Phony Spumoni Recipes

SPUMONI CAKE JARS

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, vanilla and egg. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Whisk in the coffee.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out; it will be a thin layer of cake! Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean; begin checking for doneness at 18 minutes.
• Let cool in the pan completely.
• For the frosting: Combine the butter, mascarpone, powdered sugar, salt and lemon zest in a bowl and mix until just combined. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix to combine. Divide the frosting into 2 bowls. Stir the pistachios and green food coloring into one half and the chopped maraschino cherries into the other half.
• To assemble, crumble the cake with your hands and press a small handful into the bottom of a 4-ounce jar, packing firmly, to make a 1/2-inch-thick layer. Spread a layer of frosting (either flavor) on top to make a 1/4-inch layer, then add another 1/2-inch layer of packed cake. Top with a 1/4-inch layer of the other flavor of frosting and smooth out the top. Add a squirt of the canned whipped cream. Finish with a pinch of nonpareils and a whole cherry. Continue with the remaining jars. Serve immediately. (To make ahead, assemble the jars but don't include the canned whipped cream, nonpareils or whole cherries. Refrigerate, covered. Add the whipped cream, nonpareils and whole cherries immediately before serving.)

VALERIE'S SPUMONI

Steps:

• Lightly grease a 9-by-5-inch aluminum loaf pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with plastic wrap on all sides, leaving a 2-inch overhang; the cooking spray will help the plastic stick directly to the sides of the pan.
• In a food processor, pulse the chocolate wafers until very fine, like sand. Add the chocolate sauce and pulse a few more times until the mixture comes together. Pour into the prepared loaf pan and firmly press into the bottom of the pan to create a crust. Freeze for 30 minutes to set.
• Meanwhile, remove the chocolate-chocolate chip gelato from the freezer to soften. After 30 minutes, remove the loaf pan from the freezer and spread the chocolate gelato over the crust; use a small offset or rubber spatula to spread the gelato into a flat, even layer. Return the loaf pan to the freezer for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, let the vanilla bean gelato soften at room temperature.
• When the vanilla gelato has softened, transfer it to a bowl and stir in the sliced Amarena cherries, the Amarena syrup and the red food coloring if using. Mix until the cherries are evenly dispersed and the food coloring is completely incorporated. Remove the loaf pan from the freezer and evenly spread the cherry gelato over the chocolate gelato. Place back in the freezer for at least 1 hour more; it takes longer for the cherry layer to set.
• Thirty minutes before the cherry layer is set, remove the pistachio gelato from the freezer to soften. When softened, spread in an even layer over the cherry gelato; the pistachio layer should come up nearly to the top of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
• When ready to serve, remove the plastic wrap from the top of the pan and invert the spumoni onto a cutting board. Gently lift the loaf pan away and remove the remaining plastic wrap. Slice the spumoni into 3/4-inch slices, using a chef's knife dipped in warm water; dip the knife in the warm water between each slice. Serve immediately.

GIANT SPUMONI HAMANTASCHEN

Steps:

• For the crust: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar and salt. Add the butter and rub together with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly with pea-sized bits of butter. Add the water, almond extract and 1 of the eggs and mix together until it forms a dry and crumbly dough. Turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap, press together and flatten into a disc, wrap tightly and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
• To assemble: Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl with 1 teaspoon of water for the egg wash. Set aside.
• On a piece of parchment paper dusted with flour, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle that is about 1/4 inch thick. Trim the edges with a sharp knife or pizza cutter and transfer to a baking sheet using the parchment. Spread on a thin and even layer of the jam, leaving a 2-inch border. Dollop the Frangipane over the jam and gently spread in an even layer. Brush the border with the egg wash. Carefully fold the sides into the center to create a triangle with a 2-inch opening in the center. Pinch to seal where the sides of the dough meet. Brush the egg wash all over the top and sides. Freeze until the dough is firm and cold to the touch, at least 30 minutes.
• Place an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Bake until the crust is golden brown around the edges and the frangipane is set; begin checking at 30 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet to room temperature.
• Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together over a double boiler (or in the microwave in 30-second increments) until smooth. Drizzle over the hamantaschen and allow to set. Decorate with sprinkles and marzipan masks as desired. Slice in wedges to serve.
• To make the frangipane filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light, fluffy and pale, about 2 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl, as needed. Add the almond extract and egg and beat until the mixture is creamy and homogeneous, about 30 seconds. Mix in the ground pistachios, flour and salt until fully combined.

SPUMONI

Steps:

• Prepare the vanilla and chocolate ice-cream bases: Whisk 2 cups milk, 3/4 cup sugar, and 5 egg yolks together in a heavy 2-quart saucepan until blended. Drop in the vanilla bean, and set the saucepan over very low heat. Switch to a wooden spoon and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick, about 10 minutes. (If you have an instant-reading thermometer, check the temperature from time to time. The base will thicken shortly after the temperature reaches 180° F.) Strain the mixture into a small bowl, and cool to room temperature with a piece of plastic wrap pressed directly to the surface. Clean the saucepan. Whisk 2 cups milk, 3/4 cup sugar, 5 egg yolks, and the cocoa together in the saucepan until blended. Cook and stir as described above until thickened. Strain the chocolate mixture into a separate small bowl and cool as above. The bases can be refrigerated for up to 1 day before continuing.
• If you have an ice-cream maker, freeze the ice-cream bases separately, according to manufacturer's directions, and set the finished ice creams in the freezer as you finish. If you don't have an ice-cream maker, place the bowls of ice-cream base in the freezer and freeze, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is frozen but soft enough to be spooned out easily.
• Whip the cream and 1/4 cup sugar in a chilled bowl until it holds stiff peaks. Gently fold the cherries, nuts, and candied peel into the whipped cream. Refrigerate the whipped cream.
• Line up six 10-ounce paper soft-drink cups on your work surface. Remove the vanilla ice cream from the freezer. (If it has become too hard to scoop easily, let it stand at room temperature 5 to 10 minutes.) Working quickly, scoop one-sixth of the ice cream into one of the cups and spread it into an even layer that comes about 3 inches up the sides of the cup and is about 1/4 inch thick, leaving enough room in the center for a layer of chocolate ice cream and the whipped-cream filling. Place the cup in the freezer immediately and repeat with the remaining ice cream and cups. Freeze until the vanilla ice cream is solid, 15 to 30 minutes.
• Check the consistency of the chocolate ice cream. If it is too solid to spoon easily, let it stand at room temperature 5 to 10 minutes. Tear off six squares of plastic wrap or wax paper large enough to cover the tops of the ice-cream molds, and set them close by. Take the flavored whipped cream out of the refrigerator and have it close by. Take one of the cups out of the freezer and spoon a layer of the chocolate ice cream inside the vanilla ice cream, making that layer even with the top of the vanilla ice cream and leaving enough space in the center for the whipped-cream filling. (You may not need a full sixth of the chocolate ice cream to do this.) Drop a little of the whipped cream into the center of the mold and tap the surface of the cup to settle the whipped cream into the indentation. Add the whipped cream little by little, tapping the cup after each addition, until the whipped cream is even with the ice-cream layers. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper pressed directly to the surface, and return immediately to the freezer. Repeat with the remaining cups. Freeze for at least 2 hours or up to one day before serving.
• To serve, remove wax paper or plastic wrap. With a sharp, serrated knife, cut the cup in half lengthwise from the top, straight through the ice cream. Working carefully, peel the cup from the spumoni halves and serve on chilled plates.