Every year I use to make mom's Easter Cassata in her memory which is very large and now with two people, I just make them in this smaller version and freeze them.
I still make Grandma's Easter Bread which is another Italian tradition we do every year.
I can take out what I need and they taste just as fresh as first baked after thawing in the refrigerator.
This year I made it just a little different.
This custard ricotta filling is perfect in these little cupcake tins for individual servings and so cute!
It's just a little more festive looking. I added a little bunny baked into my little cheesecakes.
The children loved them. They make such a pretty addition to the dessert platter of baked treats for our dessert tray.
Scroll through our tips, easy instructions, and printable recipe below.
Our Italian traditional for Easter Cassata
Cassata is a light cheesecake made with ricotta cheese, fruits, and chocolate baked in a crust like a custard-like filling.
Mom always made one loaded with more chocolate than fruit just for me.
I have adapted the recipe to make individual servings which is super easy and can be decorated with a cookie cutter to make cute Easter shapes on top!
Additions and Suggestions
- if you're not fond of cherries add citron which is the authentic cassata recipe
- you can also make them with lemon extract and lemon zest in the ricotta filling
- orange extract and orange zest in the ricotta batter
- flavor the ricotta with almond extract and leave out the fruits and add min chocolate chips
- swirl the top of each cassata with raspberry preserves before baking
Ingredients You Will Need To Make Easter Mini Cassata
- eggs
- Ricotta whole milk cheese
- chopped maraschino cherries blotted dry
- chocolate bars chopped chunky
- vanilla
- sugar
- Garnish:
- egg wash for the top
- Crust:
- flour
- cinnamon
- milk
- butter
- sugar
- baking powder
Tools You Will Need
- muffin tin non-stick
- cookie cutters with rabbits or carrots whatever you like for the tops this is optional
- pastry wheel to cut strips instead of using a cookie cutter or use a pizza cutter
- rolling pin
- cutting board
- mixing bowls
- measuring cup
- measuring spoons
Tips
- use whole milk ricotta cheese, it's once a year splurge the calories
- always preheat the oven first
- generously oil spray the non-stick style muffin tins(I use a porcelain lined tin)
- do not over flour or overwork the dough or it will be hard
- these freezes well, just cool add to a cookie tray freeze until solid then place in freezer bags with wax paper between them
- if using a cookie cutter, bake around 5 minutes in the preheated oven then add the cutout or it will sink
Recipes for you to try we love:
Ice Cream Cone Easter Baskets
Doll Cakes
Halloween Party Foods
Valentine's Day Recipe Roundup
Easter Mini Cassata Cheesecakes Pin for later
Grandchildren Make It Fun
We still enjoy cooking together every chance we get. Now I have grandchildren to look forward to making some more memories with to pass on traditions.
Every year gets better with the memories we make and it is the foundation we build together for our future kids to carry on what we all started.
I carried on my mom's traditions she instilled in all of us and now it's my turn to do the same and so far, I am thrilled my family continues with the same vision.
Check out our cute little Easter baskets we make from ice cream sugar cones!
Easter. cassata, cheesecake, pie, cookie crust, cupcake, cheese pie, Italian cheesecake
desserts, cheesecake, pie
Italian
Yield: 12
Easter Mini Cassata Cheesecakes
prep time: cook time: total time:
These are miniature Easter cassata cups made in cupcakes tins for individual servings. It's a traditional Easter cassata Italian recipe made with ricotta and is a cheesecake base and cookie crust.
ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 1 lb Ricotta whole milk cheese
- 12 chopped maraschino cherries blotted dry
- 1 small chocolate bars chopped chunky
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2/3 cup sugar
- Place eggs in a bowl with the sugar and beat for 3 minutes. Fold in the cherries, chocolate, and vanilla set aside.
- Garnish:
- 1 beaten egg for the top
- Crust:
- 2 - 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 stick of butter (1/4 pound)
- 3/4 cups of sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
instructions:
- Dough:
- Mix everything together in a bowl, the dough will be very soft, you will need to keep adding additional flour so it doesn't stick while rolling.
- Cut out as many cookie-cutter tops that you need and set them aside.
- I made around 16 - cupcake mini cassata cheesecakes.
- Oil spray cupcake tins.
- Roll out dough to fit tins to fit for the bottom of each cupcake tin. Brush with beaten egg wash for a shiny top.
- Ricotta Batter:
- In a clean bowl just mix the ricotta, eggs, sugar, vanilla until combined fold in the cherries, chocolate.
- Spoon a little in each cup, top with bunnies or a lattice dough see note below.
- Bake at 350 for 25 to 35 minutes until golden brown on top.
- NOTE: If you have additional batter leftover and dough make a small cassata using a small pie plate. I usually have filling leftovers.
- if using a cookie cutter, bake around 5 minutes in the preheated oven then add the cutout or it will sink
- Optional Suggestions:
- if you're not fond of cherries add citron which is the authentic cassata recipe
- you can also make them with lemon extract and lemon zest in the ricotta filling
- orange extract and orange zest in the ricotta batter
- flavor the ricotta with almond extract and leave out the fruits and add min chocolate chips
- swirl the top of each cassata with raspberry preserves before baking
calories
268
268
fat (grams)
10
10
sat. fat (grams)
4
4
carbs (grams)
19
19
net carbs
8
8
protein (grams)
7
7
sugar (grams)
21
21
Created using The Recipes Generator
Easter Mini Cassata Cheesecakes Pin for later
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