Best Cassata Ice Cream Brands in India – Mishry

What is triple-layered, multi-flavored, and is synonymous with sheer joy? A cassata! A layer of sponge cake, moistened with some fruity syrup or jam and topped with three flavors of ice cream. With crunchy nuts on top, you will find bits of tutti frutti in a slice of cassata. Cassata is an indulgent dessert with a little bit for everyone, reminiscent of simpler times, and fewer choices for ice-creams and frozen desserts. 

We tried and tested four leading brands of ice cream in India for their cassata. The competition was tight, but between Mother Dairy, Havmor, Vadilal, and Creambell, the title of the best cassata ice cream brand in India, goes to…

Which is your favorite layer in a cassata? The sponge, the nuts, or the trio of ice creams?

Here is all that you need to know about the Cassata ice cream brands in India.

1. Reviewed Brands

We reviewed four popular brands of ice cream – 

• Mother Dairy
• Havmor
• Creambell
• Vadilal

We had to give Kwality Walls and Amul a miss from this review. Even after multiple attempts, over 2 weeks, via different vendors across Delhi NCR, these two weren’t available. While the Kwality Walls Cassata was out of stock, Amul’s ice cream carts were very rare to spot. This is indicative of a major aspect when it comes to ice creams – Availability.

2. Available Sizes

Cassata is available in a single size. There are no other variants available in cassata, flavor, or size-wise. Some brands have 120 ml cassata, while others have 150 ml cassata.

3. Price Range

On an average, a 150 ml cassata can be priced anywhere between Rs 50/- to Rs 120/-. The price of the ice cream varies from brand to brand.

4. Packaging

Cassatas do not come packaged like regular stick ice creams. The packaging is a bit more elaborate. The sliced cassata is placed in a tray and then wrapped. Some brands also provide a disposable spoon.

5. Main Ingredients

For ice cream to be labeled as an ‘ice cream’, it needs to contain milk solids. If the prime ingredient is vegetable fat like palm oil, it should be labeled as a ‘frozen dessert’. As long as the brand markets these as a ‘cassata’, and, of course, these were available easily in Delhi/NCR, they made it to the list of brands reviewed. 

The main ingredients to make the ice cream throughout all brands are water and milk solids. There are other ingredients like sponge cake, tutti frutti, and nuts. Depending on the brand, the ice creams contain different flavoring substances.

6. Nutritional Facts

The type of ingredients used determines the calorie content. The calories per 100 gm can vary from 160 Kcal to 250 Kcals across the brands reviewed.

While reviewing, we collectively decide on a set of parameters that will help us gauge the product in a more standardized manner. To review cassata ice cream brands we set the following parameters – 

1. Visual Appeal

Cassatas are attractive and eye-catching. The multiple colors and textures all come together to play an essential role in setting the first impression. From the colors to the textures, we wanted to check all the brands of cassatas for their visual appeal.

2. Flavor  – Composition and Combinations

Pair up two incompatible flavors, and you have a disaster! Does the trio of ice creams go well with each other? How well does the sponge and fruit jam/syrup match with the other components? What about the nuts and tutti frutti bits?

How tasty is the slice of cassata? Do the nuts taste fresh, or are they rancid and stale? Is the cake soft or dry and crumbly? Do the mentioned flavors of the ice cream have an individuality? Do all the components marry each other beautifully?

3. Creaminess

When we say creaminess, we mean the overall mouth-feel of the ice cream. Is it smooth and creamy or icy and grainy? Does it coat our palate as most milk products do? Creaminess played an essential role while deciding the Top Pick.

4. Packaging

How well is the cassata packed? Is there a plastic tray? Does the final packaging consist of a plastic wrapper or a carton? Is a spoon included inside?

5. Price

Is the slice of cassata value for money? If not, why? Just the list of ingredients justify the pricing?

Here is a comparison table of the Cassata Ice Cream Brands in India discussing their price, net weight, ice cream flavors, shelf life, and calories.

The Mother Dairy Cassata is priced at Rs 60/- for a 150 ml pack. The cassata is packaged well. 

The three ice cream layers include strawberry, butterscotch, and tutti frutti. We can see a lot of tutti frutti pieces. The top layer is covered with a liberal mix of pounded and coarse chunks of nuts. The sponge cake is soft, moist and has a sweet, vanilla flavor.

Mother Dairy’s cassata is creamy and coats the palate which usually happens when you consume rich dairy products. All the layers of ice cream are delicious and the red jam between the cake and ice cream helps moisten the cake very well. Individually, all flavors are distinct and go very well with each other. You almost go from least sweet to higher sweetness with every layer. 

Despite so many sweet elements, the overall sweetness of the cassata remained balanced. 

Features

• The price of 150 ml Mother Dairy Cassata is Rs 60/-
• The shelf life is 9 months.
• Calories –  257 Kcal
• Ingredients for ice cream – Water, Milk solids, Sugar, Cashew (9%), Preserved fruit (9%), Jam (1%), Permitted stabilizing and emulsifying agents.
• Ingredients for cake – Refined wheat flour, Sugar, Water, Milk solids, Baking powder, Bakery shortening, Emulsifiers and stabilisers, Starch, Dextrose, Iodised salt, Raising agent and Maltodextrin.
• Contains added flavors.
• Contains permitted synthetic food colors.
• Ice cream flavors – Strawberry, Bubblegum/Tutti Frutti and Butterscotch.

Pros

• The cassata is creamy.
• Each element is delicious and tastes fresh.
• The nuts are added liberally.
• The cake is soft and moist.
• All the layers are well-defined.
• We loved the combination of ice cream in this cassata.
• A value for money purchase.

Best Suited For

Even though this had the highest calories per 100gms, we believe that when you eat a slice of cassata you dont count calories! And if that is the case, then there is another freezer in the supermarket for you with lots of sugar-free and ‘diet’ ice creams! 

The combination of cake, nuts, and ice cream is the best in Mother Dairy Cassata. This is best suited for people who love to indulge themselves with a slice of cassata occasionally.

We liked the well-packaged Vadilal Cassata. It is neatly packed in a box with a lid. The top layer of the cassata has a mix of chocolate chips and nuts which taste fresh. The three layers of pista, strawberry, and butterscotch are lovely.

The vanilla flavored cake is thick and a bit hard. The orange syrup layer between the cake and ice cream doesn’t do anything to moisten the cake.

Features

• The price of 120 ml Vadilal Cassata is Rs 120/-
• The shelf life is 12 months.
• Calories –  172 Kcal
• Ingredients (Top layer) – Whipped cream (12.4%): Water, Dextrin, Permitted emulsifiers, Nuts (4%), Compound chocolate (4%)
• Ingredients (Middle layer) – Ice cream (75%): Milk solids, Sugar, Fruits (1.7%), Nuts (1.6%), Liquid glucose, Dextrose, Acidity regulator, Emulsifiers and stabilisers.
• Ingredients (Bottom layer) – Cake (13%): Wheat flour, Sugar, Water, Edible vegetable fat (2.5%), Cake gel, Edible starch, Milk solids, Raising agents, Dextrose, Edible common salt.
• Contains added flavors.
• Contains permitted food color
• Ice cream flavors – Pista, Strawberry and Butterscotch.

Pros

• The combination of choco chips and nuts on the top is yum!
• The Vadilal Cassata is creamy.

Cons

• This is the most expensive cassata amongst all the contenders. 
• The cake is hard.

Havmor Cassata Ice Cream comes in a plastic tray and contains a spoon. The ice cream layers include strawberry, pineapple and Tutti Frutti. While the ice creams were tasty and creamy, and the cake was the softest amongst all four brands, a lot of things didn’t work for Havmor’s Cassata. 

The moment we opened the cassata, we spotted a small strand of hair stuck on the cake layer. The layer of nuts tasted rancid and stale. 

Features

• The price of 150 ml Havmor Cassata is Rs 50/-.
• The shelf life is 12 months.
• Calories –  220.9 Kcal
• Ingredients (Ice Cream: 79%) – Water, Milk solids, Sugar, Crystallised fruits (2.2%), Permitted emulsifier and stabilizers.
• Ingredients (Eggless cake and sauce: 10%) – Eggless cake (7%), Sauce (3%)
• Ingredients (Topping: 11%) – Cashews (8%), Non dairy whip cream (3%)
• Contains added artificial flavors.
• Contains permitted synthetic food color. 
• Ice cream flavors – Strawberry, Pineapple and Tutti Frutti.

Pros

• We liked the soft cake.
• The packaging is nice.

Cons

• We found a strand of hair in our ice cream.
• The nuts were stale and rancid.

The Cream Bell Cassata comes in a pastel-colored carton. The ice cream is packed on a paper tray and comes with a spoon.

Cream Bell’s Cassata ice cream had a trio of strawberry, rose and orange ice cream with tutti frutti. The rose ice cream was green in color and almost had a very synthetic flavor. None of the ice creams were creamy. 

Features

• The price of 150 ml Cream Bell Cassata is Rs 50/-.
• The shelf life is 12 months.
• Calories –  163 Kcal
• Ingredients for ice cream (89%) – Water, Milk solids, Sugar, Cashew nut (10%), Candied tutti fruity (1.8%), Orange sauce, Maltodextrin, Permitted emulsifying agents and Stabilising agents.
• Ingredients for cake (11%) – Refined wheat flour, Sugar, Milk solids, Baking powder, Bakery shortening (Palm oil), Emulsifiers and stabilisers, Starch, Dextrose, Iodised salt, Raising agents, Maltodextrin, Water, Soya oil
• Contains permitted synthetic food colors and added flavors.
• Ice cream flavors – Strawberry, Rose and Tutti Frutti/Orange.

Cons

• The ice cream is not very creamy.
• The cake layer is a bit hard.
• The rose ice cream has a very synthetic flavor.

Why did we choose Mother Dairy Cassata as our Top Pick?

An ideal cassata slice needs to have a balance of three major elements – Cake, nuts, and a trio of ice cream. We chose Mother Dairy’s Cassata as our Top Pick because it was the creamiest and most delicious cassata ice cream amongst all the contenders.

The moist cake, the liberal coating of nuts, and the well-matched trio of ice creams aced our review!

Here are some interesting FAQs on Cassata ice cream brands.

1. How many calories are in a cassata ice cream?

The type of ingredients used to make a cassata determine the calories a single slice of cassata provides. On average 100 gms of cassata provides anywhere between 175-250 calories. 

2. What is the best cassata ice cream brand?

Mother Dairy’s Cassata emerged as the best cassata brand during our review. The moist layer of cake, the liberal coating of fresh-tasting nuts, and the combination of ice creams together helped Mother Dairy’s Cassata win our review. 

3. What is the price of cassata ice cream?

All brands of cassata ice cream are priced differently. Vadilal is the most expensive (Rs 120/-). Mother Dairy, Cream Bell and Havmor are priced between Rs 50-60/-.

4. Is Cassata vegetarian?

The above-mentioned brands are all vegetarian. The cake and ice cream are eggless. Do look for a green dot before consuming the ice cream. 

5. What are the layers in a cassata ice cream?

A cassata ice cream consists of three different layers – 

• Top Layer – Nuts
• Centre layer – Trio of ice creams
• Bottom layer – Cake

Cassatas are not just an ice cream, they are an indulgent dessert.

Our cassata review revealed a clear winner – Mother Dairy Cassata. It was the tastiest and creamiest cassata slice amongst all the contenders. Not only that, it was value for money as well.

Do you like cassata ice cream? Which is your favorite layer?

* If you do agree with our review, please give it a thumbs up! And, tell us which one is your favorite from this list. If you don’t, please tell us why!

* Food & Beverage is a constantly evolving segment with new products launched daily. Our endeavor here is to help shoppers buy better. If there’s a product you would like us to review tell us by clicking here.

* Our reviews are unbiased and all samples used during the reviews were paid for by us. Read our entire ethics statement here.

* No part of this review is sponsored by any brand. All expenses were borne by us.