Italian Cream Cake II

margarine, softened

shortening

white sugar

all-purpose flour

baking soda

buttermilk

vanilla extract

coconut

pecans

cream cheese

confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).  Grease and flour three 8 inch round cake pans.


Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks.


In a large bowl, cream 1/2 cup margarine and shortening till light. Add white sugar, and beat till fluffy. Beat in egg yolks. Stir together flour and baking soda, and add alternately with buttermilk into the creamed mixture; mix well after each addition. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla, coconut, and 1 cup pecans. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Spoon into prepared pans.


Bake for 25 to 40 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.


Combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup margarine, confectioners' sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in mixer bowl.  Beat till smooth. Add coconut if desired.  Frost the cooled cake. The remaining 1/2 cup pecans can be stirred into frosting or sprinkled onto the cake after it is frosted.


I have a cake business and am constantly looking for good recipes. I decided to try this recipe for an order. I don't care for coconut, so I was going on faith. The customers LOVED this cake! I had such positive feedback that I will be using this for future Italian Cream Cake orders. Thanks!!!

A co-worker of my husband asked me to bake for her for Christmas and she asked for an Italian Cream Cake.  I had never made one, so this is the recipe I settled on.  She said she didn't want coconut, so I left it out...but added 1 t. of coconut extract for the flavor. Other than than I made the cake exactly by the recipe.  I doubled the frosting recipe because I wanted to be sure that I had enough left over to decorate with..and I had plenty with even some left over.  You need a lot just because it's such a tall cake with the three layers.  Anyway, she said everyone loved it...and that the frosting was delicious!  I even took a picture of it and posted it...I was very pleased!

This is my new favorite cake!!!!! Followed the recipe exactly except I made 1.5 times the amount of icing, the original amount just wasn't enough to generously ice three layers of cake. Next time I may reduce the coconut, just a personal preference, but it was delicious!!!

Tip: to make beating the whites to peaks easier, be sure to separate them and then let them sit at room temp for a bit. 

Excellent and very easy. I only used 1 cup coconut and I added 1 tsp of Almond Extract for the authenic Italian cake. So good. Next time I may decrease the coconut to 3/4 cup.

I'm not a very good baker.  Most of my baking is right out of the box.  This is an excellent cake.  My friends and family loved it.  My biggest fear of scratch baking is a dry cake.  This is a very moist cake that is so delicious.  I used cake flour instead of all-purpose flour.  I also used butter instead of margarine.  I doubled the cream cheese and butter but not the powdered sugar for the icing. 
This is a keeper!

Great recipe.  Some ideas:  put lemon or lime curd in between the layers and on the top of the cake.  Add some toasted crushed pecans to the icing and top the cake (and curd) with toasted coconut.  Beautiful presentation and the tartness of the curd is a wonderful complement to the sweetness of the cake.  You'll REALLY enjoy this recipe.

I have made this cake twice.  Turned out perfect each time.  My DH loves it and it is now his most requested cake.  Didn't change a thing about the recipe.  I added chopped pecans to the frosting and put both pecans and coconut in the batter.

Delicious and moist cake!  I ground the nuts that were going into the cake batter instead of leaving them chopped.  I personally don't like chunks in my cake.  I also did not mix in the coconut or nuts with the icing because I wanted it to be completely smooth, not lumpy.  Toasted nuts just went around the edges for a decorative touch.

This was sooooo wonderful.  I put the icing inbetween the layers of cake while it was still warm and the icing melted a little and made it so moist.  If you are going to be making this cake for kids you probably want to leave out the nuts though.  I didn't use coconut because I don't like it.    

Holy banana- this cake was amazing!  It turned out perfect!!! And no one could believe I made it!  I used parchment paper in the bottom of the pans instead of greasing and flouring.  I used chopped nuts (pecans) to cover the outside edge over the frosting.  Then I toasted some coconut and put it on top and sliced about 4 maraschino cherries and put the halves randomly on the top of the coconut. It looked like something from a magazine!  =)

A co-worker made this for me and I just had to have the receipe.  The Best!!!!

This is the best cake EVER!  Make it exactly as written.... don't change a thing!  You will have rave reviews.

I made this cake for my husbands b-day. I used 2 9-in round pans because thats what I had, and ended up with enough batter for about 6 cupcakes as well. I doubled the icing recipe, but used about 2 cups less sugar total. I think I could have used even less sugar, because the icing was still a little much. I think next time I will throw the nuts and coconut for a spin in the food processor prior to mixing them in as well, since it was a little chunky. Other than that, this is my and my husbands new favorite cake. We had a few people over, and there weren't even any leftovers. It was exactly what I was looking for, and was definitely not dense as other reviewers said. Light and fluffy, but rich. So good.

I made this in 2 9" round pans because that's all I have.  I split each into 2 giving 4 layers.  I reduced the sugar for the batter to 1.5 cups and there was enough sweetness with that; I'll try 1.T25 cups next time. Since I have an extra layer to fill, I whipped 1 cup whipping cream and folded that to the frosting.  Again, I reduced the sugar - to 3 cups.  There was just enough frosting to fill and frost the entire cake but would use 2 cups sugar for the frosting next time.  The cake is moist, tender, and has a nice flavor but is too sweet.  I will definitely use this recipe again but with less sugar for the batter and frosting.

This was a wonderful cake! I didn't have buttermilk so I soured some milk w/a wee bit of vinegar.Worked well. I did cheat on the icing part..I used Betty Crocker cream cheese icing and added 8 oz. of cream cheese to it! That was super! I do this all the time w/icing for cakes everyone thinks its homemade,I say "Thanks" ! thanks for a Great recipe,will make this often!

we loved it!  I ground 1+1/2 c pecans all in the cake, used butter instead of shortening or margarine...and my icing, was 2 sticks butter, 1 lg cream cheese and 6 cups of poweder sugar, 1+1/2 t vanilla....  the rest i followed.  i didn't have the pans so i did a big bundt cake pan and a little one..  50 minutes for the big one and 32 for the smaller one....  it is a keeper recipe!

My daughter wanted an Italian Wedding Cake for her 21st birthday.  This was a wonderful recipe.  She hates nuts so I omitted them.  Although I would have loved them, I didn't miss them - this cake is so moist and flavorful.  I used cake flour, all butter, added 1/2 tsp of almond flavoring to the mix.  I doubled the cream cheese in the frosting - it wasn't a thick decorator frosting but had plenty of body to stand up well.  I also cooked it in 2 10" pans and sliced the layers in half to have a 4 layer cake.  We loved it!  She took most of it back to college to MAYBE share!

This is one of the best cakes I have ever made. Made it for my daughter's 20th birthday, and the extra work was definitely worth it. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!

This is my favorite cake &amp; my first time making a cake from scratch other than a pound cake. I did use butter instead of the margarine feel it will give it more of a moist taste. I also grated my pecans &amp; coconut flakes to almost like a powder form because I don't like chunky cake unless it carrot cake. Because of how I grated down the pecans it does change the color of the cake to a tan color looks really cool.

Make sure you fold in the egg whites last thing, I gave this 4 stars instead of five because the instructions don't tell you , but you need to kind lightly bounce the cake pans on the counter to get  any air bubble out of the mix. If you do not do this you will get parts of the cake to expand like a bubble which will kind of through off your layering. I let them cool for 15 minutes .. 

I DID NOT do the frosting as its said in this recipe,  Look up WhIPPED CREAM CREAM CHEESE FROSTING on this site.. Make this frosting its much better &amp; REAL cream cheese frosting taste like you at a gourmet creamy  cheese Frosting.

This is not as good as it sounded.  Real disappointed!  Needs "something".
Won't make again.

Super delicious cake! Everyone really, really loved this one. I made a few changes, I used butter in both the cake and frosting, almond extract in the cake instead of vanilla, and I used a 9x13 pan. I baked it at 350 and it was done around 55 mins to an hour, I just kept checking. I topped the frosted cake with finely chopped pecans, shredded coconut and halved maraschino cherries. It was pretty as well as exceptionally delicious. It is very rich and on the dense side, but I love cakes like this! I will use this recipe for Italian cream cakes from now on, it was the perfect ending to my Italian dinner party. Thank you for this wonderful recipe :)

Great and so easy!  My only note is that I made 1.5 times the frosting in order to cover everything nicely, as well as using real butter.  Quite lovely!

I made this for Thanksgiving and WOW!  The only variation I made was that I split each of the three layers and filled the split layers with the almond cake filling recipe from this website.  I believe it made the cake very moist and added fantastic flavor.  Other than that, I followed the receipe to a "T" and it was devoured by my family of four within the week.  Given it is a HUGE cake, that is quite the compliment.  I patted chopped pecans on the sides and sprinkled additional coconut on the top and it was gorgeous!  I'll be making this again for Christmas...I haven't been given a choice.

Fantastic!  A lot of work, but boy does this turn out great.  The cake is incredibly fluffy and the icing is to die for!

I can't believe how good this cake was.  Usually, I find homemade cakes to be on the drier side, but that was not the case with this cake. The only changes I made was to substitute 1 teaspoon of almond extract for the vanilla and I reduced the coconut to about 3/4 of a cup.  I also baked it in 3 9 inch pans and the cake still had some serious height!  Great recipe...thanks!

I used hazelnuts instead of the walnuts and soaked each layer with amaretto before frosting. It was amazing!

I made this on a Saturday afternoon, just because I enjoy baking.  I took some to my mother who shared it with the ladies she works with.  One of her co-workers is paying me to make another cake since the taste she had was not enough!  It is a wonderfully, well textured cake and shows beautifully.

Amazing! I made these into cupcakes and baked them for approx 16 mins. Didn't change the recipe. It was a little bit of Heaven in my mouth!!!

My family beg me to make this cake every year for the holidays!  I baked it for thanksgiving, I'm getting ready to bake it for Christmas!!

This cake was fun to make, so easy! Buttercream icing was delicious on it-I don't care for cream cheese icing. I took it to work and people remarked it tasted like a gourmet cake from a bakery. Thank so much for a great recipe.

This cake is AMAZING- but also huge. It should serve 12 people! My Dad calls this "the BEST cake in the world"- and he is probably right. It's so moist and flavorful, just make sure you replace the shortening and margarine with butter. Also toast 1/2 c. coconut to put on the outside of the cake with the 1/2 c. pecans. And for the frosting, I only used 2 c. powdered sugar.

Very good!!!  I have a out of this world Italian Rum cake

Everyone liked this cake- except for me.  It had the texture of a bad carrot cake- I definitely expected something more moist.   And the recipe for the icing needed to be doubled to ice three layers.  Because the family liked it, I will make it again,  however, I will double the icing, use WAY less nuts and coconut in the batter, and more to garnish the cake.  I will also probably use almond extract for a more authentic flavor.

This is a wonderful cake, moist and delicious. I did use butter instead of marg. and shortening also left the coocnut out of the frosting.

Great recipe!  Very moist and delicious.  Love it!

Seeing as my husband and I don't really like your typical birthday cake very much, it was delightful that we loved this so much!  I guess the extra step of beating the egg whites, the butter milk, and the cream cheese in the icing made the difference.  I omited all nuts, did put 1 c. coconut in the icing, and omited the shorting in the cake and only used 1/2 cup of butter (not margerine).  I used all butter (no margerine) in the icing too.  Great recipe!  Worth the work.  The coconut flavor is subtle, but really "makes the cake!"

This cake was excellent! Very moist and the icing was a perfect.

Very good. Everyone in my family has loved it! I put coconut between the layers and around the edges of the cake after it was frosted. Then put pecans on the top of the cake.

Absolutely the best thing I have EVER BAKED!!  I received so many compliments, I have people begging me to bake for them.  The only thing I changed was I added more vanilla and nuts to the batter, and I added chopped nuts and coconut to the frosting.  My son took a piece to work (a well-known deli chain restaurant) with him and the entire place is hounding me to bake a whole cake for them.  Don't share this cake with people unless you want to bake for them later!!

Made this for a party.  Friends liked it, although they mentioned the frosting tasted like pure sugar.  I added to the presentation by dying coconut red and sprinkling it on top of the case.  I omitted pecans, and like other reviewers, kept the coconut separate from the frosting.

Oh my... this cake is to die for! I absolutely love it. I have made it three times for different occassions and get fabulous reviews. I make it just like the recipe says, as a three layer cake. After I frost it, I press chopped pecans around the side and pile coconut on top. It looks, and tastes, like a million bucks. Thanks for my new favorite cake recipe!

I've baked this cake more than 5 times and every time I keep getting great reviews and request to make it again. I even got paid to bake the cake.

This cake was a huge hit! I own a home bakery and have been searching for the perfect mix of moist, decadent and just the perfect amount sweetness. I made this recipe as is, with the exception of using almond extract in place of vanilla, which I do in 99% of my baking.

I made this cake yesterday and it was a hit with everyone!  Instead of margarine, I used butter and replaced shortening with coconut oil.  Using unsweetened coconut, i reduced that amount to a scant 1 cup.  To make the icing, I used half butter and half coconut oil.  Rather than increasing the amount of icing, I used the cream cheese icing between the layers and then whipped 1 cup of heavy cream, unsweetened, and blended that with the remainder of the cream cheese icing and frosted the top and sides with that.  Less sweet but still rich and creamy!

This was my Christmas cake this year.  I followed the recipe and it was perfect.  Everyone loved it.   Thanks to the publisher.

The cake itself was amazing! i put the nuts and coconut through a food processor cause i'm not a fan of texture in cakes so this was perfect.  it was moist and tasty.  WILL make again. 

I made this for my sons birthday.  It was moist and full of flavor.  People who don't normally like cake were asking for seconds.

I made this in cupcakes for Easter dessert and my Dad particularly LOVED it. The leftovers went to DH's work on Monday (made them Saturday) and despite several days in the fridge they were still tender and tasty. They did seem a little greasy when fresh-baked but after a day or so in the fridge that sensation completely mellowed out into goodness. I toasted my coconut and pecans and chopped them in the food processor so I could have an even distribution of goodies throughout my cake &amp; frosting. Thanks for sharing!

My family absolutely loves this cake!  Everytime we get together one of them will request it.  I've also tried it at work with great reviews.

I used a mini food chopper to grind down the coconut flakes into almost powder consistency. Also I used sliced almonds in lieu of the other nuts mentioned, and again ground them down. I don't like chunky cake. I patted sliced almonds on the sides, and garnished with strawberry. Do yourself a favor and make this cake but use the Whipped Cream Cheese frosting from this site. OMG, it is the best thing I've ever made!

This was a great cake I took it to church for after Mass. Since I go to an Italian church I was hesitant but it was a big hit. One of the ushers wanted to know where I bought it.

This recipe is the best!!! I made this for a friend at work. She said her mom made Italian cream cake. She had not had any for some time since her mom past away. My co-worker loved it and said it was just like her moms. Thanks for the great recipe.

I made this cake for my husband's birthday. I prepared the layers a day ahead and put them in the fridge to firm up.  Then put the cake back in the fridge after frosting... (dusting the sides with the crushed pecans was probably the hardest part!) 

He loved the cake!  Thank you for sharing this wonderful (easy) recipe...

I made this cake exactly as written and in my opinion was just okay. No offense to the author of this recipe but i just thought it was a little plain tasting. It was a little too dense for my taste. Thanks anyway!. 

FABULOUS! I make it for every special occasion... actually making it as a wedding cake for a very good friend of mine. Everybody always LOVES it! Thanks for sharing! 

I researched several different recipes and reviews before picking this one. It was the best collaboration of those recipes and comments/suggestions; and, it turned out WONDERFUL!!
I do have a few comments/suggestions of my own that I applied while preparing this cake. For someone who hasnt baked alot, it's mainly things I have learned to do thru my experiences in the kitchen and from my mom and grandmother. So, here they are:
1. I baked at 325 for 35 minutes. 
2. I lined my pans with wax paper
3. I had all my ingredients set out and premeasured before I began. Including separating the eggs. 
4. I did not prepare the egg whites first, I allowed the egg whites to sit until it was time to use them in the recipe, and whipped them at that time. My grandmother taught me when making a meringue, it works best when the egg whites are room temperature, ALWAYS in a glass bowl, and make sure to wipe out the bowl with a dry paper towel before use. Even 1 grain of salt or bit of flour in the bowl. (For some reason, you will not get the real nice fluff in a plastic bowl or if there is the smallest amount of foreign substance in the bowl). Also, I didn't have to use this trick, but was prepared to add a pinch of cream of tartar, if the egg whites didn't thicken up and raise like I wanted.
5. It's my suspicion this recipe is one you MUST follow the mixing directions to a tee. Don't try to skip a step by mixing more ingredients in before it says to do so. For example, make sure your margarine 

This cake was amazing! It was a big hit at a work potluck! Myself being Italian has had a few Italian cakes in my day but this one was the best! I added a little less coconut and a little more nuts! It was so moist and full of flavor!

Thanks for this recipe Cyndi! I was craving a cake last night and this did not let me down. Any recipe with as much sugar as flour is going to be dense, regardless of how many egg whites you fold in! I used coconut oil in place of margarine and left out the shredded coconut just because we don't care for it. I also added 1/2 teaspoon of salt. It turned out very tasty. I will definitely make this again. I used a silicone Bundt pan and baked it for about 50 minutes.

Wonderful!!!  Reminds me of my moms recipe.  I have not had this cake in years, and this was just like I remembered it!  Next time I will double the frosting, but will not change anything with the ingredients.  THANK YOU!!

I followed the recipe exactly and found that it was MUCH to sweet, rich and dense for my family. It is a beautiful cake and my husband said he liked it. Beware - a little slice is all you need! I'm not sure that I will make this again. 

This cake is delicious.  Made it for a family Birthday and it was a huge hit!  Would definitely make it again!!

Fantastic! I use half almond flour and half white flour. I also use coconut oil in place of the marg/butter. It is perfect. Also, I do believe raspberry jam in between the layers along with the cream cheese frosting and fresh raspberries on top is best! This is the recipe I use every year for my husband's birthday.

I'm waiting for my cupcakes to cool. I have never had such a moist cake in my life!! I'm sure the icing will be fantastic too!!! The only change I made was to whack the pecans a few times with a mug to make smaller pieces. I can't wait until my neighbors taste! !

I only liked chocolate cake, until NOW.... this is delish! The only thing I change is not to put pecans in the cake because I like a smooth texture... plus I noticed it stays great in the fridge for a while! yummy!

Definitely a special occasion cake but it wowed the crowd!

This is the same recipe my Grandma used. It's heavenly. You absolutely must separate and whip the egg whites, though. I fold them in as the very last step. Don't overmix. This is great as a 9x13 or as a stacked cake. So yummy.

This was over the top.  Followed the recipe exactly with the exception of increasing the icing by half.  Just enough to generoulsy frost the cake.  It was easy to make and a real hit at our dinner party last night.  Will make again and again.

Make the frosting in advance and put it in the fridge for a few hours to stiffen up. Makes frosting much easier. I didn't know that and did it as soon as the cake was cool. The layers kept slipping around and the icing kept falling off the sides. While this is probably old hat for the more experienced, i've never made a cake before and had no idea. Delicious recipe though. I left the nuts and coconut flakes off as mentioned in another review, but used a couple tsp's of coconut extract in the batter. Everybody loved it.

This is the first time I made this cake and already getting requests  to make another one.  5 stars!

This was the first cake that I have made from scratch so I am sure that I made a mistake somewhere. The icing was very heavy and slid right off the sides of the cake. The cake was completely cool and I put the icing the fridge to firm up a bit while the cake cooled and it still slid. We haven't eaten yet as I made this for a holiday meal tomorrow. Will let you know the reviews of the family.

Updating my review to include that the taste was fantastic! It was a very moist cake. Even with the icing not being perfect, the family still loved it! I would possibly make this again.

What an awesome receipe.  Made this for my daughters birthday.  Was a big hit.  I am fairly new to baking from scratch, but this was easy to follow. 

This cake was wonderful, especially the icing.  I'm new at baking &amp; even I did a good job making it:)

My mother used to make Italian Cream Cake and I don't have her recipe, so I made this one.  It was a HUGE hit--the beaten egg whites give the cake a very light texture that is perfect with the icing. I served it at an Italian-themed party and people raved about it!

Just made this cake for a 55th birthday party and it was fabulous.  Everyone raved about it - even my 13 yr old son who claims to hate nuts and coconut!  Just a quick word of advise, when greasing and flouring the cake pans, do not use cooking spray - the results weren't pretty.  I hand grease and flour next time, however, the cakes were salvagable and the icing held the broken pieces together.  Easy, yummy and impressive cake.

With out a doubt the singular best cake I have ever made!!!
Not too difficult, most ingredients on hand, impress everyone!!!

This cake is great!  I had many compliments about it at Christmas time.  Thanks for sharing!

I tried this recipe because a lady I know wanted me to make one for her. I didn't want to make her a whole cake without her knowing if she was going to like it or not, so I made it into cupcakes. I followed the recipe exactly and gave some to her and took some to my kids school so the teachers could taste it too. Everyone said it was heaven. My husband (who doesn't like coconut) said he loved it too, and there were plenty of cupcakes leftover for him to take to work. Will definately have to make again because I have people already asking for one. Thanks for the great recipe.

Very rich and VERY delicious.  I made this for my family and they thought I had bought it!  Thanks for sharing the recipe!

This cake is great as it!! Except, make extra frosting...but other than that...great, great, great!! Oh, I didn't have buttermilk, so I did the "let 1c milk sit with 1TB vinegar for 10 min" thing. Side Note: I never buy buttermilk... This cake was awesome. Perfectly moist, and I even messed up the egg white step! If I knew how to do the whole fondant thing, I would with this recipe. Try it now!!!

This was delicious. Made it exactly to the recipe and it was better than any that I have had.

I did not care for this cake. It does have great reviews and there isn't anything wrong with the cake itself but the flavors of it just didn't work with me. I used my own cream cheese frosting since this frosting was to sweet and had an interesting taste to it. I thought that because of all the egg yolks and buttermilk that it would be a hit but it was more of a miss

Rave reviews on this cake when I made it. I exchanged the vanilla extract for Almond extract. I also think this will be good to make the icing coffee/mocha flavor. So good!

This cake is hands down one of the best I have ever had! I get many requests to make this from family....mostly my husband. It is dense and rich but oh so good! I usually make it every Christmas. I would not make this cake all the time due to all the calories but it is worth it for a special occasion!

This was delicious but really, really sweet.  I made as stated except I didn't add extra coconut into the frosting and am glad I did not.  I think next time I will cut the coconut in the cake back to about 3/4 of a cup.  Just a personal preference.  Other than that, quite tasty and made a nice presentation.  A keeper for sure.

this was good, but not the best. it's also VERY sweet. i will not make it again.

Kinda bland.  Remade the second time with these changes: real butter, 1 cup ONLY toasted coconut, sifted cups of flour, and 1/2 tsp of almond extract.  I also like it better with almonds instead of pecans.

My boss loves Italian Cream Cake so I made this one for her birthday. It was a huge hit. The only variation I made was that I made it in a 9x13 cake pan. It was wonderful!!

No problems with the cake itself, but the amount of cream cheese for frosting is incorrect.  It is an Icky thick, unspreadable mess unless you use TWO (not one, as stated in recipe) 8 oz. packages of cream cheese.  Two star deduction for inaccuracy and inconvenience of having to do a last-minute run to store to fetch more cream cheese.

Incredible.  I made a 9x13 instead of round layer cake, but I followed the recipe exactly.  It was perfect.  Will be using this recipe from now on.  

Cake is great! Done just as the recipe called for. What a great tasting flavorful cake. I did use butter instead of margarine as thats what I had on hand. HOwever, the icing was VERY sweet. I did not care for it. My husband liked it alot. I have another cream cheese icing recipe I should have used. I saw where alot of reviews called for using less sugar but I just forgot. I am sure 1 cup less would have done the trick.

italian cream cake ii

Servings: 4.5

Cost: $10.25 /serving

Author : Allrecipes Member

Ingredients

Instructions

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