I grew up outside Cleveland, Ohio, and the cassata is the cake of my childhood. This regional specialty is a great example of how recipes take on local styles over time. Some food historians believe the cassata has its roots in fourteenth-century Arab culture. In Sicily, the long-ago homeland of the immigrants who first brought it to America, the cassata often contains candied citrus fruits, citrus liqueurs, and a glazing of chocolate or almond marzipan. The version of the cassata…
