enough for the presentation. Strawberries were fresh and tasty.
Gentile’s Bakery
Cassata cake from Gentile’s Bakery located at 5626 Broadview Rd., Parma
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
Address: 5626 Broadview Rd., Parma
Phone: 216-351-1161
Tasting note: Available by the slice, this cake was moist. The custard had vanilla undertones and was complimented with fresh, firm berries. The topping was light with a little flavor. Overall, the combination was pretty good.
J. Pistone One World Market & Café
Cassata cupcakes from J. Pistone One World Market & Café located at 3245 Warrensville Center Rd., Shaker Heights
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
Cassata cupcakes from J. Pistone One World Market & Café located at 3245 Warrensville Center Rd., Shaker Heights
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
Address: 3245 Warrensville Center Rd., Shaker Heights
Phone: 216-283-3663
Tasting note: Individual cupcakes are a nice option, but don’t leave as much room for filling. And this tasty custard and strawberry combination left us wanting more inside. The whipped cream and top strawberry were both fresh and created a lovely presentation.
Michael Angelo’s Bakery
Cassata cake from Michael Angelo’s Bakery located at 8035 Broadview Rd., Broadview Hts.
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
Cassata cake from Michael Angelo’s Bakery located at 8035 Broadview Rd., Broadview Hts.
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
Address: 8035 Broadview Rd., Broadview Hts.
Phone: 440-526-0499
Tasting note: Before cutting into this loaf cake, we thought the smooth frosting made it look like a giant marshmallow. The presentation is great for a small party. The airy sponge cake had a good texture. We would have liked more custard to go with the fresh strawberries.
Presti’s Bakery
A slice of cassata cake from Presti’s Bakery located at 12101 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
Address: 12101 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland
Phone: 216-421-3060
Tasting note: Among our favorite features of this cake slice were the plentiful, fresh, sliced strawberries and the lack of artificial glaze. The custard accented everything, without dominating. In fact, the fillings were more plentiful than the cake, something we appreciated. The whipped cream tasted was light on sugar. All together the taste was fresh and light.
Wild Flour Bakery
Cassata cake from Wild Flour Bakery located at 20111 E. Lake Rd., Rocky River
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
A slice of cassata cake from Wild Flour Bakery located at 20111 E. Lake Rd., Rocky River
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com
Address: 20111 E. Lake Rd., Rocky River
Phone: 440-331-2950
Tasting note: This cake was beautiful to look at. It had four layers of spongy white cake alternating with nicely flavored custard and thinly sliced strawberries. It was robed in a lightly sweetened, thick whipped topping.