Inspired by the classic Neapolitan dessert, this spumoni upside-down cake is a decadent trio of pistachio, chocolate, and cherry.
Pistachio! Dark chocolate! Cherries! This spumoni upside-down cake is all the best things in each bite.
Spumoni, a classic dessert originating in Napoli, is three layers of airy gelato featuring cherry, pistachio, and chocolate, studded with nuts, fruits, or little pieces of chocolate.
My upside-down cake version of the dessert starts with a maraschino cherry caramel that bathes a layer of halved maraschino cherries. The batter is a pistachio cake batter (with just a dot of green food coloring) with shaved dark chocolate throughout. You’ll get all three classic flavors of spumoni in each bite. What’s not to love?
What you need
- Cherry layer: You’ll make a maraschino caramel with butter, light brown sugar, and syrup from the jar of maraschino cherries. For the cherries, you just need to halve the maraschino cherries and coat them with a tablespoon of cornstarch.
- Cake batter: The cake batter is just flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, granulated sugar, pistachio cream, egg, whole milk, pistachio flavoring, vanilla extract, and the tiniest drop of green food coloring. It’s finished with dark chocolate that’s chopped into irregular shavings. I use 85% dark chocolate, but you can use anywhere from 60% to 80% dark chocolate depending on your preference.
How to make it
Step 1: Make the caramel.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the light brown sugar. Stir until combined and then add the maraschino cherry syrup. Continue stirring until smooth and combined. Pour into a greased cake pan.
Step 2: Assemble the cherry layer.
Toss the halved cherries with cornstarch. While the caramel is still hot, arrange the cherries in concentric circles, cut-side down. Transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes as you prepare the cake batter.
Step 3: Make the batter.
Add the dry ingredients to a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the pistachio cream and egg and continue beating until smooth. Finish by beating in the pistachio flavoring, vanilla extract, and food coloring. Beat until the food coloring is completely incorporated into the mixture. Add half the dry ingredients and alternate them with the milk, beating after each addition, until the batter is smooth. Be careful not to overmix. Fold in the dark chocolate shavings.
Step 4: Assemble and bake.
Remove the cake pan from the freezer and pour the batter on top. Transfer to the oven for about 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool for about 30 to 60 minutes.
Step 5: Flip it over.
Place a plate over the cake pan and invert the cake onto the plate. Slice the cake and serve with whipped cream on top, if desired.
Spumoni Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
Maraschino cherry caramel:
- 4 tablespoons (57g) butter
- ½ cup (100g) light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30g) maraschino cherry syrup from the jar
Cherry layer:
- 1 (16-ounce) jar maraschino cherries (drained and halved)
- 1 tablespoon (7g) cornstarch
Batter:
- 1¼ cups (150g) all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons (57g) butter (room temperature)
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons (32g) pistachio cream
- 1 teaspoon pistachio flavoring
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 drop green food coloring
- ½ cup (120g) whole milk
- 2 ounces (56g) dark chocolate (chopped into small shavings)
Instructions
Make the caramel:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease an 8-inch round cake pan. Set aside.
- Melt 4 tablespoons (57g) butter in a small pot over medium heat. Once melted, add ½ cup (100g) light brown sugar. Stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar blends into the butter and the mixture darkens slightly in color.
- Reduce the heat to low and add 2 tablespoons (30g) maraschino cherry syrup. Whisk until smooth and simmer for 1 minute. Turn off the heat.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and smooth it into an even layer.
Assemble cherries:
- Combine halved cherries and 1 tablespoon (7g) cornstarch in a bowl. Carefully arrange them cut-side down in the hot caramel in tight concentric circles. Transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes as you prepare the cake batter.
Make the batter:
- Sift 1¼ cups (150g) all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt into a small bowl. Set aside.
- Add 4 tablespoons (57g) room-temperature butter and ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar to a large bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to cream them together. Add 1 egg and 2 tablespoons (32g) pistachio cream and beat until smooth. Add 1 teaspoon pistachio flavoring, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 drop of green food coloring. Beat until the food coloring is completely incorporated into the mixture and the batter is smooth.
- Add half the sifted dry ingredients and beat with the mixer until just combined. Add ½ cup (120g) whole milk and beat until just combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Don’t overmix! Fold in the shaved dark chocolate.
Assemble the cake:
- Remove the cake pan from the freezer. Pour the batter on top and smooth into an even layer.
Bake the upside-down cake:
- Transfer the cake to the oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake stand at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes. The cake should still be warm to the touch.
Flip the cake:
- Place a large plate over the cake pan and carefully invert the cake onto the plate.
To serve:
- Slice the cake and serve it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired, though it’s delicious with no accompaniments.
