Like a layered sundae, this Italian ice cream dessert requires zero cooking and is easy to assemble for birthdays and gatherings. Learn how to make spumoni at home.

Spumoni Recipe: How to Make Spumoni Ice Cream

Spumoni is a molded Italian dessert that layers three ice cream flavors—cherry, pistachio, and chocolate—with sweet, crunchy fruit, chocolate, amaretto cookies, and sometimes nuts. Spumoni (the plural of “spumone”) comes from the word “spuma,” meaning “foam,” which likely refers to the dessert’s light, airy combination of whipped cream and ice cream. 

In traditional Italian spumoni, [gelato](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-authentic-italian-gelato) (rather than ice cream) gets mixed with whipped cream, lending it a lighter, frothier color. National Spumoni Day on August 21 is a great excuse to enjoy this festive frozen dessert.
This decadent dessert is cold and sweet, with no oven needed to make it. Here’s how to make the treat:

1. __Monitor the temperature of your ingredients__. When preparing spumoni, keep your ingredients cold yet pliable enough to mold. If the ice cream starts to melt, place the cake or the ice cream cartons in the freezer to firm up. If the ice cream is too cold, simply let it rest at room temperature for five minutes. You can store ice cream in the refrigerator during assembly, so it stays cool without getting too hard to mold.
2. __Make sundaes__. For individual portions, divide the ingredients into sundae serving bowls.
3. __Deepen the flavors__. To amp up the flavor of the chocolate syrup (for serving), stir in a shot of espresso, then cool. Coffee boosts the deep, earthy <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/cacao-guide' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/cacao-guide","linkCopy":"cacao","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>cacao</a> flavor of chocolate.
4. __Lighten the dessert up__. Most Italian-American spumoni recipes call for ice cream. Swap in cherry, chocolate, and pistachio gelato or sorbet (a [water-based ice cream](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/ice-cream-vs-gelato-vs-sherbet-vs-sorbet)) for a less intensely rich texture.
Neapolitan ice cream, named after Naples, is a variation of spumoni that Italian immigrants brought to the United States. Spumoni originated in Apulia, Italy. It consists of three ice creams (chocolate, pistachio, and cherry) layered in a mold, then topped with maraschino cherries, candied nuts, whipped cream, and a generous drizzle of chocolate syrup. 

Neapolitan ice cream is also a molded ice cream composed of three flavors: vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, and strawberry ice cream. Italian immigrants likely swapped in strawberry and vanilla for pistachio and cherry to accommodate US consumers.
Like a layered sundae, this Italian ice cream dessert requires zero cooking and is easy to assemble for birthdays and gatherings. Learn how to make spumoni at home.

Spumoni is a molded Italian dessert that layers three ice cream flavors—cherry, pistachio, and chocolate—with sweet, crunchy fruit, chocolate, amaretto cookies, and sometimes nuts. Spumoni (the plural of “spumone”) comes from the word “spuma,” meaning “foam,” which likely refers to the dessert’s light, airy combination of whipped cream and ice cream. In traditional Italian spumoni, <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-authentic-italian-gelato' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-authentic-italian-gelato","linkCopy":"gelato","category":null}'>gelato</a> (rather than ice cream) gets mixed with whipped cream, lending it a lighter, frothier color. National Spumoni Day on August 21 is a great excuse to enjoy this festive frozen dessert.

What Is Spumoni?

This decadent dessert is cold and sweet, with no oven needed to make it. Here’s how to make the treat:<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Monitor the temperature of your ingredients. When preparing spumoni, keep your ingredients cold yet pliable enough to mold. If the ice cream starts to melt, place the cake or the ice cream cartons in the freezer to firm up. If the ice cream is too cold, simply let it rest at room temperature for five minutes. You can store ice cream in the refrigerator during assembly, so it stays cool without getting too hard to mold. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Make sundaes. For individual portions, divide the ingredients into sundae serving bowls. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Deepen the flavors. To amp up the flavor of the chocolate syrup (for serving), stir in a shot of espresso, then cool. Coffee boosts the deep, earthy <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/cacao-guide' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/cacao-guide","linkCopy":"cacao","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>cacao</a> flavor of chocolate. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Lighten the dessert up. Most Italian-American spumoni recipes call for ice cream. Swap in cherry, chocolate, and pistachio gelato or sorbet (a <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/ice-cream-vs-gelato-vs-sherbet-vs-sorbet' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/ice-cream-vs-gelato-vs-sherbet-vs-sorbet","linkCopy":"water-based ice cream","category":null}'>water-based ice cream</a>) for a less intensely rich texture. </li></ol>

4 Tips for Making Spumoni

Neapolitan ice cream, named after Naples, is a variation of spumoni that Italian immigrants brought to the United States. Spumoni originated in Apulia, Italy. It consists of three ice creams (chocolate, pistachio, and cherry) layered in a mold, then topped with maraschino cherries, candied nuts, whipped cream, and a generous drizzle of chocolate syrup. Neapolitan ice cream is also a molded ice cream composed of three flavors: vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, and strawberry ice cream. Italian immigrants likely swapped in strawberry and vanilla for pistachio and cherry to accommodate US consumers.

What Is the Difference Between Spumoni and Neapolitan Ice Cream?

Classic Spumoni Recipe

Like a layered sundae, this Italian ice cream dessert requires zero cooking and is easy to assemble for birthdays and gatherings. Learn how to make spumoni at home.

Like a layered sundae, this Italian ice cream dessert requires zero cooking and is easy to assemble for birthdays and gatherings. Learn how to make spumoni at home.
