Who says ice cream cakes should be relegated to kids’ birthday parties? This Spumoni Ice Cream Cake elevates my favorite childhood dessert to levels I never could have imagined. It is made with layers of crumbled brownies in between three different flavors of ice cream (Pistachio, Black Cherry, and Chocolate), and topped with fresh whipped cream and cherries. When host Alison Hersel of Plumcot Farm first described this recipe, my mouth immediately started watering. It combines all of my favorite dessert aspects– brownies, ice cream, and fresh fruit– in a way that is nothing short of fabulous. I know that it sounds like a lot, but somehow this dessert still manages to be light and chill enough to serve on a summer evening. Plus, your guests won’t be able to stop talking about it for days (at least, that was the case for me!)
This recipe was part of the menu at our Italian-Themed Summer Dinner Party at Plumcot Farm, hosted by Alison Hersel. Scroll on for the recipe card, then get the other recipes from our dinner with Alison and read the full story here!
Spumoni Ice Cream Cake
Serves 8
Spumoni Ice Cream Cake is the ice cream cake of my dreams. Layered with crushed brownies, three kinds of ice cream, whipped cream and cherries, it's a must-make recipe.
Prep
60 minutes
Cook
360-480 minutes
Categories
Ingredients
Crust: NY Times Katharine Hepburn Brownies
Ice Cream: Mashti Malone’s Pistachio, Black Cherry, and Chocolate Ice Cream
Topping: Fresh Whipped Cream and Maraschino Cherries
Ingredients for brownies:
- ½ cup cocoa
- ½ cup butter (1 stick)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 cup chopped or broken up walnuts or pecans
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch of salt
½ gallon of pistachio ice cream
½ gallon of black cherry ice cream
½ gallon of chocolate ice cream
1-pint whole whipping cream
¼ cup sugar
Maraschino cherries
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325 degrees
- Melt butter in saucepan with cocoa and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine sugar, flour, nuts, and salt. Add to the cocoa-butter mixture. Stir until just combined.
- Pour into greased 8x8 inch square pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Do not overbake; the brownies should be gooey. Let cool.
- Remove ice cream from the freezer to soften
- Grease the bottom of a nine-inch spring form pan with coconut oil
- Cut the brownies into square and crumble with your hands. Next, spread on the bottom of the spring form pan to form an even crust.
- Scoop heaping spoonful of ice cream to cover the crust with the Pistachio flavored ice cream. Use a spatula to spread evenly. Quickly do the same for the black cherry flavor. Place the cake in the freezer for 20 minutes to avoid melting and leaking from the spring form pan. Remove from freezer and complete the third layer of ice cream with the chocolate layer.
- Freeze cake for 6-8 hours before serving
- Make whip cream in a standing mixer. At a medium/high speed mix the pint of cream and add ¼ cup of sugar until the cream is forming soft peaks and you’ve achieved the desired consistency
- Remove from freezer and release from the spring form pan. Spread whipped cream and top with maraschino cherries.
- Dip a sharp knife in boiling water before attempting to cut
