Italian Cream Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

Enjoy the rich flavor of pecans and coconut in this moist cake topped with real homemade cream cheese icing. This step by step recipe with photos shows you how to make this yourself.

The smell of burning leaves always reminds me of my pecan-picking days in Georgia and my grandmother, Big Mom. She paid us kids a nickel for every  paper grocery bag of pecans we picked off the ground of their grove.

The work tired us out, burning off youthful energy Big Mom called "Rambunctious". And, it helped her gather the crop which she shelled and wrapped up in foil-wrapped portions for gifts. 

She also made baked goods, served after dinner at the dining room table. This recipe makes me think of her cakes and the days of the pecan harvest.

The recipe calls for chopped pecans, flaked coconut, 5 eggs, sugar, butter, vegetable shortening, all-purpose flour and baking soda. The coconut and pecans grow more flavorful when the cake sits overnight.

For buttermilk, I substitute regular milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice. Two percent milk works as well and cuts off more calories. Two cups of sugar can be reduced to 1 1/2 cups using sugar substitute.

How to Grease and Flour the Cake Pans

You'll need three eight or nine inch cake pans for this three layer cake.

1. Use a paper towel to spread about a tablespoon of solid vegetable shortening around the bottom and sides of the cake pan.
2. Lightly wipe off any excess shortening.
3. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of flour into the pan and shake it around to all parts including the sides.
4. Tap the bottom of the pan to remove any excess flour and set the pans aside while preparing the cake batter.

Cook Time - Oven at 350°

Prep time: 30 min

Cook time: 30 min

Ready in: 1 hour

Yields: Cake serves 16 slices

Ingredients

• 5 Fresh eggs, separated
• 2 cups sugar, granulated
• 1/2 cup butter, unsalted
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, Crisco
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup regular milk or 2% milk, instead of buttermilk
• 1 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 cups flour, All purpose
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup chopped pecan pieces
• 1 cups shredded coconut
• Substitutions 12 packs of Splenda if desired, to replace half a cup of sugar

Instructions

1. Separate the eggs, placing the whites into a chilled mixing bowl. Reserve the egg yolks to use later.
2. Beat the egg whites until stiff and set aside.
3. Add 1 TBSP lemon juice to the cup of milk and set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, cut the butter into pieces and beat with the electric mixer until it's light and fluffy.
5. Add the Crisco or vegetable shortening and blend together with the creamed butter.
6. Add the sugar and blend it in thoroughly.
7. Add the egg yolks a little at a time, beating on medium speed for about a minute between additions.
8. Sift the flour and baking soda together. Add the dry ingredients a little at a time, alternating with the liquid milk mixture.
9. Using a spatula, fold in the pecan pieces, the coconut and the egg whites until mixed.
10. Pour into 3 greased and floured cake pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Only two of the pans fit in my oven without touching one another. So, I baked the first two layers, then baked the third one by itself for 28 minutes. When the cake comes out of the oven, let it rest for 10 minutes. 

How to Get the Cake Out of the Pans

1. Tear off a sheet of waxed paper slightly wider than a dinner plate.
2. Place the waxed paper on top of one layer of the cake. 
3. Turn the dinner plate upside down and place it on top of the waxed paper.
4. Holding the sides of the cake pan and plate with pot holders, turn the pan and plate over.
5. Lightly drop the plate right side up on the counter.
6. Thump gently on the bottom of the cake pan to loosen the cake.
7. Remove the pan carefully.
8. Place another cooling rack upside down on the bottom of the cake that's upside down. We're going to turn this right side up.
9. Flip the entire stack over (cake rack, cake, waxed paper and plate) like a sandwich to set the cake upright.
10. Remove the plate and the waxed paper from the top of the cake immediately. Work quickly, to keep the waxed paper from sticking to the cake top.

Repeat this process for the other layers, allowing each to cool upright on a cake rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Butter
• 8 ounce package of Cream Cheese
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 4 Cups of Confectioner's Sugar
• 1-2 Tbsp. Milk

Cream Cheese Frosting Instructions

Cut 1/2 cup butter (one stick) into tablespoon sized pieces.

Using a hand mixer, cream the butter until it's light and fluffy.

Add one 8 oz. package of Philadelphia cream cheese (softened) and blend together with the butter.

Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Add 4 cups of confectioner's sugar a little at a time until the frosting reaches a good consistency for spreading.

If the mixture seems too stiff, add a few drops of milk and blend it in. If it seems too loose, add a little more powdered sugar.

Refrigerate any leftover cake if the temperature is warm indoors. The cake grows more moist on the second and third day.

I like to cut individual slices and place in covered containers for an easy serving to enjoy with a nice bag lunch.