Italian Cream Cake

Get ready to live because this Italian Cream Cake is about to blow your minds. A light vanilla based cake, laced with toasted pecans and coconut only to be slathered in decadent cream cheese frosting.

Course Desserts

Cuisine Southern

Keyword italian cake, italian cream cake, italian cream cake recipe

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 35

Cooling Time 2

Total Time 3 10

Servings servings

Calories 1057.7kcal

Author Katie Cooksey

Ingredients

For the Italian Cream Cake

3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or half vanilla/half almond extract.
1/2 cup butter unsalted, softened
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 whole egg whites
1/2 cup chopped pecans toasted
1 cup shredded coconut

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup butter very soft
16 oz cream cheese at room temperature
2 pounds powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the cake:

Line the bottom of two 8 or 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Spray well with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together to combine. Set aside.
In a liquid measuring cup, stir buttermilk and vanilla extract together. Set aside.
In a separate large bowl, mix butter, oil, and sugar together until combined. Mix in eggs and egg whites, one at a time, until the mixture becomes very light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again briefly.
Alternate adding in flour mixture with buttermilk mixture, being sure to start and end with flour. Scrape the sides and mix again to ensure a smooth batter. Fold pecans and coconut in by hand.
Divide evenly between baking pans and smooth the top. Bake 30-40 minutes in the lower two thirds of the oven. The cake will be done when a toothpick comes out clean or mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
Cool 15-20 minutes in cake pans before trying to invert on cooling racks. Cool completely before frosting and decorating.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

Place all ingredients into a large bowl. Stir with an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer) until completely combined, thick and smooth. Scrape the sides and stir again briefly to ensure a smooth frosting. Use as desired.

Cake Assembly:

Using a serrated bread knife, slice each cooled cake in half lengthwise to get four thin cakes.
Place one cake onto a cake plate or serving platter. Spread about 3/4 cup of frosting onto the cake evenly (doesn't have to be exact) being sure to push frosting right to the edges of the cake. Top with another slice of cake. Continue frosting and filling the cake until all four slices of cake are stacked on one another with frosting in between each. With remaining frosting, frost cake exterior.
Decorate with more coconut and pecans as desired and serve.

Video

Notes

If you don't want to slice each baked cake into two to create four cake layers, feel free to divide the cake batter between three cake pans for just three layers. They will bake quicker in the oven and you won't have to slice any cakes, making for easier assembly.

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