Spumoni Mousse Cake

Okay. Calling this cake is a bit of a misnomer. Yes, it’s cake-shaped with stacked layers made for slicing and it’s even frosted, but there’s nary a crumb to speak of.  It’s 100% mousse, in cherry chip and pistachio flavors, surrounded by vanilla whipped cream – my take on spumoni.

The trio of cherry, pistachio and vanilla flavors were the primary inspiration for this cake dessert, but I also find myself preternaturally drawn to this color palette.  Remember these? Yeah. This cake and those mallow cones need to get together and have a party.

Tart server from Leif; Ice cream spoons from Hey YoYo.

Since this cake was inspired by its ice cream counterpart, I decided to try it as a frozen dessert – and it’s delicious as such. I could see this served  at a summertime gathering in place of a typical ice cream cake. After the half-slice I tested as a frozen dessert had sat on the counter and thawed somewhat, I tried it again. It’s just as delicious at room temperature, and much softer with a true airy mousse texture.

I found that using instant pistachio pudding to flavor the top layer created a pretty green hue, and the flavor is easily recognizable. It also has just the right amount of ground pistachios in the mix to keep the mousse texture nice and smooth. If you don’t have access to instant pistachio pudding, you may omit the pudding from the recipe, add a handful of ground pistachios and use pistachio flavoring.

The cherry layer is my favorite because, well, I’m just a cherry lovin’ girl. There’s something so wonderful about getting a bite filled with cherry chips. It tastes like happy.

Spumoni Mousse Cake

[click for printable version]

Yield: one 7 or 8-inch cake; about 12 servings

Source: SprinkleBakes original recipe, icing technique inspired by Sweetapolita

Prep: 1 hour 15 minutes plus 4-5 hours chilling time

Cherry Layer

Pistachio Layer

1/4 oz. package
of powdered gelatin

1 tsp. powdered
gelatin

2 tbsp. maraschino
cherry juice

2 tbsp. cold
water

3 egg yolks

1 1/2
tablespoons egg yolk

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup whole milk
or half and half

1/4 cup whole
milk or half and half

8 oz. high
quality white chocolate, chopped

4 oz. high
quality white chocolate, chopped

1 tsp. almond extract
or 1/4 tsp. almond oil

3 tablespoons
instant pistachio pudding

Few drops of pink
food coloring

Drop of green
food coloring (if desired)

24 maraschino
cherries, chopped into “chips”

1 1/2 cups
whipping cream

1 cup heavy
whipping cream

 For the cherry layer

  1. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of two 7 or 8-inch
    spring form pans. Line the bottoms with a parchment paper round. Set aside.
  2. Place the 2 tbsp. cherry juice in a medium saucepan and
    sprinkle gelatin over water.  Let stand
    for 1 minute.  Whisk in egg yolks and
    sugar; mix well.  Stir in milk.  Cook over medium heat, whisking
    constantly.  Cook until thickened
    considerably 7-10 minutes. When done, it should be thick enough to coat the
    back of a spoon.   Stir in chopped white
    chocolate and blend with a whisk until chocolate has melted and has an even
    color.  Let cool.
  3. When mixture is cooled to just barely warm, whisk in almond
    extract and pink food coloring.  Stir in
    cherry chips.
  4. Whip cream until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold whipped cream into the cooled cherry
    mixture until well blended.  Pour into a
    prepared spring-form pan and level the top with a rubber spatula.  Pick up and drop the pan once or twice to
    settle any gaps that may have been created when the mixture was poured.  Place in freezer and freeze until firm.  Wash and dry your saucepan, bowl, spatula,
    whisk and beaters for the next layer.

For the pistachio layer

  1. Place the 2 tbsp. water in a medium saucepan and sprinkle
    gelatin over water.  Let stand for 1
    minute.  Whisk in egg yolk and sugar.  Stir in milk. 
    Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly.  Cook until thickened considerably 5-7
    minutes. When done, it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.   Stir in chopped white chocolate and blend
    with a whisk until chocolate has melted and has an even color.  Whisk in instant pistachio pudding mix.  Let cool.
  2. When mixture is cooled to just barely warm, whisk in a
    drop of green food coloring to intensify the green color, if desired. 
  3. Whip cream until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold whipped cream into the cooled pistachio
    mixture until well blended.  Pour into the
    remaining prepared spring-form pan and level the top with a rubber
    spatula.  Pick up and drop the pan once
    or twice to settle any gaps that may have been created when the mixture was
    poured.  Place in freezer and freeze
    until firm.

Vanilla whipped cream and assembly

1 1/2 cups heavy cream  

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. clear vanilla extract

Pink food coloring

12 whole maraschino cherries, rinsed and patted dry

  1. Remove pans of mousse from the freezer. Use a dish towel
    soaked in hot water then wrung dry to warm the outside of the spring-form
    collars and then gently unlatch and remove the collars. Turn the cherry layer
    onto a serving platter or cake stand and peel off the parchment round.  Stack the pistachio layer on top of the
    cherry layer and press down until layers are even.  If you have gaps between the layers, use an off-set
    spatula to smooth the two layers together. 
    Peel off parchment circle.
  2. Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form, and then
    gradually add the sugar. Add in the vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form.  Frost the upper half of the mousse cake white
    whipped cream; avoid frosting the top – we want the pretty green color of the
    pistachio mousse to show.  Tint the
    remaining whipped cream pink and frost the lower portion with the pink whipped cream.
    Use one large spatula to smooth the two colors together on the sides of the
    cake.  Transfer remaining pink whipped
    cream to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.  Pipe 12 pink whipped cream florets on the top
    outer edge of the cake.  Place a cherry
    in the center of each floret.  Store cake
    in the freezer.  Slice into pieces while
    still partially frozen.  Serve frozen or
    let slices come to room temperature – it’s delicious both ways!
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http://cakesandsprinkles.blogspot.com/
http://cakesandsprinkles.blogspot.com/
11 years ago

You're a real artist! Love, love, LOVE this cake!♥

Ale
Ale
11 years ago

gorgeous!

marcie@flavorthemoments
marcie@flavorthemoments
11 years ago

Spumoni is one of my favorite ice creams. I can't believe you've made a mousse cake out of it! Amazing and beautiful!

Rosa's Yummy Yums
Rosa's Yummy Yums
11 years ago

Refreshing, spring-like, pretty and luscious!

Chers,

Rosa

señorita mandarina
señorita mandarina
11 years ago

absolutamente delicioso

Lora
Lora
11 years ago

This is spumonilicious. Wow!

Liria
Liria
11 years ago

Oh my God! It looks gorgeous, I have no words to describe such an amazing desert.
Congratulations, I don't know why I still get surprised with your creations. I should know that you always surprise me.

Kulinarny Zenit
Kulinarny Zenit
11 years ago

OMG!! So perfect, so delicious!

Alayna @ Thyme Bombe
Alayna @ Thyme Bombe
11 years ago

Oh my! My family used to love a cheesy little Italian restaurant that has since closed and my favorite part of the meal was always the complimentary spumoni ice cream at the end. My mouth is filling with the phantom flavor of it just looking at this pretty pastel dessert you've created!

Anonymous
Anonymous
11 years ago

Hi
I am designing a dessert buffet for my sons wedding and I will try this out as individual mini shot desserts. Of course I will need to attempt it several times before the big day just to make sure I get it right!!!

Kilby Austin
Kilby Austin
11 years ago

How would a chocolate lover substitute a chocolate icing for the vanilla?

Heather
Heather
11 years ago

Beautiful!

Unknown
Unknown
11 years ago

Oh my gosh, you have created a masterpiece!

Amanda Rose
http://sewmuchtosay.blogspot.com

Katy @ KatysKitchen
Katy @ KatysKitchen
11 years ago

This is so beautiful, what pretty colours for Easter

Brigette Olmos-Arreola
Brigette Olmos-Arreola
11 years ago

what light, fluffy goodness! This looks delish and I love those colors too!

Anonymous
Anonymous
11 years ago

Bee – u – ti -ful!

Kelsey
Kelsey
11 years ago

I love this idea. Spumoni is one of my favorites and I just adore the pink/green color combo.

Jenn @ Once Upon a Tier
Jenn @ Once Upon a Tier
11 years ago

Wow. I love the colors together! It looks so appetizing!

Anonymous
Anonymous
11 years ago

This is absolutely stunning!

Marjorie (Sugar for the Brain)
Marjorie (Sugar for the Brain)
11 years ago

So so so beautiful! Like everything you do!

Unknown
Unknown
11 years ago

Looks SO amazing! I want to gobble it all up right now!!

Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
10 years ago

Bah! The colours in this are insanely lovely! Awesome recipe!

Sue
Sue
10 years ago

This "cake" could light up a room! I am mesmerized by this cake, and can't seem to take my eyes off the bright, red cherries:)

Loretta E.
Loretta E.
10 years ago

If you even have any, you should probably start posting pics of some of your kitchen 'fails' so the rest of us don't feel so bad about ourselves 🙂

Absolutely gorgeous!

The Bearfoot Baker
The Bearfoot Baker
10 years ago

This would be the star at any dessert table! It is gorgeous!

Monica
Monica
10 years ago

Your desserts really are works of art! Amazing job!

Peabody
Peabody
10 years ago

So insanely gorgeous!

Bellenza Bistro
Bellenza Bistro
10 years ago

What an ingenious (and certainly delicious) spumoni 'cake'! Love the spring-inspired colors!

Pilar
Pilar
10 years ago

Me encanta, ha quedado elegante y delicada.
Las fotos también están muy bien.
Felicidades.

*Pilar*

Tiffany, aka Streusel
Tiffany, aka Streusel
10 years ago

You never cease to amaze me! You got mad skillz lady! 🙂

Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen
Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen
10 years ago

Stunning and gorgeous, Heather! I love Spumoni…fabulous idea to create it as mousse and present in an iced layer "cake"! Beautiful props and photography, too! Love…

Unknown
Unknown
10 years ago

que bonito

savvyjulie@gmail.com
savvyjulie@gmail.com
10 years ago

This cake is gorgeous. And I love the flavor combo!

Rosita Vargas
Rosita Vargas
10 years ago

Realmente lindo y elegante y segura deliciosa me encantó,saludos desde el sur de Chile abrazos y abrazos

Tieghan
Tieghan
10 years ago

This is just stunning! Wow! You amaze me every time you post!!

Liz @ Tip Top Shape
Liz @ Tip Top Shape
10 years ago

This may be the greatest cake in the history of cakes. I LOVE spumoni!!

Kiran @ KiranTarun.com
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com
10 years ago

Beautiful cake, and I'm now speechless. Just left to drool 😀

Qchenne-inspiracje,  Małgosia
Qchenne-inspiracje, Małgosia
10 years ago

Beautiful photographs and delicious deser !!!

Endywia
Endywia
10 years ago

Amazing. That cake is sooo extremly beautifaul that it sems to be madnes not to do that cake.

María José Andreu Granados
María José Andreu Granados
10 years ago

que delicia, además toda una monada de tarta y de blog.
besos

thea
thea
10 years ago

both beautiful & delicious!!

thea.
(spoonfulzine)
xx

HB
HB
10 years ago

This is incredible.

I want this at my next birthday party.

It's just too amazing for words really.

Wow.

Take care, keep cooking!

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 years ago

I have tried ur espresso-biscoff-heart-cake and it turned out amazing…. Now I want to try out this cake….. Never heard or tasted but it looks amazing….I want to try this out… Can you please tell me what can I replace it with egg yolk and gelatin… And how much.

Thanks u r the best 🙂
Dee

Coco Cake Land
Coco Cake Land
10 years ago

this is just the cutest pastel cartoony awesome cake! love it… ^__^

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 years ago

When I first saw this post, I knew that I had to try to make it for my Grandma, since Spumoni is her very best favorite dessert and this is the most gorgeous example of Spumoni that I had ever seen. So I made it on Sunday night as a trial run for Mother's Day…and it is PERFECT. You recipe is flawless and so much easier than I thought it would be. I gave out "sample" slices to my friends and family and everyone's eyes lit up when they tasted it. Everyone also agreed that it is as delicious as… Read more »

Unknown
Unknown
10 years ago

My mum is making me this for my birthday!! it`s soo cool!! 🙂

P. S. Check my blog>>> http://prettyreports.blogspot.com