Italian Cream Cake
Hey ya’ll! I’m here to bring ya’ll a holiday dessert recipe for 2020. Last year it was the brown sugar pound cake and this year, it’s one that I’ve been making for years that ya’ll loved on instagram! I don’t really have an inspiration story for you all this time, because I make this cake…
Hey ya’ll! I’m here to bring ya’ll a holiday dessert recipe for 2020. Last year it was the brown sugar pound cake and this year, it’s one that I’ve been making for years that ya’ll loved on instagram! I don’t really have an inspiration story for you all this time, because I make this cake like clockwork: twice a year, every year! It’s our go-to Easter dessert and my mom’s requested cake for her birthday every October. I made this for her birthday this year and decided to post it and the people asked, so I’m here to deliver! Because I wasn’t planning to post this recipe this quickly, these pics are…let’s just say candid. Lol. Trust me, the flavor is all there!Let’s get into the details so I can drop this recipe!
THE DEETS
Italian Cream Cake is not Italian, it’s American. More specifically, it’s Southern American! I don’t know how it got its name or who created it, all I know is that I’m thankful. It’s a very light and fluffy buttermilk cake that gets a lot of it’s fluffiness from the interaction between the buttermilk and baking soda, but also egg whites that are folded in to give it good rise. I also love that the cake has a good balance of sweetness and earthiness due to the toasted pecans and coconut. Many times, coconut and pecans are used in more pineapple or tropical desserts, but this is far from that realm. It’s an old fashioned cake with a lot of good flavor that is really easy to make and incredibly delicious!
TIPS FOR MAKING
The recipe offers two different cake pan sizes and the bake times. In the video, I used 2, 4-inch deep, 9-inch pans. If you have regular cake pans, that is fine, you will simply need 3 of them. Here are a few other tips to make your baking experience seamless.
- Be sure to whip your eggs to stiff white peaks. These are peaks that when lifted, they stay pointed. But do not over mix, else they will not add rise to your dessert. For reference, here is a video on stiff white peaks!
- The pecans and coconut for the frosting can be added in, like in the pictures of my cake, or pressed onto the outside of the cake for a more visual appeal.
- The last 3 steps, there is a lot of mixing and folding. Be sure not to over mix so that you don’t end up with a tough cake. You got this!!
Alrighty ya’ll. There’s your dessert just in time for Thanksgiving. I think this will become a regular on your table as well. Also, be sure to follow me on IG for lots of how-to videos, recipes and nightly cooking tutorials!
Don’t forget to tag me in your photos online @lizeeangel or using #lizeeangel. And as always, comment below and please, like, share and follow me on youtube, instagram, twitter, facebook and pinterest!
Italian Cream Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Prepare 2, 4-inch deep or 3, 2-inch deep 9-inch pans with baking spray or the grease and four method.
- In a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or separate bowl if you are not using a stand mixer or have only one stand mixer bowl), beat egg whites to stiff peaks using a whisk attachment. This should take 4-5 mins on high speed. Set aside.
- In a different bowl, cream together butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy on high speed. About 7 minutes.
- Scrape down sides and on medium speed, add vanilla and egg yolks one at a time until fully combined.
- Next, alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk in 3 additions until flour is *just* combined. Fold in pecans and toasted coconut until mixed through.
- Fold in whipped egg whites gently, until fully combined, being sure not to over mix.
- Evenly distribute cake batter between the pans. Bake 3 pans for 22-26mins and 2 pans for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean or cakes are baked until 210 degrees.
- Allow to cool completely in pans before frosting.
- Combine butter, cream cheese, salt, brown sugar and vanilla in a bowl with a whisk attachment. Whip until fully combined and fluffy.
- If Frosting does not hold its shape well or is too loose for your liking, add powdered sugar 1 tbsp at a time until desired stiffness is reached.
- Here, you can either add pecans and coconut directly to frosting, or frost cake with frosting and press the pecans and coconut to the surface.
- Serve and Enjoy!
