Italian Cream Cake

With all these "skinny" recipes, I've got to get some not so skinny recipes on here too.  There must be a balance in all things, right?  Anyway, my daughter was contributing to a cake auction last weekend.  The girls at our church are raising money for their summer camp.  She wanted to make something fancy and impressive.  After looking at many different recipes, she settled on this one.  I felt uncomfortable selling it off to somebody before making it and tasting it myself.  Sounds like a good excuse to make some cake!  After a little mixing and baking we had a beautiful, delicious cake all ready to be eaten.  It was as easy as any other cake to bake but met her "fancy and impressive" criteria.  I used 8 inch pans but you could use 9 inch.  The layers would just be slightly thinner.  I love the three layers.  I think it adds elegance to the cake.  I used to not be a fan of nuts in my cake, but I guess my taste buds have been refined over the years and I think they are fabulous!  For the cake that we made for the auction, we put toasted coconut around the edge.  I highly recommend that addition.  It was a great finishing touch!  I actually tried toasting coconut for this cake as well but got impatient and turned the oven to broil.  I meant to watch it very carefully but, before I knew it, the coconut was black and the smoke alarm was going off.  Lesson learned.  When toasting coconut, don't broil.  Be patient.  If you're going to make this cake, don't go cheap on the ingredients.  Using real butter, good shortening and vanilla will really make a difference and enhance the flavor.  I'm excited to have this cake in my arsenal of recipes.  It's beautifully impressive and tastes wonderful!  It will be a fun one to make for dinner guests and special occasions.

Ingredients
    CAKE BATTER:
    ½ cups butter, room temperature
    ½ cups shortening
    2 cups sugar
    5 eggs, separated
    1 cup buttermilk
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    2 cups flour
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1 teaspoon salt
    1 cup shredded coconut
    1 cup chopped pecans

    FROSTING:
    1 stick butter, Softened

    1(8oz) package cream cheese, softened
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
    1/2 cup chopped pecans and 1 cup toasted coconut, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Cream butter, shortening and sugar in a large mixing bowl with electric mixer. Add egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add buttermilk and mix well; add vanilla.  Sift flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl; add coconut and pecans and toss together well, then stir into wet ingredients. Mix well by hand.  In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold gently into cake batter, then divide batter into 3 greased and floured 8 inch, round cake pans.  Bake 20-25 minutes at 325 degrees, or until lightly browned and cake tests done when a toothpick is inserted near the center. Cool thoroughly on wire racks in pans.  While layers are cooling, prepare frosting. Cream butter and cream cheese together in a medium bowl; add vanilla, and gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth.  Carefully remove cakes from pans and brush off crumbs. Let cake cool completely before frosting.  While waiting for cake to cool, toast coconut.  Heat oven to 350.  Line a small cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Evenly sprinkle 1 cup shredded coconut on parchment paper.  Put in oven at 350 degrees.  Stir every 3 minutes.  Continue cooking until coconut is toasted.  This should take no more than 10 minutes.  When cake is cool, place bottom layer on serving plate, top with frosting. Place second layer over first, top with frosting, then place the last layer. Frost top and sides of cake.  Sprinkle with chopped pecans and gently press toasted coconut around edge of cake.  Keep cake refrigerated.

Source:  Rincon Cocina