Italian cream cake contains three layers of moist cake filled with shredded coconut and toasted walnuts! They are stuffed and frozen with whipped cream cheese for a wonderfully light and classic cake!
The origin of the Italian cream cake does not seem to be really known. Despite its name, it is not Italian in origin. It's truly a Southern cake defined by the addition of coconut, pecans, and cream cheese frosting.
It's funny that even though I've lived in the South all my life, this is a cake I had never tried until recently. It's not something my family didn't have before, and I didn't really see it often. But after I had several requests for a recipe for Italian cream cake, I went looking for some to try.
I found some at my favorite bakery in our North Atlanta area. The cake had great flavor, the coconut and walnuts complemented everything beautifully and the whipped cheese frosting was so light I couldn't stop eating it! This is a delicious cake!
* ingredients :
° 1/2 cup soft butter
° 1/2 cup ghee
° 2 cups of sugar
° 5 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
° 1 teaspoon vanilla
° 2 cups all-purpose flour
° 1 teaspoon baking soda
° 1 cup of milk
° 1-1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
° 1 cup chopped pecans
+Cream cheese frosting:
° 11 ounces soft cream cheese
° 3/4 cup soft butter
° 6 cups confectioners' sugar
° 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
° 3/4 cup chopped pecans
* Directions :
Preheaat oven 350 degrees. Fat & flour three 9 inches. around baking pans. In a bowl, cream butter, ghee, & sugar until light also fluffy, 5-7 min . Whisk in egg yolk also vanilla. Combine flour with baking soda; Add to cream mixture alternately with milk. Beat until just blended. Stir in coconut and pecans.
In another bowl, beat the egg whites with clean beaters until stiff but not dry. Fold a quarter of the egg white into the mixture, then add the remaining egg white. Pour into prepared vats.
Baking for 20-25 minutes. Cooled about 10 min before removing from pans to wire racks to cool totally .
To make the buttercream, whisk together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat confectioners' sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Stir in pecans. Distribute the decorating cream between the layers and the top and sides of the cake. Cold.
Enjoy !
