Italian Cream Cake | Life, Love and Sugar

This Italian cream cake is made up of three layers of splendidly moist cake loaded with toasted pecans and coconut. The layers are crammed and frosted with a light-weight whipped cream frosting and topped off with pecan bits and extra coconut. So good!

Do-it-yourself Italian Cream Cake

We’re getting near springtime. The world is warming up and we’re coming into the season of backyard events, bridal showers, and Easter soirees. There’s nothing fairly like a chic layer cake to get you in a celebratory temper. This Italian cream cake is considered one of my favorites.

After getting tons requests for a recipe for Italian Cream Cake and testing many, I lastly arrived at my very own model. I began with my Moist Vanilla Cake and went from there. The spine of this dessert is a light-weight, fluffy, splendidly moist cake infused with toasted pecans and coconut. The cake is complemented by a velvety whipped cream cheese frosting that has my mouth watering simply eager about it. It’s tremendous gentle and pairs completely with this cake. The entire thing comes collectively superbly in a chic dessert topped with swirls of frosting and lined in pecans and coconut

What’s Italian Cream Cake?

The origin of Italian cream cake doesn’t actually appear to be identified. And regardless of its identify, it’s not precisely Italian in origin. It’s actually extra of a southern cake outlined by the addition of coconut and pecans and cream cheese frosting.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This Italian cream cake is ideal for spring. Its visible enchantment, advanced texture, and delicate taste profile make it an exquisite selection to your subsequent backyard occasion. Listed below are a few of my favourite issues about it.

• It’s stunning. Layer muffins are usually showstoppers. This one particularly actually catches my eye each time. There’s something in regards to the refined, gentle colours, the cloud-like puffs of frosting, and the gorgeous exterior of toasted pecans and coconut that screams magnificence.
• Texture. I really like the way in which the sunshine, fluffy cake layers work together with the sleek whipped cream cheese frosting, the crunch of the pecans, and the chewy texture of the shredded coconut. This cake delivers a lovely journey in each chunk.
• Mild and balanced. Don’t get me incorrect, wealthy decadent muffins have their place too. However typically they could be a bit a lot. This Italian cream cake is gentle, ethereal, and graced with a fragile sweetness that’s good for spring.

What You’ll Want

I really like how baking can take a hoopla of straightforward elements, combine them collectively, and switch them into one thing really spectacular. Right here’s an inventory of what you have to to make this supremely tasty Italian cream cake. Scroll to the recipe under for measurements.

Cake Layers

• Eggs – 5 of them! Eggs and yolks separated. Each play an vital function on this cake. The yolks give physique and bind the cake elements whereas the egg whites are whipped to stiff peaks and folded in gently, including quantity, moisture and texture. You will need to permit the eggs to come back to room temperature as soon as separated.
• All-purpose flour – Be at liberty to make use of your favourite 1:1 gluten-free flour as an alternative.
• Baking soda – For the perfect rise and texture.
• Salt – Vital for a cake that isn’t bland.
• Unsalted butter – Begin with room temperature butter. It would mix and maintain quantity higher than chilly or melted butter.
• Shortening – I like utilizing shortening right here as a result of the flavour actually compliments the coconut and pecans. Butter will just do nice, nevertheless.
• Sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Almond extract – Non-compulsory, however I actually love the additional trace of taste.
• Buttermilk – I take advantage of powdered buttermilk to keep away from shopping for an entire carton and letting the remaining go to waste. The buttermilk provides a pleasant taste and fluffiness to the cake and reacts nicely with the baking soda so I counsel in opposition to making substitutions.
• Sweetened shredded coconut
• Chopped pecans – Make certain to toast them. It actually provides to the flavour of the cake. Right here’s methods to toast pecans.

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream cheese – Begin with room-temperature cream cheese. It would incorporate extra easily with the opposite elements, saving you from a clumpy frosting.
• Heavy whipping cream – The heavy whipping cream must be chilly in any other case it won’t whip up correctly.
• Powdered sugar – For a contact of sweetness.
• Vanilla extract – For taste.

Further

• Sweetened shredded coconut – Toasted. I often toast it within the oven.
• Finely Chopped Pecans

How you can Make an Italian Cream Cake

Pay shut consideration to element right here. Baking is a science and there actually is a technique to my insanity. Right here is an summary of methods to do it. Scroll to the recipe under for extra detailed directions.

For the cake

• Divide the egg yolks from the whites. You have to each.
• Prep. Line the underside of three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper and grease the edges totally. Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt.
• Beat the butter, shortening, sugar, and extracts till gentle and fluffy.

• Add the egg yolks separately, mixing after every addition till mixed.
• Add a 3rd of the dry elements and blend to mix.
• Add half of the buttermilk and blend to mix.
• Add a 3rd of the dry elements and blend till largely mixed.
• Add half of the buttermilk and blend till nicely mixed.
• Add the rest of the dry elements and blend to mix.

• Whip the egg whites on excessive pace till stiff peaks kind.
• Fold the egg whites into the batter together with coconut and toasted pecans.

• Bake. Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans and bake for 25-Half-hour.
• Cool. Permit the muffins to chill for a couple of minutes earlier than transferring them to a cooling rack to chill fully.

For the frosting

• Beat the cream cheese till clean.
• Whip the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract on excessive pace till stiff peaks kind.
• Put all of it collectively. 1/3 at a time, gently fold the whipped cream combination into the cream cheese.

To assemble

• Flatten the muffins. Use a big serrated knife to take away the domes from the highest of the muffins.
• Layer. Place the primary cake layer on a serving plate and unfold frosting excessive. Place the second cake on prime of the primary and frost the highest. Repeat this with the third cake.
• Chill. Place the cake within the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
• Frost the skin of the cake. Take a look at my publish on methods to frost a clean cake.

• Adorn. Press the toasted coconut into the edges of the cake, pipe the remaining frosting in shells across the prime fringe of the cake, and sprinkle with pecan crumbles.
• Chill. Pop the cake within the fridge till it’s time to serve.

Suggestions for Success

They all the time say that baking is a science. Listed below are a number of helpful ideas and methods that may make it easier to obtain the perfect Italian cream cake potential.

• Cream totally. When combining the butter, shortening, sugar, and extracts, beat them on excessive pace for a full 3-4 minutes. The excessive pace and prolonged time period will incorporate as a lot air as potential into the combination, in the end producing a lighter, fluffier cake.
• Measure fastidiously. Particularly relating to flour, you will need to get your measurements proper. An excessive amount of flour will result in an excessively dense cake and too little will produce a unfastened, sloppy cake. I like to recommend spooning the flour into the measuring cup and leveling it or utilizing a meals scale.
• Don’t over-mix the batter. When combining the moist and dry elements, over mixing will trigger the glutens within the flour to develop an excessive amount of. This can lead to a dense, dry cake. So solely combine till your elements are integrated. No extra.
• Begin with room-temperature cream cheese. Chilly cream cheese received’t incorporate nicely with the opposite elements ending you with a lumpy frosting. So have a bit persistence and let your cream cheese come to room temperature earlier than making the frosting.
• Use stand mixer, if potential. That is primarily the case for the frosting. I discover that hand mixers don’t whip the whipped cream to fairly as stiff of a peak, so your frosting could also be a contact much less thick should you use a hand mixer.

How you can Retailer Italian Cream Cake

This cake have to be saved within the fridge. Shut the cake in an hermetic cake provider and retailer it within the fridge for as much as 4 days. If you happen to wouldn’t have a cake provider, you possibly can wrap the cake in a double layer of saran wrap utilizing toothpicks to prop the plastic away from the cake decorations.

Be aware that this cake is greatest served at room temperature. So let it sit out for a few hours earlier than digging in.

Can I Freeze It?

Sure and no. I don’t advocate freezing the finished, adorned cake however you’re greater than welcome to freeze the cake layers and assemble the cake at a later date. Wrap the cooled cake layers in clear wrap and foil, and even place them in Ziplock baggage or an hermetic, freezer-safe container. Retailer within the freezer for as much as 3 months.

If you find yourself able to assemble, permit the layers to thaw within the fridge earlier than carrying on with stacking, frosting, and adorning.

Extra Elegant Layer Cake Recipes

Layer muffins make for such stunning, crowd-pleasing desserts. There are such a lot of completely different taste mixtures on the market. Listed below are only a few of my favorites.

See How The Cake is Made

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Recipe

Italian Cream Cake

• 
  Writer: Lindsay Conchar
• 
  Prep Time: 1 hour Half-hour
• 
  Cook dinner Time: Half-hour
• 
  Complete Time: 2 hours
• 
  Yield: 12-14 slices
• 
  Class: Dessert
• 
  Methodology: Oven
• 
  Delicacies: Italian

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Description

This Italian Cream Cake has three layers of moist cake full of shredded coconut and toasted pecans! It’s crammed and frosted with a whipped cream cheese frosting for a stunning gentle and traditional cake!

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Substances

Cake Layers

• 5 massive eggs
• 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour (measured precisely)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (112g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (95g) shortening*
• 2 cups (414g) sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract, non-obligatory
• 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk*
• 1 1/4 cups (91g) sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup (106g) chopped pecans, toasted

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

• 20 oz (565g) cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 cups (480ml) heavy whipping cream, chilly
• 1 1/2 cups (173g) powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Further

• 2 cups (148g) sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
• Pecan crumbs

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Directions

For the cake

1. Divide the egg yolks and whites whereas the eggs are chilly, then set them apart to come back to room temperature. The egg whites should be at room temperature when whipped later.
2. Put together three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles within the backside and grease the edges. Remember to grease the corners and sides of the pan very nicely, as I discover this cake tends to stay a bit. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
3. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl and put aside.
4. Add the butter, shortening, sugar and extracts to a big mixer bowl and beat collectively till gentle in shade and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Don’t skimp on the creaming time.
5. Add the egg yolks separately, mixing till largely mixed after every. Scrape down the edges of the bowl as wanted to make certain all elements are nicely integrated.
6. Add a 3rd of the dry elements to the batter and blend till largely mixed. The batter might be thick.
7. Slowly add about half of the buttermilk and blend till nicely mixed. The batter will look a bit curdled, however that’s okay.
8. Add one other third of the dry elements and blend till largely mixed. Scrape down the edges of the bowl as wanted to make certain all elements are nicely integrated.
9. Slowly add the opposite half of the buttermilk and blend till nicely mixed.
10. Add the remaining third of the dry elements and blend till nicely mixed. Scrape down the edges of the bowl as wanted to make certain all elements are nicely integrated. Don’t over combine. Put aside.
11. Add the egg whites to a mixer bowl and whip on excessive pace till stiff peaks kind. Don’t over whip the egg whites.
12. Add a few third of the egg whites to the cake batter, together with the coconut and toasted pecans, and gently fold into the cake batter till largely mixed, then add the remaining egg whites. Gently fold collectively till nicely integrated.
13. Divide the batter evenly between the muffins pans and bake for 25-Half-hour, or till a toothpick comes out clear.
14. Take away the muffins from the oven and permit to chill for about 3-4 minutes, then take away to cooling racks to chill fully.

For the frosting

1. To make the whipped cream cheese frosting, add the cream cheese to a big mixer bowl and beat till clean. Put aside.
2. Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to a different massive mixing bowl and whip on excessive pace till stiff peaks kind.
3. Add about 1/3 of the whipped cream to the cream cheese and gently fold collectively to mix so that you simply don’t deflate the whipped cream. When largely mixed, add one other third of the whipped cream and gently fold collectively, then add the ultimate third and gently fold collectively till fully mixed.

To assemble

1. To place the cake collectively, use a big serrated knife to take away the domes from the highest of the muffins in order that they’re flat. These muffins don’t have a big dome, however I like to ensure they’re fully flat.
2. Place the primary cake layer on a serving plate or a cardboard cake circle.
3. Unfold about 1 cup of frosting evenly on prime of the cake.
4. Add the second layer of cake and one other cup of frosting.
5. High the cake with the remaining layer and clean out any frosting that is perhaps poking out on the edges of the cake. Pop it within the freezer for about 15-20 minutes.
6. Frost the skin of the cake. Check with my tutorial for frosting a clean cake, if wanted.
7. Press the toasted coconut into the edges of the cake.
8. Use the remaining frosting to pipe shells across the prime fringe of the cake, the sprinkle with some remaining pecan crumbs from whenever you chopped up the pecans for the cake.
9. Refrigerate the cake till able to serve. I prefer to let muffins sit out for about an hour or two earlier than serving.
10. Cake is greatest when saved nicely lined and eaten inside about 3-4 days.

Notes

NOTE: Shortening is historically utilized in an Italian Cream Cake and I discover the flavour higher compliments the coconut and pecans. That stated, the cake will work completely nice with all butter, should you desire.

I take advantage of powdered buttermilk.

Diet

• Serving Measurement: 1 slice
• Energy: 781
• Sugar: 43.9 g
• Sodium: 318.4 mg
• Fats: 56.9 g
• Carbohydrates: 62 g
• Protein: 9.8 g
• Ldl cholesterol: 165.1 mg

Key phrases: cream cake, italian cream cake, layer muffins