Italian cassata with nougat

ingredients

• Italian cassata with nougat

  • oil for brushing tin
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries (craisins)
  • 1/3 cup raisins
  • 1/3 cup glace ginger, chopped
  • 3 tablespoon dark rum
  • 1 orange, juiced
  • 500 gram mascarpone cheese
  • 50 gram icing sugar
  • 300 millilitre thickened cream
  • 150 gram nougat, chopped
  • fresh sliced strawberries, to serve

method

• Italian cassata with nougat

  • 1

    Brush a 22cm x 7cm loaf tin with oil and line with plastic wrap, allowing the plastic lining to hang over the edges of the long sides of the tin. This will help you remove the cassata later on.

  • 2

    Place cranberries, raisins, ginger, rum and orange juice in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and then simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes or until mixture is thick and syrupy. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

  • 3

    Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, combine mascarpone and icing sugar and beat with a hand whisk until smooth. Gently fold in thickened cream, soaked fruit mixture and nougat.

  • 4

    Spoon mixture into prepared loaf tin and smooth the top. Cover top closely with plastic wrap and place in freezer for 4 hours or overnight.

  • 5

    Leave cassata out of the freezer for 10 minutes to help with removal from the tin. Use the plastic wrap like handles to gently pull cassata from tin. Using a sharp knife dipped into hot water, cut cassata into slices. Serve with strawberry slices.