Italian Cream Cake Recipe
All good bakers, let’s have a moment of silence for the Italian cream cake’s awesomeness. All new bakers, join in too because you’ll be a pro once you get this baby on your table and enjoy the cheers (and empty plates) it brings.
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This cake is a wow-er. A wow-zer. A “what in the world did you do there?” kind of thing. And you’ll see why it should only be made for special occasions when you get to the ingredients.
It would kill you if you ate it more than that.
All I can do is recommend that you just close your eyes and eat it and don’t think about the calories. Why ruin such a good thing?
I know this isn’t truly the easiest recipe I’ve ever posted. But I hope you’ll stay with me on it. Every once in awhile we have those times when we need something amazing. And this is just the thing.
If you’re new to baking, I believe you can do this. See below for some links to helpful videos for how to work with egg whites if you’ve never done that. And of course, if you have ANY questions at all, I’m only an email or a comment away.
Now warning: this cake has coconut and pecans. If you don’t like those, don’t make this because it won’t be the same cake. You could, possibly, sub the pecans for walnuts I guess…
But if you make it according to the instructions, sit back and enjoy. This cake is rich, but not overly sweet. It’s dense, but it’s moist at the same time.
A couple of tips to keep in mind about your Italian cream cake:
Remember to separate the eggs, then whip the egg whites to stiff peaks.(Check this helpful little snippet if you’re not sure how. Or take a look at my ultra helpful post on everything you need to know to bake cakes like an old Southern woman.
FOLD in your egg whites to keep as much air in the batter as possible. If you don’t know how to fold, you can watch this video–nothing like a random YouTube guy to get your lesson from. Maybe one of these days you’ll get a lesson from me.
This recipe takes a few most of the bowls in your kitchen. Sorry about that. And the calories? Well, this just isn’t something you should eat when you’re counting. I just wanted to warn you.
A note on the frosting: If you want a thick frosting, make a double batch. I find a thin skim is plenty on this ultra-rich cake, so plan accordingly if you want more. If your frosting is thick, feel free to thin it slightly with one teaspoon at a time of milk if it’s hard to spread.
Italian Cream Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- 2 cups self rising flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, divided
- 6 egg whites beaten to stiff peaks
For the frosting
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Grease and flour 3 8-inch cake pans. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and shortening until smooth. Add the sugar and beat well.
- Add the egg yolks and mix well.
- Sift the flour and add into the sugar and butter mixture one-third at a time, alternating with the milk.
- Stir in the vanilla, 1 cup of coconut and the pecans.
- Fold in the egg whites carefully until no pockets remain.
- Divide evenly between the three prepared pans.
- Bake 25 minutes and turn out to a wire rack to cool completely
- While the cakes bake, sprinkle one cup of coconut on a baking sheet and toast it in the oven alongside your cakes until brown and nutty, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir it every couple of minutes to make sure it doesn’t burn. Then set aside to cool
For the frosting:
- Cream the butter and cream cheese until well mixed. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until well combined. Spread between layers of cake and on top and sides. Use your hands to press the toasted coconut all around the sides. Sprinkle pecans over the top.
I love this cake, but have many friends who are coconut haters. A couple genuinely dislike the flavor of coconut, but most say it’s the texture they dislike. I’ve found that if I use frozen coconut in the cake batter instead of the flaked coconut found in the bag or cans, it melts into the batter and becomes undetectable, except for a hint of coconut flavor. Frozen coconut can be hard to find, so when I do find it I stock up since it will keep pretty much forever in the freezer. I also think using frozen coconut adds moisture to the cake and makes it a little less dense.
That’s a great suggestion Pam! I’m sure that will help others who make it in the future. Thank you! –Rachel
What do you do then to change all purpose flour to self rising flour? Is there a certain amount of salt and baking powder per ounce or cups of flour?
Yes there sure is. It’s easy to look up on Google if you need more details, but the ratio is for every cup of all purpose flour is to add 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. –Rachel
I just watched your video and the blogs for helpful hints. I have never heard of the cake pan liners and definitely gonna try that !! Excited to make this!! Will post a picture later!! Thank you for your video! It will be for an Easter dinner and really hoping it turns out like yours!!
I read the blog and watched the video, twice. Bought the flour she said to use, and even sifted it. Bought unsalted butter, too! I was careful to not overmix, and was also careful with the whites/folded them in. Made a double batch of frosting, but she was sooo right. Didn’t use even half of it! I love frosting, but it tastes great with the amount I used! She suggests using a bit of milk if the frosting is too thick. Mine was perfect. The cake is moist and yummy!! Only thing I’ll change next time is… I nd to buy a hand mixer. I used my Kitchen Aid, but had to keep moving things out of the mixing bowl to mix the next grouping of ingredients, the egg whites, etc. Thank you! So good! So good!! So good!!!
what is I use cake flour, what will that change?
Cake flour is made from all purpose flour and cornstarch. This recipe calls for self rising flour which is a blend of all purpose, salt and baking powder. Don’t swap that for cake flour. When following baking recipes you need to stick to the recipe. Baking is all about the science and making swaps can lead to some very unpredictable and not always good final results.
can I uses Buttermilk instead of just milk?
You can but just remember that buttermilk is thicker and you will likely need more of it than regular milk to get the right consistency. I’d really recommend sticking with the recipe here Cyndal.
I made this cake for a church luncheon and there was not a crumb left! It was awesome! I did double the frosting recipe to make sure there would be enough to cover and fill layers. Thanks!
I’m so glad you liked it Wanda! –Rachel
I made this tonight , I haven’t tasted yet . I should of doubled the icing recipe , I barley had enough to ice layers and top not enough for sided . Icing was very thick it tore cake spreading it not sure what I did wrong
Rachel if your icing is thick, thin it out with some milk until it spreads. Humidity effects powdered sugar just like it does flour so that can happen. And if your cake tore, that’s okay because that cake is very delicate. One thing to keep in mind: you can freeze your cake layers to make them easier to frost, or at least chill them. Trying to frost a cooled but fresh from the oven cake is nearly impossible no matter what kind it is. And the frosting needs to just be a skim. Not a half inch layer–this cake is so rich you don’t need gobs of it. Even if you didn’t frost the sides it will still taste great!! –Rachel
Do you use salted or unsalted butter? Making this for my extended family for Christmas Eve, can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Hey Lauren, the truth is that I use salted butter for pretty much everything but proper etiquette is to use unsalted butter in baking/sweet recipes so you can control the salt level. Use unsalted. 🙂 –Rachel
Do you have to use shortening or can it be all butter?
Hey Colette, When it comes to baking, you can make swaps but the results can be unreliable. I’ve never made this cake with anything but the combo of shortening and butter so I can’t tell you what would happen if you adjusted things. You’d be safer to keep the recipe as written. –Rachel