A delightful homemade delicate texture that is 3 cake layers with shredded coconut and pecans inside and out.
The thick decadent cream cheese layers of icing are simply off-the-chart and win any coconut pecan lover's heart.
The cake can be all made from scratch or you can doctor up a white cake mix if you prefer to save time.
Perfect for celebration parties as it's so pretty to serve and tastes great with a scoop of your favorite ice cream.
If you're looking for a special cake to bake for someone, this is a great choice and addition to your cake-baking recipe collection.
Through several articles that were written, it is said that the recipe creation was invented by an Italian baker who moved to Texas sometime in the 1930s.
You may also like to try our Maraschino Cherry Cake or Hummingbird Cake both delightful cakes.
Just scroll down to the bottom to click on print for our easy all homemade recipe.
Step-by-Step Italian Cream Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease 3 8-inch round pans
- Cream the sugar with butter and vegetable shortening
- Stir in the dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk
- Add the pecan and coconut with extracts
- Fold in the egg whites that were previously stiffly beaten
- Pour into prepared pans and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees
- Cool completely before frosting
- Make the cream cheese frosting and garnish with coconut and pecans
- Refrigerate leftovers
Shopping List
- butter
- vegetable shortening solid (like Crisco)
- sugar
- eggs yolks
- egg whites are stiffly beaten
- flour
- baking soda
- buttermilk
- pure vanilla extract
- almond extract
- chopped pecans
- shredded unsweetened coconut
- Icing: powdered sugar softened cream cheese mascarpone cheese at room temperature
Tips and Suggestions:
- make one large cake instead of 3 layers
- cut the sugar by 1/2 cup for less sweet cake
- any nuts can be added even sunflower seeds for nut allergies
- for a richer cake mix add milk instead of water to the mix, an extra egg, and butter instead of oil
- only fold in the egg whites at the end being careful not to overmix the batter
- the cake tastes great with just whipped cream if you're not a fan of cream cheese frosting
- cool the cake before frosting
- for a thinner frosting add a few tablespoons of heavy cream of half and half
- refrigerate leftovers covered
Pans to Use:
- Sheet cake: 13 x 9 around 30 to 40 minutes (or character pans)
- Bundt pan: 40 to 45 minutes
- Round: 3- 8 -inches around 25 minutes
- Larger Round pans: 3- 9-inch around 20 minutes
- Note: use the toothpick method (place in the cake when it comes out clean, the cake is cooked)
Other Suggestions and Mix-ins
- chopped walnuts
- chopped toasted pistachios
- chopped macadamia nuts
- toasted almonds
- for allergies use sunflower or pumpkin seeds
- sprinkle with shaved chocolate with almonds
- drizzle the cake with melted chocolate
- sprinkle with colorful candies to match a party theme
- bake the cake in a differently shaped pan instead of 3 layer cake
- for the fastest doctored cake mix make a white cake mix for this Italian cream cake
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Italian Cream Cake
This is a sweet cake with delicious cream cheese frosting perfect for special occasions.
It's a rich cake all made from scratch and certainly bursting with great flavors, especially for coconut and pecan lovers.
Again you can take the easy way out and use a doctored cake mix, we just love the all-made-from-scratch version for Italian Cream Cake!
Italian Cream Cake
Yield: 15
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 45 Min
Italian Cream Cake is an all-made from-scratch cake with pecan, coconut, and almond flavors. It’s frosted with cream cheese frosting and is very tasty!
Ingredients
- 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening solid (like Crisco)
- 2 cups of sugar
- 5 eggs yolks
- 5 egg whites stiffly beaten
- 2 cups of flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- Icing:
- 2 cups of powdered sugar
- 4 ounces of softened cream cheese
- 4 ounces mascarpone cheese at room temperature
- Note: you can substitute the frosting recipe using all cream cheese if you prefer or all mascarpone)
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour 3- 8-inch pans.
- Beat the egg white until stiff and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl cream the butter, shortening, and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (a light lemon in color around 4 minutes).
- Beat in the egg yolks then whisk in the flour with baking soda until evening blended alternating with buttermilk.
- Stir extracts, pecans, and coconut.
- Fold in the egg whites.
- Pour into the prepared pans.
- Bake the cakes for 25 minutes or until the middle comes clean using the toothpick method.
- Cool completely and frost with the icing recipe.
- Icing:
- Beat the cheese and butter together.
- Add the powdered sugar, and extracts then beat until creamy to blend evenly.
- Frost the cooled cake and garnish with pecans and coconut.
Notes
Other Suggestions and Mix-ins
- chopped walnuts
- chopped toasted pistachios
- chopped macadamia nuts
- toasted almonds
- for allergies use sunflower or pumpkin seeds
- sprinkle with shaved chocolate with almonds
- drizzle the cake with melted chocolate
- sprinkle with colorful candies to match a party theme
- bake the cake in a differently shaped pan instead of 3 layer cake
- for the fastest doctored cake mix make a white cake mix for this Italian cream cake
Pans to Use:
- Sheet cake: 13 x 9 around 30 to 40 minutes (or character pans)
- Bundt pan: 40 to 45 minutes
- Round: 3- 8 -inches around 25 minutes
- Larger Round pans: 3- 9-inch around 20 minutes
- Note: use the toothpick method (place in the cake when it comes out clean, the cake is cooked)
Tips and Suggestions:
- make one large cake instead of 3 layers
- cut the sugar by 1/2 cup for less sweet cake
- any nuts can be added even sunflower seeds for nut allergies
- for a richer cake mix add milk instead of water to the mix, an extra egg, and butter instead of oil
- only fold in the egg whites at the end being careful not to overmix the batter
- the cake tastes great with just whipped cream if you're not a fan of cream cheese frosting
- cool the cake before frosting
- for a thinner frosting add a few tablespoons of heavy cream of half and half
- refrigerate leftovers covered
Don't Forget to Pin Me!!
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