Comments on Sweet Amandine: to a pistol packin' patriot on his 26th

I'm sorry to say that I don't know the fir...

2012-02-03T16:28:18.005-05:00

I'm sorry to say that I don't know the first thing about high altitude baking. But I did find this resource over at Creative Culinary. I'm sorry that I can't be of more help.

what do I do for high altitude?

2012-02-03T00:07:51.717-05:00

what do I do for high altitude?

OMG a have lived in Cleveland all my life and rece...

2011-08-24T18:52:02.332-04:00

OMG a have lived in Cleveland all my life and recently moved out of state and missed this cake so much. I have been searching for the recipe for awhile and stumbled upon this site Thank you for the recipe. I haven't tried it yet but the picture alone brings back memories.

Hi, Sue. The Cleveland love that this cake has ge...

2011-08-11T15:25:25.467-04:00

Hi, Sue. The Cleveland love that this cake has generated here in the comments section continues to blow me away! I hope this cake will be everything you want it to be. So you know, in my most recent version, I used only three layers of cake instead of four to make it a little more manageable. (You can freeze the fourth.) I put custard and strawberries between each layer. I think I like it better this way. I'll have to update the recipe. Happy birthday to you, and happy baking!

Hi, I was born in Cleveland, graduated from Strong...

2011-08-10T19:03:34.326-04:00

Hi, I was born in Cleveland, graduated from Strongsville, then moved to the west side of Cleveland (W. 130th area). There was an Italian bakery on W. 130th across from an Italian Restaurant/Bar. The bar was The Family Trio. I can't remember the name of the bakery. It has since moved to Strongsville, I think still on W. 130th. I had my first cassada cake from there and fell in love with it. I didn't know that the cake was a local Cleveland cake. I moved to Southern Illinois and went to a local bakery and ordered a cassada cake. It had anise and ricotta in it. It was horrible! I tried to make one on my own and totally failed. I found a recipe on the internet that was similar, and have made it twice. My birthday is this Sunday and I plan on making your recipe and hope it measures up to all the good raves I've been reading. I currently live in Panama City, Florida, and it sure would be nice to have a piece of home for my birthday. Thank you for posting this! I can't wait!!!! Sue

Hello, Kelly. I'm so happy to hear that the c...

2011-08-03T23:35:19.808-04:00

Hello, Kelly. I'm so happy to hear that the cake was a success. Thank you for letting me know! I actually baked this very cake on Monday for my mother's birthday, too!

I just made this cake for my mothers birthday and ...

2011-08-03T21:17:55.253-04:00

I just made this cake for my mothers birthday and it was divine!!! Just like we had growing up...in you guessed::: CLEVELAND!!
:-) It was wonderous and beautious and I can not thank you enough. Your newest follower,
Kelly

Hi, Anonymous. Well, you'll just have to show...

2011-07-15T20:42:09.832-04:00

Hi, Anonymous. Well, you'll just have to show them what's what, right? I'm baking this cake again next week for a little friend of mine to celebrate her seventh birthday. I made it for her when she turned six, too, and she hasn't stopped talking about it all year!

Thank you so much for this recipe! I was born and ...

2011-07-14T00:00:05.029-04:00

Thank you so much for this recipe! I was born and raised east of Cleveland and grew quite fond of Cassata cake (and cannolis, too!) from Corbos! I am so glad to have stumbled upon this recipe and excited to share the recipe with my husband and his family that are not familiar with one of my very favorite cakes! I currently still live in Ohio (about 1.5 hours from Cleveland) and NO ONE down here knows what it is either! Thank you! :)

That sounds like the perfect dinner, Donna....

2011-05-18T19:38:43.906-04:00

That sounds like the perfect dinner, Donna. So great that you'll be baking up a little bit of Cleveland over there in Chicago! Enjoy!

Overjoyed to find this recipe! Moved to Chicago t...

2011-05-13T18:34:15.946-04:00

Overjoyed to find this recipe! Moved to Chicago too many years ago to count. Used to get a Corbo's Cassata cake every year for my birthday and I have missed them. They make Cassata cakes here in Chicago that are basically Strawberry Shortcake. We have family coming in from Cleveland for Memorial Day weekend and I am planning to make this cake for them. Since I'm making a spaghetti sauce recipe from my husband's Sicilian aunt, this will be a great finish to dinner! Thanks again for sharing this recipe. Love and miss all things Cleveland. ;)

Hi there, Anonymous, Anonymous, Anonymous, and Ano...

2011-05-03T20:51:38.067-04:00

Hi there, Anonymous, Anonymous, Anonymous, and Anonymous. Thank you for your wonderful notes! I love all of the enthusiasm for this cake and for our beloved city on the lake.

Anonymous from 4/27/2011: Yes, I find that the cake sometimes pulls away from the sides of the pan, but only a little. Nothing to worry about! (And yes, that custard...)

Love this recipe, found it, printed and baked with...

2011-04-27T17:52:03.565-04:00

Love this recipe, found it, printed and baked within hours...one question, the cake shriveled a little when cooling...is that normal? And that custard...really is magic...

OMG, I love this recipe, I am from Cleveland (Slav...

2011-04-23T17:21:41.003-04:00

OMG, I love this recipe, I am from Cleveland (Slavic Villiage) and grew up on this cake and another version with a gram cracker crust on the bottom. I moved to Bend, Oregon about 6 years ago, and when I went to a bakery they did not know what a cassata cake was??? I was sad and tried to explain it, but they looked confused. I wanted it for my wedding but had to get a traditional cake instead. I visit Cleveland every year to see my family and getting Cassata cake is always on my list to do before i leave, but thanks to this recipe, I can now make it at home. I have my Birthday and College Graduation Party coming up in June and this Recipe is sure to be a hit. I am so excited that I finally found a recipe that is perfect! I plan to use the rum in mine though. Thanks again and I will eat a piece for you! I miss Cleavland and Cassata Cake!

Ran across this looking for a recipe for cannoli c...

2011-03-19T23:17:51.408-04:00

Ran across this looking for a recipe for cannoli cupcakes, and am so glad I did!!! I was raised, and still reside, in Cleveland. Corbo's desserts are absolutely the BEST in Cleveland,and the cassata cake heads the list! I am looking forward to trying this recipe, like the others, I have been unsuccessful in finding a stawberry/custard cassata recipe (the TRUE cassata, by the way...LOL). Thank you, thank you, thank you for making my day!!! I guess I am Anonymous 3...LOL

Hello all, My name is Jazz I am from Cleveland an...

2010-11-27T09:50:02.467-05:00

Hello all,

My name is Jazz I am from Cleveland and I am glad to have found this recipe. I had no idea that this was a cake exclusive to Cleveland or better yet to Ohio. That is why I can�t find it anywhere but Cleveland. I now reside in Georgia. Thank you so much for posting it. I love this cake. My grandmother would make this cake for my birthday every year and I have yet to find any that could top hers or even come close. My friends surprised me for my birthday with one but it was chocolate. That was a first for me. I never knew there was such a cake as a Chocolate Cassata Cake. LOL! It is suppose to have strawberries and custard in it. LOL! My friends knew it was my favorite but had never heard of it or even seen one. I was grateful for the attempt anyway. I love them. Now I plan on making one for my birthday. By the way, my birthday is January 1ST. Thank you so much. Now I can give them a piece of Cleveland.

Hi again, Anonymous. I do macerate the ber...

2010-08-09T18:10:12.373-04:00

Hi again, Anonymous. I do macerate the berries for the filling. I just leave some strawberries unmacerated (is that a word?) for the outside of the cake. I apologize for the confusion. Once I have a consistent internet connection (I'm traveling right now) I'll go back into the post and edit the recipe to make sure that everything is clear and up-to-date. Your brother is a lucky guy to get to enjoy your practice run. Let me know how it goes, if you think of it!

Thank you so much for your response... I'd dec...

2010-08-09T11:46:48.064-04:00

Thank you so much for your response... I'd decided against the fondant, afterall... wouldn't be a true cassata cake, anyway. I checked out your Lemon Cake... beautiful! For the cassata cake, do you not macerate the strawberries for the filling, either, now? I'm doing a practice one this weekend for my brother...

Hi, all I'm just getting caught up around her...

2010-08-01T06:17:40.168-04:00

Hi, all

I'm just getting caught up around here and I hope I'm not too late in answering your questions. Let's get down to business:

Liz - I haven't had trouble with this particular recipe puffing up, but I have had some puffiness with other layer cake recipes I have made. When it happens, I just carefully level them off with a serrated bread knife and, preferably, a turntable. It sounds like you made perfect use of the trimmings!

Sherry - Thanks for your note. I'd love to hear how it went, if you think of it.

Lisa - So glad this post is helpful. It has been so long since I've had Corbo's cake that I honestly can't say whether this version is a true match. But it's definitely "in the style of." Enjoy!

Laura - The original recipe calls for Punsch, a Swedish liqueur, but rum sounds like a terrific substitution. I've never tried adding liqueur to my custard, so I can't speak from experience, but the original recipe has you add it once the custard has boiled and thickened, just before you chill it. I'm afraid that I have no instinct whatsoever to share with you about which rum might be best (shockingly, I've never baked with it!), but I have a feeling that you can't go wrong. If you do give it a try, I would be very grateful to hear what worked for you.

Anonymous - Happy birthday to your daughter! I've never found fondant particularly appetizing, even on fancy wedding cakes, so I'm probably not the best person to ask about this. But yes, I have a feeling that it would just be too much. The pictures in this post are from the first time I ever made this cake. In subsequent bakings, i've done a much better job dressing it up. First of all, my frosting has gotten much tidier. Also, I now use just-cut, not macerated strawberries on this cake. Take a look at the lemon version of this cake, and you'll see what I mean.

I grew up in the Cleveland area... we always had C...

2010-07-31T16:19:12.999-04:00

I grew up in the Cleveland area... we always had Cassata cakes for every occasion... happy to read your story... and find the recipe. Going to give it a whirl for my daughter's birthday. Would you put a fondant over this to make it a little fancier? My guess is that it would ruin it, but I'm just wondering your thoughts & or suggestions?

Hi Jess, Grew up in Cleveberg too. I'm going t...

2010-07-18T11:47:22.448-04:00

Hi Jess,
Grew up in Cleveberg too. I'm going to make this cake for my birthday next month when my folks come to visit me here in S. Cal. (Very excited to blend all these memories.)

Per a previous comment.
What is your instinct about what type of rum to add to the custard?
Dark?
Light?
What proof? and
When do you add the rum to the custard mixture?

Thank you so much for this recipe! I grew up in Cl...

2010-07-06T00:20:13.025-04:00

Thank you so much for this recipe! I grew up in Cleveland, and Corbo's cassata cake has always been one of my favorite things from back home. I was about to spend the day experimenting in the kitchen to try to duplicate it, but I am very happy that I found your recipe instead. The custard and strawberries are spot on.

Hi Jess - greetings from NC! I just got back from...

2010-06-04T16:22:29.467-04:00

Hi Jess - greetings from NC! I just got back from a visit with my husband's family in Cleveland, and came across your blog while searching for a recipe to duplicate the cassata cake we had at Corbo's. I had run into the same ricotta problem that you and others have come across and am very grateful that you have done the work in piecing together a franken-recipe that works better! I can't wait to try this. If I get it right it will be my mother in law's birthday cake - but I'll need a few practice rounds I'm sure. =)

PS: Thanks, Jess, for your reply! It just showed u...

2010-05-31T13:54:54.385-04:00

PS: Thanks, Jess, for your reply! It just showed up after I'd finished writing my comment! I think it's the yolky flavor rather than bits of cooked egg, since the custard came out perfectly smooth. Cheers and happy mem day!

OK, more from me on this, my first layer cake! D...

2010-05-31T13:44:35.928-04:00

OK, more from me on this, my first layer cake!

Did you trim the layer's edges to make them even? I did, since there was some mushrooming puffiness on the top of the cakes. I threw them in a bowl with some strawberries and custard for a quick cook's trifle (to munch while preparing the cake).