Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake

10 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes

Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake is an easy dessert recipe with vanilla cake, pistachio pudding, white chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and pistachios.

Vanilla Pound Cake is the base for this Slow Cooker twist on a popular Italian ice cream flavor. Making delicious Cakes in a crockpot is about to you new favorite dessert hack!

You don’t need to be Italian to enjoy the sweet and creamy flavors of Spumoni Cake! The vanilla, pistachio, chocolate, and cherry flavors are a classic combination that will have everyone saying amore and please lots more-yay! Okay, silly stuff aside, this cake is delightful and delicious and sure to be a hit at your next holiday potluck.

Sabrina’s Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake Recipe

Crockpots aren’t just for savory dishes or dips, you can make all kinds of sweet desserts like this Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake. A slow cooker makes this cake super tender and moist, with a melt-in-your-mouth pudding texture and allows the flavors to deepen. It’s the perfect Christmas dessert you can let it bake while you are preparing your other holiday dishes without taking up any valuable oven space.

This Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake recipe starts with a rich and buttery vanilla pound cake mix that is made from scratch.The maraschino cherries adds the perfect sweet, chewy fruity burst in the vanilla cake. The next classic flavor in a Spumoni dessert is pistachio. Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake has a creamy pistachio layer made with pudding that bakes on the bottom. When you invert the cake, the gooey pistachio layer becomes the frosting and everything is topped off with a mix of white and semisweet chocolate chips and pistachio nuts. It’s an easy, festive cake for holidays or whenever you’re craving an Italian dessert.

Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake ingredients laid out separately in prep bowls

Ingredients

  • Cake Mix Batter: Instead of a box of cake mix, this fabulous cake starts with an easy homemade vanilla cake mix. The butter, egg and milk give it a much richer flavor than a package of cake mix and it’s not that much extra prep time to whip it together with common pantry ingredients.
  • Maraschino Cherries: Maraschino cherries are candied cherries with a super sweet delicious cherry flavor. Instead of folding the cherries into batter, they get arranged on top so they sink down just slightly during the bake time. This gives the cake a layer of chewy sweet goodness in every bite.
  • Pistachio Pudding: To make this cake easier, you use a package ofΒ instant pistachio pudding mix. The pudding bakes in the bottom of the cake, but then you flip the cake over so it becomes a delicious gooey topping.Β 
  • Toppings: The cake is finished with a cup pistachio nuts, white baking chips, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Along with the different layers in the cake, all the separate flavors come together for one indulgent, amazing cake.

Kitchen Tools & Equipment

  • Slow Cooker: You’ll need a 5-6 quart slow cooker to make this cake recipe. You don’t want it to be bigger or the cake will be very thin.
  • Baking Bag: A baking bag, like the kind for roasting, keeps the cake from sticking so you can easily flip it over onto the plate. Plus there’s way less clean up!
  • Stand Mixer: A stand mixer makes preparing the cake batter a breeze and whips lots of air into the wet ingredients for a softer, lighter cake. You could also use a hand mixer or mix it by hand if needed.

How to Make

Time needed:Β 4 hours and 30 minutes.

  1. Mix the Wet Ingredients

    Beat the butter and sugar in a stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and milk to the butter mixture and beat until smooth.Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake wet batter ingredients in mixing bowl before mixing

  2. Combine the Cake Batter

    Sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture to the bowl, mixing until just combined. Set aside.Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake adding dry batter ingredients to wet ingredients in mixing bowl

  3. Prepare the Pudding

    Add the box pistachio instant pudding and milk to another mixing bowl and whisk for 2 minutes until creamy. Let it set for 5 minutes.Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake pudding in slow cooker

  4. Layer the Cake Batter

    Line the inside of the slow cooker insert with a baking bag. Pour the pudding mixture into the bottom and use a spatula to even it out. Carefully add the bake batter over the pudding and smooth out the top.Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake batter over pudding in slow cooker

  5. Cook the Cake

    Sprinkle the cherry pieces over the top of the cake batter. Cover and cook the cake on low heat for 4 hours, until the edges are golden brown. Remove the insert and cool on the stove top for 10 minutes.Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake cherries on top of batter

  6. Flip the Cake

    Place the insert on a baking sheet then place your serving platter or second baking sheet over the top. Holding the plate firmly to the top, carefully flip everything over so the plate is on the bottom.Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake baked in slow cooker insert

  7. Add the Toppings

    Gently remove the baking bag, carefully because everything will be very hot. Sprinkle the white chocolate and semisweet chocolate chips around the top and then add the pistachios. Serve warm with ice cream.Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake slice on plate

Can this be made ahead of time?

You can definitely make the layers of this cake separately in advance but you will want to cook it once it’s assembled because you don’t want to refrigerate the slow cooker insert. You can make the pudding a day or two ahead of time and the cake batter will stay good overnight.

Nutritional Facts

Nutrition Facts
Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 584 Calories from Fat 261
% Daily Value*
Fat 29g45%
Saturated Fat 14g88%
Trans Fat 0.3g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
Monounsaturated Fat 9g
Cholesterol 52mg17%
Sodium 312mg14%
Potassium 447mg13%
Carbohydrates 74g25%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 56g62%
Protein 10g20%
Vitamin A 458IU9%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 221mg22%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake Tips

  • Add More Delicious Toppings

If you want to frost your Spumoni Cake, let it cool completely then add a layer of Cream Cheese Frosting or other favorite frosting before adding the chocolate chips and nuts. You could also drizzle your cake with Salted Caramel Sauce after you add the toppings.

  • Use a Kitchen Towel

To keep your cake from getting too moist, you can lay a clean linen kitchen towel over the top before adding the lid. This will catch the excess moisture for a less gooey cake.

How to Serve

Once your Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake is finished baking, you invert the cake to see every layer when presenting it. You could also just scoop the baked cake from the slow cooker and top with the chocolate chips and pistachios to serve. No matter how you want to present your cake, a scoop of cool Vanilla Ice Cream or Whipped Cream is delicious with this Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake.

How to Store

Store: Once your Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake is cooled, transfer to an airtight container. You can keep it at room temperature for up to 3 days and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Reheat: Bring it to room temperature before serving leftovers if you have chilled them. If you prefer it all warm and gooey, pop it in the oven or microwave to heat it back up.

Freeze: Cool Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake completely and place in a sealed container. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw overnight before warming to serve.

Frequent Questions

What is Spumoni?

Spumoni is a classic Italian gelato dessert that layers three different flavors of ice cream or gelato in a mold with fruit and nuts between the layers. The traditional flavors are cherry, chocolate and pistachio ice cream with pistachios and cherries between the layers. The molded ice cream is then cut and served in slices.

Can I use boxed cake mix?

You can replace the cake mix with a box of vanilla cake mix but it’s worth making homemade if you have just a few extra minutes and the ingredients. If you do want to use cake mix, use yellow cake or vanilla cake mix for a similar flavor.

Recipe Card

Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake

Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake is an easy dessert recipe with vanilla cake, pistachio pudding, white and semi-sweet chocolate chips and pistachios.
Yield 10 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
Β 

Vanilla Cake:

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup whole milk
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup maraschino cherries , patted dry and chopped

Pistachio Pudding:

Toppings:

Instructions

Vanilla Cake:

  • To a stand mixer add the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
  • Add in eggs, vanilla and milk until smooth.
  • Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and add it to the stand mixer on the lowest speed setting until just combined.

Pistachio Pudding:

  • Whisk pudding mix and milk together for 2 minutes until creamy.
  • Let sit for 5 minutes.

To Cook:

  • Line a round 5 quart slow cooker with baking bag.
  • Add the pistachio pudding in an even layer.
  • Top with vanilla cake batter and sprinkle cherries over the top.
  • Cook on low for 4 hours until cake is cooked through and edges are browning.
  • Remove the slow cooker insert and place on stovetop to let cool for 10 minutes.
  • Remove insert from slow cooker and place onto baking sheet.
  • Place second baking sheet or serving tray upside down over it.
  • Flip carefully and remove baking bag carefully (it will be hot!).
  • Top with white chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips and pistachios.

Nutrition

Calories: 584kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 312mg | Potassium: 447mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 56g | Vitamin A: 458IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 221mg | Iron: 3mg

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Variations

Chocolate Chips: Fold in chocolate chips to your cake batter for more chocolatey flavor. You can also add cherry baking chips, butterscotch chips, or peanut butter chips to the batter. Swap out the semi-sweet chocolate chips with dark chocolate chips for more intense flavor.

Nuts: Instead of pistachios, you can add slivered almonds, chopped pecans, cashews, or macadamia nuts. Toast the pistachios or other nuts to bring more nutty flavor.

Boxed Cake Mix: You can replace the dry cake mix ingredients with a boxed cake mix. Keep all the wet ingredients the same so it’s extra rich and flavorful. Swap out the vanilla cake mix with white cake mix, chocolate cake mix, or another flavor you like.

More Amazing Slow Cooker Desserts

Slow Cooker Spumoni Cake collage plated with bite on fork, recipe name and slice of cake

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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