With their warm ricotta filling and soft chocolate pieces, Cassatelle Trapanesi feel perfect for holiday mornings, festive gatherings, or even gifting in a small homemade dessert box.
This recipe is another one of my Sicilian favourites. Cassatelle (or cassateddi in Sicilian) are sweets typical of the town of Trapani, where my mum was born.
They are usually eaten in winter and spring, when the fresh local ricotta cheese is at its best. They are traditionally made with sheep milk ricotta, but I have never seen this ricotta in Sydney. I made mine with cow milk ricotta, and they still tasted delicious.
It is a poor man’s dish. This means it won’t cost you much to make, and it uses local ingredients. They come from Sicilian tradition, yet you can find them almost everywhere now. They are shallow-fried crescents of dough filled with sweet ricotta and chocolate and dusted with icing sugar.
They are best eaten hot, when the chocolate melts, and the ricotta becomes creamy and velvety. They are out-of-this-world scrumptious, trust me. This is my Regional Italian recipe for the week. Enjoy!
Reasons to Make Homemade Cassatelle
- Keeps things budget-friendly while still tasting like something you’d order at a Sicilian pasticceria.
- Works as a sweet treat after a simple meal when a warm, home-style pastry feels like the perfect finish.
- Gives you a crisp shell with a creamy centre, the kind of contrast everyone loves in fried sweets.
Key Ingredients for Cassatelle Trapanesi
White Wine
Lightens the dough and adds a subtle aroma that pairs well with ricotta. It helps the crescents fry to a soft, pleasant bite while keeping the dough flavour balanced.
Ricotta
Creates a smooth, creamy filling with a light, creamy flavour that pairs gently with sugar and chocolate. Fresh ricotta gives the best texture, and a light drain improves the final consistency.
Chocolate Chips
Soften inside the warm pastry and form small pools of melted chocolate that complement the sweet ricotta. Darker chips melt more cleanly and add deeper flavour once fried.
Find the complete list with measurements in the recipe card below.
How to Make Cassatelle Trapanesi
Dough
Step 1: Put all the ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a hook attachment (or knead everything by hand). Turn the mixer on and slowly add enough water to obtain a smooth, pliable dough.
Step 2: Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it in cling wrap, and let it rest for 1 hour.
Ricotta Filling
Step 1: Put all the ingredients except the chocolate chips into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whisk for a couple of minutes until the sugar dissolves.
Step 2: Add the chocolate chips and mix.
To Assemble
Step 1: Roll the dough into a 3 mm – 0.1 inch thick sheet and cut out discs approximately 12 cm – 4.5 inches in diameter.
Step 2: Put a heaped tablespoon of filling in the middle of each disc and rub a little water around the edges with your fingers.
Step 3: Fold the disc in half and seal it by crimping the edges with a fork.
Step 4: Shallow fry the cassatelle in warm vegetable oil until golden brown on both sides.
Step 5: Transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil.
Step 6: Dust with icing sugar and serve warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can bake them, although the texture changes quite a bit, since frying keeps the dough softer with a light crisp outside. If you bake them, brushing the surface with a little oil helps them colour better.
You can shape the cassatelle earlier in the day and keep it covered in the fridge until it’s time to cook. They hold well and fry more evenly when the filling has had time to firm up a little.
A neutral vegetable oil works best since it fries steadily and doesn’t add a strong flavour. Keep the temperature moderate so the cassatelle cooks through without colouring too quickly.
Fresh ricotta with low moisture gives the smoothest filling and holds its shape during frying. If yours is on the wet side, draining it for a couple of hours makes a noticeable difference.
Extra Help from the Kitchen
Dust the Discs Lightly – Dust each disc with a thin layer of flour to keep moisture from softening the surface while filling.
Keep the Dough Covered – Cover the resting dough with cling wrap to stop the surface from drying while you assemble the pieces.
Test Oil with a Small Scrap – Drop in a tiny piece of dough to judge the temperature; aim for a steady rise without fast colouring.
Work in Small Batches – Fry a few cassatelle at a time to keep the oil temperature stable and prevent uneven cooking.
Drain on a Rack Before Paper Towels – Set the fried pieces briefly on a rack to release excess steam before moving them to paper towels.
Variations and Twists
Add Lemon Zest with Jam – Mix lemon zest into the ricotta and replace part of the chocolate chips with a small spoon of thick apricot or cherry jam for a brighter filling.
Finish with Flaky Sea Salt – Sprinkle a little flaky sea salt over the warm cassatelle before dusting with icing sugar to create a light contrast to the sweet filling.
Add Orange Zest with Optional Liqueur – Stir orange zest into the ricotta and add a small amount of orange liqueur if preferred for a mild citrus note.
Baked Cassatelle Trapanesi – Assemble the cassatelle and bake at 180°C – 350°F, brushing the surface with oil so the dough colours evenly without frying.
Storage and Shelf Life
Store cassatelle at room temperature for 1 day in an airtight container. For longer keeping, place them in the fridge for 2 days and keep them well covered so the filling stays smooth. Freezing works best before frying; shape them, set them on a tray, freeze until firm, then transfer to a sealed container or freezer bag for up to 2 months.
Thaw the frozen pieces in the fridge so the filling settles evenly before cooking. Reheat fried cassatelle last in a warm oven at 180°C – 350°F for a short time to bring back the texture.
Sweet Pastries to Try Next
Cassatelle Trapanesi Recipe (Cassateddi Trapanisi)
With their warm ricotta filling and soft chocolate pieces, Cassatelle Trapanesi feel perfect for holiday mornings, festive gatherings, or even gifting in a small homemade dessert box.
Ingredients
Dough
- 500 g – 1.1 lb flour
- 100 g – 3.5 oz sugar
- 90 ml – 3.0 fl oz extra virgin olive oil
- 180 ml – 6.4 fl oz white wine
- 2 tbsp Marsala wine or dry Sherry
- 1 pinch salt
- water – enough to form a smooth and pliable dough
Ricotta Filling
- 500 g – 1.1 lb ricotta
- 300 g – 10.5 oz sugar
- 50 g – 1.75 oz dark chocolate chips
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp cinnamon – optional
To Assemble
- icing sugar
- vegetable oil – for frying
Instructions
Dough
-
Put all the ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a hook attachment (or knead everything by hand). Turn the mixer on and slowly add enough water to obtain a smooth, pliable dough.
-
Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it in cling wrap, and let it rest for 1 hour.
Ricotta Filling
-
Put all the ingredients except the chocolate chips into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whisk for a couple of minutes until the sugar dissolves.
-
Add the chocolate chips and mix.
To Assemble
-
Roll the dough into a 3 mm – 0.1 inch thick sheet and cut out discs approximately 12 cm – 4.5 inches in diameter.
-
Put a heaped tablespoon of filling in the middle of each disc and rub a little water around the edges with your fingers.
-
Fold the disc in half and seal it by crimping the edges with a fork.
-
Shallow fry the cassatelle in warm vegetable oil until golden brown on both sides.
-
Transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil.
-
Dust with icing sugar and serve warm.
I would like to know if I could us this dough for a pie crust.
having recently spent time in Traani I can attest to Manu’s statement that , [t]hey are out-of-this-world scrumptious,…”
I love these, my MIL (from Trapani too) always makes these and I have seen my FIL eat up to 10 or more of these at a time! They are delicious.