Italian Cream Cake

My mother, of course, read my post in time. She picked out four recipes, and allowed me to choose which one I wanted to make. I chose to make an Italian Creme Cake. This is a recipe that we have seen for years in Cooking Light magazine and have always wanted to try. It was delicious, to say the least. If you asked me what flavor it was, I couldn't really tell you. It has a very complex, creamy flavor that I believe can be credited to the coconut extract. Coconut haters, do not be afraid! This cake does not taste like coconut, it just adds a creamy depth of flavor.


So here it is, the glorious Italian Creme Cake!

Combine sugar and butter, mix at medium speed until well blended.

Add egg yolks, one at a time. Beating well after each addition.

Okay, I forgot to take a picture of the flour and baking soda that was mixed together in a medium bowl, but you should mix the flour and baking soda together in a medium bowl before this next step. I highly recommend using a whisk.

Now, add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. So basically, add some flour...

...and then some buttermilk. Repeat until you have used all of the buttermilk and flour mixture. It's a pretty basic concept!

Next, add the extracts (butter, coconut, vanilla) and the pecans. Stir until combined.

Alrighty, so here's where it gets interesting...at least for me it did! Next you need to beat the egg whites until you have stiff peaks. Not so tough if you have a mixer to use. In the interest of not doing dishes more than I had to, I was planning on using the hand mixer. However, my mom loaned it to her friend. Not to worry! I have muscles, and I know how to use them! (I never said they were big muscles, you can stop laughing now.)

So yes, I beat the egg whites by hand.

(Oh, there's Molly looking for spills --Hi Molly!)

Ta-da! Stiff peaks!

Yes, I am proud!

Now, take all of those beautifully beaten egg whites, and fold them into the batter. I apparently forgot to document this important step!

Pour the batter into prepared pans (sprayed with cooking spray, a layer of parchment, and  more cooking spray). The recipe calls for you to use 3 pans. I, unfortunately, only have 2. So I just used 2 and adjusted the cooking time a bit.

Stick them in an oven, preheated to 350 degrees. Bake for about 25 minutes. Let cool in pans on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then run a small spatula around the inside of the pan and turn the cake out onto the cooling rack. Cool completely.

Then you can make the frosting.

Cream butter and cream cheese until combined.

Mix in the vanilla extract.

Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time.

Stir in about a tablespoon of milk (if you want a thinner frosting).

It should look about like this...except you could clean your bowl up a bit!

Then you can frost the cake.

You could leave it just like this...

... or add some toasted pecans to the sides!

*** Trick for toasting nuts***

Place nuts on a cookie sheet. Put the cookie sheet in the oven. (The oven should not be on yet.) Set the oven to 350 degrees. When the oven is preheated, check the nuts. They should be close to toasty! My oven takes 6 minutes to preheat, and I have found that they need about 1 minute more.

The credit for this trick goes to my mom. Who is a wonderful cook, but for some reason always forgets about nuts as she is toasting them!

Okay, now eat that cake!!

We certainly enjoyed it!

My mom and her Mother's Day cake!

I think this looks like a good Mother's Day - flowers, Starbucks, and cake!

Recipe time!

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 egg yolks

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp butter extract

1 tsp coconut extract

1/2 cup chopped pecans

6 egg whites (at room temperature)

Cream Cheese Icing:

2 Tbs butter

8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1 lb. powdered sugar (about 4 cups)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbs milk (optional)

1 cup toasted pecans (optional)



Coat bottoms of 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray (do not coat sides of pans); line bottoms of pans with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray, and dust with flour; set aside.

Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine 2 cups flour and baking soda; stir well. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in pecans and extracts.

Beat egg whites at high speed of a mixer until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat). Fold egg whites into batter; pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Let cool in pans 5 minutes on a wire rack. Loosen cake layers from sides of pans using a narrow metal spatula, and turn out onto wire racks. Peel off wax paper, and let cool completely.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate, and spread with 2/3 cup Cream Cheese Icing; top with another cake layer. Spread remaining icing over cake. Top with toasted pecans.