by This exquisite Italian Spumoni Cake showcases a delicious trio of strawberry, chocolate and pistachio layered cake. The colours are inspired by the traditional Italian ice cream known as Spumoni.
It is crowned with elegantly swirled buttercream and topped with macaron cookies, creating a visibly stunning dessert perfect for any celebratory occasion.
Every once in a while hubby will surprise me with the latest Bake From Scratch Magazine, packed full of drool worthy baked goods that can easily be replicated at home. A true baker’s delight in every sense of the word.
One particular issue had some of the loveliest naked cake recipes. The one that caught my eye was the Spumoni Cake, which looked delicious and appealing with its trifecta of colours.
One can’t help but be transported back to those hot, lazy summer days, happily sitting on the patio while enjoying some yummy spumoni gelato.
Those delicious flavours of the ever-popular Italian spumoni are revisited in this spectacular three-layered cake that’s sure to impress!
The base of the cake is moist and crumbly layers of strawberry, chocolate and pistachio and are stacked together while separated by fruity strawberry preserves and luscious pistachio cream.
It’s then frosted with creamy vanilla buttercream, sprinkled with crushed pistachios and decorated with spumoni-flavoured French macarons for a celebratory dessert.
How to Make an Italian Spumoni Cake
Let’s begin by preparing the pistachio paste. You can prepare it up to one week ahead and store it in an airtight container at room temperature.
- The ingredients for the pistachio paste are pistachios, honey and some water.
- Grind the pistachios in a food processor until very fine in texture.
- Stir in the honey and one tablespoon of water at a time until you have the consistency of peanut butter. Cover and set aside while you prepare the cake pans.
- Grease and line three 9-inch baking pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
Now, let’s make the cake batter. Then, we’ll divide the batter into three bowls and bake the individual layers with the add-ins.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together for about 3 to 4 minutes or until fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Mix in the whisked flour mixture with the butter mixture, alternating with the milk while starting with the flour and ending with the flour. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Divide the cake batter evenly among three separate bowls.
- Spoon the cake batters into the prepared baking pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Mine was ready at the 22-minute mark.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Then, invert the cakes onto a cooling rack to cool completely before assembling the layers with the fillings and frosting.
Assembling the Three-Layer Spumoni Cake
Prepare the vanilla buttercream and follow the step-by-step photos for assembling the Spumoni Cake.
If the top of your cake has a slight bump, you can even the top by shaving off the cake hump with a serrated knife. This will make it easier when stacking the layers with the fillings and will avoid a wobbly layer cake.
- Transfer the strawberry cake layer onto a serving platter. Pipe a ring of vanilla buttercream along the inside edge of the cake and spread 1/2 cup of strawberry jam over the strawberry layer cake while keeping inside the frosted border.
- Top with the chocolate layer cake. (The chocolate layer cake is the only one that baked with a slight hump, which I shaved off with a serrated knife.)
- Pipe another border of frosting around the chocolate layer cake.
- Stir together 1/2 cup of the buttercream with the remaining pistachio paste and fill the centre with the pistachio cream.
- Top with the pistachio layer cake and spread the remaining vanilla buttercream over the top and sides of the 3-layered cake. I used a cake scraper to smooth out the buttercream and created a naked cake appearance.
- For the cake’s top decoration, I used a 1M tip to pipe swirls of buttercream and filled the gaps with chocolate, pistachio and strawberry macarons and a sprinkle of crushed pistachios.
Decorating this beautiful Spumoni Cake is where the fun begins. You can use your imagination here, so feel free to add your special touch. Or keep it simple as seen with my two-layer carrot cake recipe.
Although the original recipe called for freeze-dried strawberries to garnish the cake, they were hard to find.
However, I did come across some adorable French macarons that looked simply perfect, and I knew they would adorn and compliment this cake quite beautifully.
Make Ahead Tips
The pistachio paste can be made ahead and kept at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week. If making ahead, you’ll most likely need to thin it out with water before folding the part needed to mix with the frosting.
The cake layers can also be baked the day before. Cover them while still slightly warm, as the humidity will keep the cake layers moist.
For longer storage, you can bake and freeze the cake layers up to one month ahead.
Enjoy, and happy baking!
More Cake Recipes
Ciambella, Italian Lemon Sponge Cake: A simple yet elegant, light and fluffy Italian ring cake with a tangy lemon fragrance.
Orange Cake with Blueberries: A wonderfully moist, butterless cake baked in a rose-shaped Bundt pan for a lovely sculpted look.
Pear Honey Rosemary Bundt Cake: A deliciously moist cake chock full of diced pears, honey and a subtle rosemary flavour.
Italian Spumoni Cake
Equipment
- 3 9-inch cake pans
- Electric Mixer
- 1 Piping bag
- 1 piping tip (1M)
Ingredients
FOR THE PISTACHIO PASTE
- 2 cups roasted pistachios
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 1/4 cup water
FOR THE CAKE
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 3/4 cups cake flour
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour (divided)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (I used fine sea salt)
- 240 grams cup whole milk (1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup strawberry or cherry jam (divided)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
FOR THE VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (softened)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt (I used fine sea salt)
- 9 cups confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)
- 6 tablespoons whole milk
FOR DECORATING THE TOP OF THE CAKE
- 1/3 cup crushed pistachios
- 8 French Macaron cookies ((variety of strawberry, chocolate and pistachio))
Instructions
PISTACHIO PASTE
- Grind the pistachios as fine as you can in a food processor or better yet a spice grinder if you have one.
- Stir together the ground pistachios and honey in a small bowl.
- Stir in 1/4 cup of water, one tablespoon at a time, until the paste has the consistency of peanut butter. Cover and set aside.
- Pistachio paste can be made ahead and stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to one week.
FOR THE CAKE
- Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) round cake pans.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together at medium speed until fluffy. (About three minutes.)
- Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the cake flour, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
- With your mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk while starting with the flour mixture and ending with the flour mixture.
- Beat just until combined between each addition.
- Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Divide the batter evenly among 3 separate bowls.
- In the first bowl, fold in a 1/2 cup of well-stirred strawberry preserves and the remaining 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour.
- Combine the cocoa, 1/4 cup of boiling water and baking soda in a small bowl.
- Fold the cocoa mixture into the second bowl of cake batter.
- In the third bowl of cake batter, fold in a 1/2 cup of pistachio paste.
- Spoon the cake batters into the prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Don't overbake.
- Test to see if its done by inserting a wooden skewer in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean then the cakes are ready.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the vanilla buttercream when you're ready to assemble the layer cake.
VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
- Place the butter in a large bowl and beat at medium speed until creamy.
- Beat in the vanilla and the salt.
- Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the confectioners' sugar.
- Increase the speed to medium and continue beating until smooth.
- Beat in the milk, one tablespoon at a time, until the buttercream frosting reaches a spreadable consistency.
- Fill a piping bag with the buttercream. Follow the directions below to assemble and frost the layer cake. (I used the 1M star tip inserted in a piping bag)
ASSEMBLING THE CAKE LAYERS
- Place the strawberry cake layer onto your serving platter and pipe a ring of vanilla buttercream around the inside edge of the strawberry cake layer, creating a border. (see above on how to make the vanilla buttercream)
- Spread the remaining 1/2 cup strawberry preserves over the strawberry cake layer while keeping within the borders.
- Carefully place the chocolate cake layer over the strawberry layer and pipe a ring of vanilla buttercream around the inside edge, creating a border.
- In a small bowl, stir 1/2 cup of the vanilla buttercream with the remaining pistachio paste and spread this over the chocolate layered cake while staying within the border.
- Carefully place the pistachio cake layer over the chocolate cake layer.
- Spread the remaining vanilla buttercream over the top and sides of the 3 layered cake. (I used a cake scrapper to smooth out the frosting and to create the naked cake look)
- Use a 1M tip to pipe swirls of frosting on top of the cake and fill the gaps with strawberry, chocolate and pistachio macaron cookies.
- Sprinkle with crushed pistachios.
- Slice, serve and enjoy!
I love spumoni Marisa and this is a stunning cake. I think the macaron are a beautiful addition. You really did a great job with this cake absolutely beautiful❤️?
Thanks Suzanne, it would be hard to mess up this cake as it’s not difficult to make at all! I was really quite happy to have found macarons in the same colours as the layer cake. Spumoni is really delicious, isn’t it!!!
Wow Marisa, this is such an elaborate cake! I’m sure it was super delicious! 🙂
Ronit it really is a wonderful cake for special occasions or just about anytime! And surprisingly not difficult to make at all but next time I’ll be sure to invite family over to help us eat it…lol. Thanks so much?
Oh. my. gosh. If I were ever to bake a cake again in my life, this would be the one. Stunning and completely mouth-watering, Marissa!
Hope you do get around to trying it, so worth it! Thanks Kathryn ?
yummy! nice colour! nice photos!
Thanks so much Min?
Beautiful cake Maria, absolutely stunning. With those macarons it’s even more beautiful. Brilliant post!!
Thanks Sumith, it’s really quite special and perfect for many occasions!
Beautiful! I’ll never make this because I just don’t bake cakes, but I really wish I could taste it!!!
Thanks Mimi, I wish I could share this with you…a virtual slice will have to do!!
This is stunning Marisa! You never fail to impress me!
Thanks Annika, that is very sweet of you ???
When I saw it I was so impressed, Marisa! I have yet to make a layered cake. And this one is just stunning! But not only the look, the flavors are amazing! Who doesn’t love the famous trio chocolate strawberry pistacchio?? I certainly do 🙂 . Great job!
This was my first attempt at a 3 layered cake and I must say that it was not difficult at all. There are quite a few steps which might intimidate beginners but over all not complicated ones! It’s one batter divided in three and each mixed with different flavours! Looking forward to see what you come up with I am sure it will be stunning but….no pressure?
What a beautiful and impressive cake! It’s wonderful to hear that this cake can be made ahead, When I saw that the recipe included preserves, I wondered whether the cake would get soggy if not served immediately. It’s good to know that is not a problem.
It truly doesn’t get soggy at all Sheryl and actually tastes better the following days. 🙂
I love that you turned an ice cream flavour into a cake! Great idea, and it came out gorgeous too!
Thanks so much Starr…its really easier then it looks and I’ll definitely be baking it soon again 🙂
Nothing less than a show stopper Marisa, as I mentioned to you I am preparing this for a special friend’s bd in June. Wow, thank you so much!
Hi Paula, I’m sure your fried will be quite happy to receive such a beautiful cake! I am looking forward to baking it again, we absolutely loved it! It may look like quite a few steps but really easy to make! Enjoy and thank you ??
It is absolutely delicious! !thank -you Marisa
Thanks so much Dulce and it was entirely my pleasure!?
Looks like a typo maybe – 1/4 cup boiling powder
Hi your absolutely right…I’ve just corrected it. My apologies if it inconvenienced you in anyway and thanks for pointing it out. 😊
Thank you Maria, very touching how real and beautiful your cake is, I will make it soon!!
Thank you Sarah! Hope you enjoy it!
I’ve made this cake several times the only thing I changed was I made the strawberry layer cherry instead! It is a very RICH and decadent cake! Love it! Oh! I did add food coloring to make the colors brighter too
That’s a wonderful substitution for the strawberries Melissa! I’ll keep it in mind…we love this cake for special celebrations! Thanks so much for your feedback!
Cherries aren’t actually a substitution. Cherries are the traditional ingredient used in spumoni cake/ icecreams . However your recipe quite literally takes the cake.. lol! I would love to eat strawberries myself but mother nature told me not too. looking forward to making your beautiful recipe.
Marisa, you really created a beautiful way of decorating this cake, gorgeous. It’s so beautiful i’m going to try to make it for my daughter’s birthday, do you think this cake is enough for 15 people?
Thank you for the great idea.
Connie
Thank you so much Connie! I hope I’m not too late in replying but yes it easily stretches to 15. Enjoy!
Cherries aren’t actually a substitution. Cherries are the traditional ingredient used in spumoni cake/ icecreams . However your recipe quite literally takes the cake.. lol! I would love to eat strawberries myself but mother nature told me not too. looking forward to making your beautiful recipe.
Thats correct Patrizia. Either works wonderfully in this recipe.