For a tasty and beautiful dessert, prepare this recipe for a luscious Italian crème layer cake topped with coconut and pecans.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Additional Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 30 mins |
| Servings: | 12 |
| Yield: | 1 9-inch cake |
Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups white sugar
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup shortening
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 egg whites
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 (3.5 ounce) package flaked coconut
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup margarine, softened
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease three 9 inch, round cake pans. Combine soda and buttermilk, and let stand a few minutes.
- In a large bowl, cream sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup oil and shortening. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix buttermilk mixture alternately with flour into creamed mixture. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter, then quickly fold in remaining whites until no streaks remain. Gently stir in 1 cup pecans and coconut.
- Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.
- To make the Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat together cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter or margarine, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and confectioners’ sugar. Stir in 1 cup chopped pecans. Frost and fill cooled cake with cream cheese frosting.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 925 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 99 g |
| Cholesterol | 110 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 18 g |
| Sodium | 376 mg |
| Sugars | 79 g |
| Fat | 57 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I made it exactly to the recipe. It was delicious and everyone at the dinner party raved about it. I’m doing one this week for a family birthday party, and I will make one modification. I will not add the pecans to the frosting, but will apply the pecans to the finished cake.
Stuck to recípe and it turned out great.
I’ll use half the nuts next time… frosting, although traditional, could be lighter.
Follow the recipe – but doubled the frosting… Birthday Boy likes a lot of frosting 🙂 It was delicious!!!
I made it for an Italian themed birthday party. I put one less cup of sugar in the frosting. One of the best cakes I ever made. Super moist. Not a speck of leftover.
This is ALMOST the same as I remember. Do not recall 1/2 cup each of three kinds of fat. Remember 5 eggs. Need to at least use shortening and flour on the pans, may try that spray with the flour. Needs parchment! This is a lot of work to end up reforming the broken layers with buttercream because I got lazy and skilled that stsp. The recipe just said to grease the pans, but I always wear my big girl panties so I still have it 5 stars. Will reduce it if the fam doesn’t like the cake!
This is the BEST cake I have ever tasted. It came out perfectly and I received compliments from EVERYONE who tasted it. I can’t wait to make it again!
Always a hit.
Very easy to make and my husband loved it as his surprise bday cake. HOWEVER, this cake is waaaaaay too sweet! I even added 1/2 cup unsalted butter and 3/4 package of cream cheese to the icing. No wonder North America is having weight problems if this is the sweetness linked by so many. I would suggest reducing to 3 cups of confectioners sugar and adding a whole extra package of cream cheese and 1/2 cup of unsalted butter. Better to have extra icing so that you can properly decorate the cake. Nevertheless, it is a very delicious cake and if it weren’t so sweet, I would have definitely given it 5 stars. Next time, I will just adjust the recipe. ?????
This is the first cake I’ve ever made from scratch and it turned out delicious! I brought it to a dinner party and everyone raves about it. I followed the tips to use parchment paper on the pans as well as plenty of butter and flour to line them. The cakes slipped out easily. This cake takes awhile but is easy for a beginner baker. I also agree the recipe calls for way too much confectioner sugar in the frosting, especially if you want to retain the nice cream cheese flavor. Use about half and add in as you go to taste.
I’ve been looking for an Italian Creme Cake recipe and I finally found it! PERFECT! This is my new signature cake! Everyone raved over it, even my mom, and she’s super picky about Italian Creme. I baked exactly according to directions – no changes at all.
Excellent cake! Perfect as is. My tweaks were 1tsp of almond extract in the cake and full fat buttermilk. Next time will replace buttermilk with whole whipping cream. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Thanks for the recipe.
Before I made this I read all the reviews, followed the recipe exact, and watched for any problems. …and I had one. Couldn’t get it out of the pans. Instead of a three layer I had a two layer but all is not lost, I put a lemon cream between the two that were good and iced it with the cream cheese icing. I will definitely make it again as everyone loved it. I do not recommend it for someone who’s not skilled in making cakes from scratch.
This has been my families favorite ever since I got it from a newspaper clipping back in the 70’s. I was only married few years but when I first made it …it became my husbands favorite. And then when children came it was one of their favorites and some of the grandchildrens too 🙂 I cut down on the sugar to 3/4 cup and add stevia to taste. As far as the frosting I use about 2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and then add about 1/3 cup of potato starch to cut down on the sweetness. We all love it! I top with roasted pecans.
This has been my families favorite ever since I got it from a newspaper clipping back in the 70’s. I was only married few years but when I first made it …it became my husbands favorite. And then when children came it was one of their favorites and some of the grandchildrens too 🙂 I cut down on the sugar to 3/4 cup and add stevia to taste. As far as the frosting I use about 2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and then add about 1/3 cup of potato starch to cut down on the sweetness. We all love it! I top with roasted pecans.
I made this for my wife’s birthday. She was blown away. I usually make a scratch cake for here birthday but this was for sure the best I every made. I wish I could give this 10 stars. I thought it could use more coconut so next time I will double it next time. The frosting. I was was a little to sweet and started to overpower the cake. I plan to only use 3 cups confectioner sugar next time. also I was glad I made a double batch because I needed extra. a batch and a half should be perfect.
Délicieux!
I made this cake using all same ingredients . I creamed the butter,oil,shortening and sugar for about 15 minutes then add egg yolks one at a time then did the rest as instructed . When folding in the egg whites I use a whisk very gently . I made this a sheet cake , all batter in one 9×13 pan . I had to bake for 55 minutes ,I was nervous with the time but , it turned out beautifully ,it was light ,but dense , if that makes any sense , this is my Daughter-in-laws favorite cake ,I made for her Birthday . It is absoultey our favorite receipe . Everyone raved over it , I was a Happy Baker . Thank You
I will definitely make this cake again. When I took it out of the pans I was a bit worried – it seemed kind of greasy. Fortunately I had made a cupcake along with the three layers so I wouldn’t be serving my guests an untested cake. It’s fabulous. Light and airy, despite the stodgy nature of coconut and pecans in most desserts. I greased the pans, lined the bottoms with parchment paper and floured the sides. No problems getting the cakes out intact after the usual 5-10 minutes cooling. For those who said it didn’t rise much, it isn’t expected to. The small amount of soda in it doesn’t have a secondary action and most of the leavening is the eggs. This way you have a nice even cake to ice with no hump in the middle.
I made this cake for my son’s birthday. Everyone LOVED it! My daughter asked me to make it for her birthday! It went over really well. I recommend using butter in the Cream Cheese Frosting, it holds together better than margarine.
my resadents loved this cake. I made it today for deseart, and they left nothing on their plates. will definitely keep this one. thanks for sharing.