Italian Cream Cake

I’m sad to say I didn’t even eat a full piece of this ridiculously good cake. In retrospect, I should have saved a piece for later. But after cutting the cake for 20 guests, and eating the crumbs in between cutting pieces, I just couldn’t stomach another sweet morsel of it. It’s really a rich cake, and should only be saved for special occasions when you can eat a sizable piece without regret and have plenty of time for a full-on, Italian cream cake-induced sugar coma.

I served this cake at a bridal shower where the bride requested “something italian” and “nothing with mayonnaise.” Easy enough. My first thought was tiramisu, but I wasn’t sure how attractive it would be upon serving. Then I remembered a heavenly italian cream cake that I devoured post-brunch at Parigi a few months ago.

I scoured my favorite food blogs for recipes and finally decided upon Billie’s Italian Cream Cake from the Pioneer Woman. If you haven’t visited her site, you should, and this cake recipe is just one of the many reasons. While you’re there, check out her recipe for cinnamon rolls.

I didn’t make any adjustments to the cake recipe as baking adjustments always scare me. You just never know if you’re going to end up with a flat or burned cake when you pull it out the oven.

Billie’s Italian Cream Cake (thepioneerwoman.com)

FOR THE CAKE:
1 stick Butter
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Sugar
5 whole Eggs (separated)
3 teaspoons Vanilla
1 cup Sweetened, Flaked Coconut
2 cups All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 cup Buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.

Beat egg whites until stiff. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, oil, and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg yolks, vanilla, and coconut. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and baking powder.

Alternate adding buttermilk and dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix until just combined, then fold in egg whites. Pour evenly into the three prepared pans, then sprinkle the top of each pan with 1 (at least) tablespoon sugar.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto cooling racks and allow to cool completely.

FOR THE FROSTING:
2 packages (8 Oz) Cream Cheese
1 stick Butter
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1 package 2 Lb Powdered Sugar
1 cup Chopped Walnuts
1 cup Sweetened, Flaked Coconut

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Stir in chopped walnuts (optional) and sugared coconut. Spread between layers and serve.

Note: I didn’t add the walnuts to the frosting because I think the cake looks prettier without it. I spread the frosting in between the layers and then topped them with walnuts. Then I decorated the cake with pecans for no particular reason as the cake doesn’t even have pecans in it.