Spumoni

Spumone Napoletano (Layered Italian Ice Cream)

The Neapolitan classic: a dome of three strata — sour cherry, pistachio, and chocolate — separated by ribbons of whipped cream and studded with candied orange. Sliced like a cake and served at the end of a long meal.

Prep

60 min

Cook

30 min

Total

90 min

Serves

8 to 10

Difficulty

Hard

Recipe ingredients

• •500 ml (2 cups + 2 tbsp) whole milk
• •250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream, minimum 35% fat
• •200 g (7 oz) granulated sugar
• •6 whole large egg yolks
• •100 g (3½ oz) Sicilian pistachio paste, 100% pistachio, no colouring; substitutes rarely match
• •180 g (6¼ oz) sour cherries in light syrup, drained, amarena or canned Italian sour cherries; pitted
• •40 g (1½ oz) dark chocolate (70%), melted, for the chocolate layer
• •20 g (¾ oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
• •60 g (2 oz) candied orange peel, finely diced
• •1 whole vanilla bean, split and scraped; or 2 tsp vanilla extract
• •1 pinch fine sea salt
• •250 ml (1 cup) additional heavy cream for the whipped layer, must whip to soft peaks; do not over-whip
• •30 g (1 oz) powdered sugar for the whipped layer

Steps

1. 1 Lightly oil a 1.5 L (6-cup) dome-shaped or loaf mould. Line with plastic wrap so it hangs over the edges for unmoulding. Chill the mould in the freezer.
2. 2 Make the base custard: warm the 500 ml milk, 250 ml cream, sugar, salt, and scraped vanilla bean in a saucepan until steaming (about 75 °C / 170 °F). In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly pour the hot milk into the yolks while whisking, then return the mixture to the pan.
3. 3 Cook the custard over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it reaches 82 °C / 180 °F and coats the back of the spoon (a line drawn with your finger holds). Do not let it boil or the yolks will curdle. Strain into a clean bowl.
4. 4 Divide the custard into three bowls while still warm (about 200 g per bowl).
5. 5 Cherry layer: fold the drained sour cherries (reserving 2 tbsp syrup) and half the reserved syrup into one portion of custard. The cherries should be evenly distributed; if they bleed heavily, the layer will be pink rather than ruby — this is acceptable.
6. 6 Pistachio layer: whisk the pistachio paste into the second portion until completely smooth and uniformly pale green. Taste and add a pinch more sugar if the paste is unsweetened.
7. 7 Chocolate layer: whisk the melted dark chocolate and cocoa powder into the third portion until glossy and smooth.
8. 8 Cool each base to 4 °C / 40 °F over an ice bath, then churn each separately in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer's instructions (typically 20–25 minutes), until the texture is the consistency of soft serve. Work in batches if needed.
9. 9 Whip the additional 250 ml cream with the powdered sugar to soft peaks only — it should still slump gently from the whisk. Over-whipped cream turns grainy once frozen.
10. 10 Assembly: spread the cherry layer in the bottom of the chilled mould, level, and freeze for 20 minutes until firm enough to hold the next layer. Spread a thin layer of whipped cream over it, sprinkle with one-third of the candied orange, and freeze another 15 minutes.
11. 11 Add the pistachio layer, level, freeze 20 minutes, then top with a thin layer of whipped cream and another third of the candied orange. Freeze 15 minutes.
12. 12 Add the chocolate layer, level, and finish with the remaining whipped cream and candied orange, swirling the top gently. Freeze the assembled dome for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, until solid through to the centre.
13. 13 To unmould: dip the outside of the mould briefly in hot water (5–10 seconds), pull the plastic wrap overhanging edges, and invert onto a chilled serving plate. Peel off the plastic and return to the freezer for 10 minutes to re-firm before slicing.
14. 14 Slice with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts. Serve immediately on chilled plates; spumone is traditionally eaten in slices about 2 cm (¾ in) thick.