Spumoni ice cream cake

In fact, the spumoni color palette was an early callout for this book’s design. TBD if that panned out; as of this writing, we haven’t started the design process. Update: We are now in the copy editing phase and still haven’t agreed on the color palette for the book. It’s causing quite a bit of stress among the exectuives! This cake may seem difficult to pull off, but it’s actually easy because all the components are store-bought. All you have to do is assemble. The ice cream can take you anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes to soften, depending on quality and room temperature. To speed it along and make sure it softens evenly, add the ice cream to a large bowl and use a thick metal spatula or spoon to chop it up and stir it around, à la Cold Stone Creamery. It should be the consistency of a thick porridge. If the cake or the ice cream pints ever get too melty, toss them in the freezer until they are firm enough to work with, usually around 30 minutes. This is a great basic recipe for any ice cream cake; experiment with other flavors, if you like. (Ahem . . . Neapolitan.) This brings us to our final design update: We landed on mint chip with a hint of Neapolitan. Some would argue that these colorways are the same as spumoni. We argue that the tonal nuances of “pistachio” vs. “mint” and “cherry” vs. “strawberry” are quite distinct, and choosing the wrong color would result in a disaster of unprecedented scale, as far as book designs go. Anyway, our designer, Becky, definitely needs a vacation, but the executives are pleased. Hope you are, too!

Serves: 10-12

Ingredients

• 3 pints (or one 1 ½ -quart/1.4 kg carton pistachio ice cream)
• Pan spray, for greasing
• 8 ounces (227 g) crisp chocolate, vanilla, or shortbread cookies
• 12 classic rectangular ice cream sandwiches, ½ - to ¾-inch thick (13 to 19 mm)
• 3 pints (or one 1 ½ -quart/1.4 kg carton) cherry ice cream
• 1 cup (125 g) maraschino cherries, drained and stemmed (from a 10-ounce/283 g jar)  

Special equipment

Rolling pin or mallet

Method

1. Soften the pistachio ice cream to a spreadable consistency.
2. In the meantime, spray a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) pan with pan spray and line it with a double layer of plastic wrap, being sure to leave at least 2 inches (5 cm) of overhang on all sides. (The pan spray helps the plastic to stick to the sides.)
3. Add the cookies to a plastic zipper-top bag, and use a rolling pin or mallet to crush them into crumbs. Layer the crushed cookies evenly in the bottom of the pan. Scoop the pistachio ice cream on top and use a spoon or offset spatula to spread it in an even layer. Press down firmly on the ice cream to make sure it adheres to the cookies. Place the pan in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the ice cream sandwiches, and place them on top of the pistachio ice cream. You’ll need to cut a couple so they fill the entire pan. Place the pan back in the freezer for about 30 minutes while the cherry ice cream softens.
5. Soften the cherry ice cream, and spread 2 pints (or two-thirds of the carton) over the ice cream sandwiches. Add the cherries, and press down using the ice cream as glue. Top with the remaining cherry ice cream, and spread it into an even layer, letting the cherries peek out a little bit on top.
6. Cover the cake with plastic wrap, and reeze for at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.
7. Use the plastic wrap overhang to lift the cake out of the pan. Slice and serve. If the cake is hard to cut, let it sit for a few minutes, and warm the knife by running it under hot water and wiping it dry between slices.

Prep ahead

Make the cake up to 1 month in advance. Store in the freezer. Wrap well to prevent freezer burn and odors from creeping in.