The Italian dessert made from multi-colored, layered ice cream with nuts or fruit embedded is spumoni. In Italian, the singular form is spumone, while spumoni is the English form most often used for the dessert.
Spumoni is traditionally a molded frozen dessert associated with Naples and the Campania region. Its layers commonly combine pistachio, cherry, and chocolate flavors, although recipes vary. Candied fruit, nuts, chocolate, and nut brittle may be folded into or layered with the frozen mixture.
The dessert became especially familiar in the United States through Italian-American communities and restaurants. Its layered appearance also helps explain why it is sometimes confused with Neapolitan ice cream. Neapolitan usually places plain vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry side by side, while spumoni is more likely to contain fruit, nuts, and richer molded layers.
Traditional Italian versions may include gelato and semifreddo, producing a softer texture than ordinary American ice cream. Spumoni is generally sliced from a mold, so its colorful cross-section is part of the presentation as well as the flavor.