Italian Cream Cake |
There were two cakes on the board that I thought would tickle his taste buds. The first was the Italian Cream Cake from lynn-southernwithatwist.blogspot.com and the second was a Coconut Cream Cake from life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com. I showed Hubby the pictures of the cakes and read the ingredients. He chose the Italian Cream Cake.
I had never heard of an Italian Cream Cake before. Have you? An online recipe search for Italian Cream Cake revealed recipe, after recipe, after recipe. Where have I been all these years to have missed this cake? All the recipes I found were very similar. It appears the Italian Cream Cake is a southern tradition and not of Italian descent as the name might make you think. The cake consists of three layers of yellow cake and most of the recipes include coconut and nuts in the cake batter. The preferred nuts are either pecans or walnuts.
The frosting is a cream cheese frosting, which I love. Some bakers mix coconut and nuts into the frosting, while others sprinkle one or the other on top of the cake. Many commenters on this cake say its flavor improves as it sits. That makes this the perfect cake to make if you need to bake a few days ahead of serving it.
Italian Cream Cake |
Armed with three, 9-inch cake pans I was ready to bake. Heeding the recommendation to bake this cake in advance, I baked it on Friday, planning to serve it on Sunday. Other tips for success include:
- Line the cake pans with parchment paper for easy removal of the cake. The cake is tender and the parchment paper helps to ensure your success.
- Cool the cakes completely in the pans. If you have used parchment paper lining in the pans the cakes will remove easily. The cakes finish setting as they cool in the pans so you won't want to disturb them by removing them from the pans before completely cool.
- Grind your nuts to get them small enough so as not to sink to the bottom of the pan. Ground nuts distribute evenly through the cake batter.
Italian Cream Cake
Print Recipe
Italian Cream Cake Ingredients |
- 1/2 cup Crisco shortening
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 5 eggs, whites and yolks separated
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 1 cup finely ground pecans
Frosting Ingredients |
- 12 ounces (1 1/2- 8 ounce packages) cream cheese
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 16 ounces confectioner's sugar
- chopped pecans, or shredded coconut for garnish
Directions
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Grease three 9-inch cake pans. Line the pans with circles of parchment paper. Grease and flour the pans.
Be sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. Cream together the shortening, butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the batter alternating with the buttermilk. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. Stir in the vanilla.
Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Fold in the nuts and coconut.
Folding In Egg Whites |
Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared cake pans. Place the pans on the center rack of your oven, baking for 25 minutes, or until the cakes are golden and a tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans completely.
The Baked Layers |
While the cakes are cooling prepare the frosting. Combine the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together in a bowl using an electric mixer. Beat together until smooth and fluffy. Add the sifted sugar, a little at a time until completely combined. If the frosting seems too loose, place it in the refrigerator to firm up a bit.
Italian Cream Cake |
You can freeze individual slices of any left over cake. I did and it was delicious when thawed at room temperature.
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Enjoy!
I love this web site. Just found it on google search. Thanks girl and keep up good work. Nellieru in Texas
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nellieru! So happy you found me. Hope to hear more from you in the future.
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