In what now feels like a remarkably cool childhood experience, my folks and I discovered that the Italian proprietor of a local motel made delicious small-batch gelato during the summers.

For a limited time, she’d take orders at a lower-level window and hand us full containers that we brought over to Yiayia’s to share. This was the first time we heard about spumoni: a delectable combination of dark chocolate, pistachio, and cherry gelato.

With summer supposedly winding down here, I decided to try creating the perfect spumoni cake at home. Big changes are ahead for us, which is why there’s been a brief hiatus from culinary adventures. But the idea of crafting an epic frozen boozy dessert — no cooking required — filled me with excitement.