This easy, make-ahead Spumoni Ice Cream Cake turns the classic Italian-American trio of cherry, pistachio, and chocolate into a striking frozen dessert with a crisp chocolate cookie base and stabilized whipped cream frosting. It was inspired by a sudden memory of the first time I tasted spumoni in college, at a student dinner hosted by my professor-advisor. Hungry students, tired of dorm food, inhaled a simple 1960s American meal: chicken Florentine casserole with garlic bread and individual cupcake-size containers of spumoni.
I still remember that dinner because it was a meal of firsts. A one-dish casserole made with Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup was far removed from my Ukrainian culinary heritage, where family dinner preparation involved peeling, chopping, and standing over a stove for hours. I was impressed by the casserole’s simplicity but enamored by the spumoni: an almond-scented combination of cherry ice cream, lightly sweet and nutty pistachio ice cream, and rich chocolate ice cream flecked with bittersweet chocolate. Over the years, spumoni would recede from memory until it sometimes appeared on a menu; then, flooded with wistful remembrances, I would order it.
What is spumoni?
Spumoni is an Italian frozen dessert that originated in Naples in the late nineteenth century as layered gelato enriched with nuts, candied fruit, and chocolate. Brought to America by Italian immigrants, it became especially beloved in Italian-American communities in cities like Baltimore, Chicago, New York, and Boston.
This version is an assembled dessert made from three purchased ice creams, several flavor enhancements, and a chocolate cookie layer that bakes in 7 minutes. It is a perfect summer dessert because it can be assembled ahead of time and frozen until needed.
Black chocolate cookie base ingredients
Trio of ice creams and add-ins for Spumoni Ice Cream Cake
Keys to this Spumoni Ice Cream Cake
1. Use quality ingredients: Top-quality ice creams, fruit, nuts, chocolate, and natural flavoring add-ins have a direct impact on flavor. In this recipe, I substitute traditional Italian gelato with three Häagen-Dazs ice cream flavors that are sweeter, airier, and high in fat.
2. Keep everything cold: This cake is simple to assemble, but each layer needs time in the freezer to stay distinct and slice cleanly.
3. Add a cookie base: The original spumoni I tasted years ago had an almond cookie base that provided stability and crunch. I used a black chocolate cookie base for this cake because it supports ice cream layers, minimizes melting from the bottom, and helps the frosting seal the cake. This cookie dough can also be cut for smaller ice cream sandwiches.
The base does not have to be home-baked; purchased cookies or brownies, fitted snugly in the bottom of the loaf pan and frozen, can provide a suitable foundation for the ice cream layers. A cardboard template of the loaf pan bottom is needed to trim the pastry base to ensure a tight fit.
4. Prepare the mold and tools: Use a large loaf pan or mold with about an 8-cup (1893 ml) capacity, prepared as noted in the recipe. I used an 8-inch-long x 4-inch-wide x 4 ½-inch-deep (20 cm x 10 cm x 11 cm) Pullman loaf pan and binder clips to hold the parchment in place before assembling the cake. Otherwise, the usual baking equipment — whisks or beaters, mixer, bowls, baking sheets– is needed.
Also, a rigid cake board– 1 inch (2.54 cm larger on all 4 sides of the pan– on which to assemble the cake should be prepared to provide for structural stability, presentation, and safe handling.
5. Stabilize the whipped cream frosting: Plain whipped cream tends to deflate, weep, and liquefy quickly, so I stabilize the frosting with Instant Clearjel* to help it stay creamy and fluffy when frozen and to insulate the ice cream from melting. See https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2023/06/08/stabilized-whipped-cream
This Spumoni Ice Cream Cake is a welcome treat from the past. The trio of vibrant layers, distinct flavors, and varied textures perfectly balances, creating a mouthwatering experience.
Traditionally, spumoni is served in slices rather than scoops to showcase its beautiful layers. The chocolate layer offers a rich, creamy texture with dark chocolate surprises in each spoonful. It provides a robust foundation for the other flavors, enhancing the cake’s overall taste.
The pistachio layer adds a subtle, nutty, savory flavor. The addition of chopped pistachios adds both texture and flavor to the spumoni, offsetting the ice cream’s creaminess.
The cherry layer, with its mix of sweet Luxardo and standard maraschino cherry pieces in vanilla ice cream flavored with cherry syrup, adds sweet depth and a unique flavor dimension that contrasts beautifully with the velvety chocolate layer.
The stabilized whipped cream frosting has the thickness and creaminess of a whipped cream mousse, with a fluffy texture and a distinctly Italian hint of orange blossom water.
A serving of Spumoni Ice Cream Cake
My husband, Weldon, sampled each layer individually, then decided to combine all three ice cream layers into each spoonful to experience the interplay of flavors. This Spumoni Ice Cream Cake is delightful whichever way you choose to eat it.
Spumoni Ice Cream Cake
Ingredients for cookie base:
¼ cup (20 g) cocoa powder
2 tablespoons (20 g) black cocoa powder*
½ teaspoon baking powder
1½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup / 1 stick (113 g) butter
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Ingredients for ice cream layers:
14 ounces (414 ml) Häagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream, softened
14 ounces (414 ml) Häagen-Dazs pistachio ice cream, softened
14 ounces (414 ml) Häagen-Dazs cherry vanilla ice cream, softened
Cherry layer additions:
¼ cup (45 g) Luxardo maraschino cherries, chopped into small pieces
¼ cup (45 g) standard bar maraschino cherries, chopped into small pieces
2 tablespoons Luxardo maraschino cherry syrup
Pistachio layer additions:
¼ cup (28 g) chopped pistachios
½ teaspoon almond extract
Chocolate layer additions:
¼ cup (42 g) Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped into small pieces, or mini chocolate chips
Ingredients for whipped cream frosting:
¼ cup (28 g) powdered sugar
1½ teaspoons Instant Clearjel* (Make sure the Instant Clearjel is Instant.)
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
2 teaspoons orange blossom water** or pure vanilla extract
Ingredients for garnish:
Extra chopped pistachios, chocolate shavings, and whole maraschino cherries
Select and prepare the cake mold: This Spumoni Ice Cream Cake can be assembled in any large pan at least 4 inches deep with approximately an 8-cup capacity. Spray all sides of the pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving extra overhang on all sides to ease unmolding. Clip parchment to the pan walls with binder clips, then place the pan in the freezer until ready to add ice cream.
Prepared loaf pan-mold
If using a cookie base, prepare a cardboard template to fit the bottom of the loaf pan, and a cake board on which to assemble the cake.
Preparing the cookie base: Sift dry ingredients (cocoa powders, baking powder, flour, salt) into a medium bowl.
In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale yellow. Blend the egg and vanilla into the butter-sugar mixture until smooth. Incorporate dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until flour is no longer visible. The dough can be chilled overnight in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Black chocolate cookie dough ready to roll
Cut four sheets of parchment paper to fit a 13-inch x 18-inch x 1-inch (33.02 cm x 45.72 cm x 2.54 cm) baking sheet. Place one parchment sheet on the work surface. Transfer half of the dough to this parchment paper, cover with another sheet of parchment, and roll the dough between the two sheets to a thickness of ⅛ inch. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Leave the dough on the parchment and dock it with a fork to prevent puffing. Cut dough rectangles using the prepared template that fits the base of the loaf pan. (I cut 3 dough pieces in case of breakage.) The remaining dough can be cut into cookie wafers.
Black chocolate cookie dough rolled, cut, docked and ready to bake
Heat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Transfer the parchment with the cut dough to the baking sheets and freeze until set, about 30 minutes. Remove dough from the freezer, refresh the cuts with a sharp knife, and arrange the pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
Bake for 6–9 minutes, until the edges are set. Once the base cookies are cool enough to handle, trim them to shape using the template as a guide.
Cookie bases trimmed to fit mold
Freeze the base cookies between squares of parchment for 30 minutes to harden, or until ready to use.
Assembling the cake: Chill a large bowl in the freezer.
Remove chocolate ice cream from the freezer and let it soften in its original container at room temperature for about 20 minutes, until spreadable but not melted. Remove the chilled loaf pan from the freezer, place the cookie base in the bottom, quickly fold the chocolate chips into the ice cream in the cold bowl, and spread the mixture over the cookie base. Smooth the surface for clean, defined stripes, cover with plastic wrap, press out air bubbles, and freeze for 2 hours.
Step one in assembling Spumoni Ice Cream Cake: place the cookie base at the mold bottom
Step two in assembling Spumoni Ice Cream Cake: add chocolate ice cream layer
Chill a large bowl in the freezer. Soften pistachio ice cream for about 20 minutes, until spreadable but not melted, then transfer it to the cold bowl and quickly stir in chopped pistachios and almond extract. Remove the plastic wrap from the chocolate layer, spread the pistachio ice cream evenly over it, smooth the surface, cover with plastic wrap, press out any air bubbles, and freeze for 2 hours.
Step three in assembling Spumoni Ice Cream Cake: add pistachio ice cream layer
Chill a large bowl in the freezer. Soften cherry ice cream for about 20 minutes, until spreadable but not melted, then transfer it to the cold bowl and stir in chopped maraschino cherries and cherry syrup. Spread evenly over the pistachio layer, smooth the surface for clean, defined stripes, cover with plastic wrap, press out air bubbles, and freeze for 4–6 hours or overnight, until solidly frozen.
Step four in assembling Spumoni Ice Cream Cake: add cherry ice cream layer
Preparing whipped cream frosting: In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and Instant Clearjel. (Instant Clearjel must always be whisked with dry ingredients before adding liquid to avoid clumping.)
Place the cream and orange blossom water or vanilla into the chilled bowl of a stand mixer (best) or a large mixing bowl. Using a whip attachment or handheld mixer, whip until stiff peaks form.
Turn mixer to low and slowly add powdered sugar-Instant Clearjel mixture until incorporated. (Instant Clearjel will thicken the whipped cream instantly, which is why the whipped cream should be whipped and fluffy before it is added.) Refrigerate until ready to use.
Unmolding the cake: Chill the cardboard cake base on a quarter baking sheet in the freezer until ready to unmold the Spumoni Ice Cream Cake.
Remove the cake from the freezer. After 5 minutes on the counter, slide a thin, long knife between the parchment lining and the edge of the loaf pan on all four sides. Carefully lift the cake by the parchment overhangs and move it to the cold cake board on the quarter-sheet pan. Slide out parchment paper from underneath the cake, and center it on the cake board. Transfer the cake on the cake board and quarter-sheet pan into the freezer and freeze for 1 hour.
Unmolded ice cream cake
Frost the top and sides with whipped cream and freeze for another 30 minutes. Then pipe the remaining frosting on top as desired and decorate with pistachios, chocolate shavings, and whole cherries.
Frosted and decorated Spumoni Ice Cream Cake
Freeze again for 1 hour before slicing. If storing the whole cake in the freezer for later use, place the frozen cake on its cake board in a large Ziploc bag. If storing leftover cake, cut into slices and layer with parchment paper, then wrap in plastic wrap and a ZipLock bag before placing in the freezer. Keep frozen until ready to serve.
Spumoni Ice Cream Cake leftovers sliced for storing in freezer
This Spumoni Ice Cream Cake can be cut frozen. Warm a long knife in hot water for several minutes, then dry it and slice with one stroke. Rewarm and dry the knife between slices. Return the cake to the freezer, appropriately wrapped.
Servings: 12
*Note of caution when buying Instant Clearjel: Clearjel is available in two versions. Instant Clearjel thickens upon contact with liquid, without cooking. This is the Instant Clearjel needed for this recipe.
The regular (cook-type) version requires cooking to trigger gelling and will not stabilize whipped cream.
** Orange blossom water is a fragrant floral water distilled from blossoms of bitter orange trees and used in cooking, pastries, and beverages in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and African cuisines. Unlike orange juice or extract, it does not taste citrusy or tart; instead, it has a light, floral, gently sweet flavor that enhances both sweet and savory dishes. Available online at Amazon and other sellers.
Photo credits: All photos: Slava Johnson
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