SPUMONI CAKE JARS

Spumoni Cake Jars image

These are inspired by spumoni, the classic Italian dessert that typically consists of layers of pistachio, cherry, and chocolate or vanilla gelato. My favorite spumoni comes from Dave's Pizza in Bemidji, Minnesota, where we went on our first little trip with Bernie!

Provided by Molly Yeh

Categories dessert

Time 1h30m

Yield 14 servings

Number Of Ingredients 24

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Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray, for the pan
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
6 tablespoons hot coffee
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
Pinch kosher salt
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup roasted pistachios (salted pistachios are okay if they're all you can find), finely chopped with some bigger bits
A few drops green food coloring
1/3 cup maraschino cherries, finely chopped with some bigger bits, plus 14 whole maraschino cherries
Canned whipped cream, for garnish
Rainbow nonpareils, for topping

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.)