Flashback: Graduation spumoni layer cake with chocolate frosting, pistachio cream filling and marshmallow fondant decorations

Wowzah is that a really long title or what?! I was browsing through some pictures when I suddenly remembered this gem. This was "back in the day" when I took pictures of food and I didn't care about silly things like quality, natural light, and props so bare with me. When Lewis was graduating with his BA I knew I had to make something special, a run of the mill chocolate cake simply would not do so I decided to make this cake based off of one of our favorite ice cream flavors - Spumoni. Can I just say what's not to like about chocolate, pistachio, and cherry? I mean whoever invented this deserves some serious praise! I don't mean to sound cocky, but this has to be one of my all time FAVORITE cakes! EVER! And I have eaten some flippin' good cakes! It seems like a lot of different steps, but believe me, it's worth it! These recipes will yield two three layer cakes so keep that in mind, if you want only one, divide ingredients by half OR if you would like to only try one recipe and make one two, layer pistachio cake that works too.

for the pistachio layer...

1 (3.4oz) package of instant pistachio pudding mix
7 drops of green food coloring
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
8 egg yolks (save five of those whites for the cherry cake)
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2.Grease two 9 inch round cake pans. Mix baking powder, salt, and pudding mix - set aside.
3.In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then stir in vanilla.
4.Beat in the flour alternatively with the milk starting and ending with the flour then mix in the food coloring.
5.Bake for 20-25min. or until top of cake springs back when lightly tapped.

pistachio cream filling...

I just added a second box of pistachio pudding mix to some cool whip, this step isn't really necessary because you could easily use the chocolate frosting to layer the cakes, I just prefer more pistachio flavor

for the chocolate cake...

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup and 2 TBS AP flour
1/4 cup plus 2 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 hot water

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9 inch round cake pans.
2.In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add egg, milk, oil, and vanilla - mix on medium speed for two minutes, stir in the water last (batter will be thin).
3.Bake for 30-35min. Cool in pan for 10min.

for the cherry cake...


3 cups sifted cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts
16 maraschino cherries, cut into eighths
5 egg whites, stiffly beaten

**Prepare ahead of time: Coarsely chop 1/2 cup nuts. Cut 16 maraschino cherries into eighths and set aside. They can be put together in the same bowl as they will be added at the same time.

Directions:

1.Combine the 1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice and 3/4 cup milk in a one cup measure. Set aside.
2.Preheat oven to 350*F. Generously grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.
3.Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together onto waxed paper or in a medium bowl; set aside.Cream butter, shortening, and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy (about five minutes). Add sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk-maraschino cherry juice mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat well after each addition.
4.In a separate bowl, whip egg whites until stiff peaks form.
5.Fold in nuts and cherries, then fold in the beaten egg whites.
6.Bake for 30-35min.

To see my chocolate frosting recipe click here

Marshmallow Fondant:

8 ounces miniature marshmallows (4 cups not packed, or half of a 16-ounce bag)
1 pound powdered sugar (4 cups), plus extra for dusting
2 TBS butter
Food coloring or flavored extracts 9optional)



Directions:


1.Dump about two cups of sugar onto your counter or a large cutting board with powdered sugar. Melt the butter in a sauce pan on low and add the marshmallows.

2.Stir the marshmallows with a rubber spatula until they are melted and smooth.

3.Plop the melted marshmallows onto the powdered sugar pile, dust your hands with powdered sugar, and begin to knead the fondant mixture like bread dough, working the sugar into the marshmallow with your hands.

4.Continue to knead the fondant until it smoothes out, adding the rest of your sugar as you go along. Once the fondant is a smooth ball, it is ready to be used. You can now roll it out, shape it, or wrap it in cling wrap to use later. Well-wrapped fondant can be stored in a cool room or in the refrigerator, and needs to be kneaded until supple before later use.

5.If you want to add coloring or flavoring to your fondant, flatten it into a round disc (you might want to wear gloves to avoid getting food coloring on your hands during this step, but I find that gloves get in the way) add your desired amount of coloring or flavoring to the center of the disc, and fold the disc over on itself so that the color or flavor is enclosed in the center of the fondant ball.

6.Begin to knead the ball of fondant just like you did before. As you work it, you will begin to see streaks of color coming through from the center. Continue to knead until the streaks are gone and the fondant is a uniform color. Your fondant is now ready to be used or stored as outlined above.