Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9 inch cake pan. (if you have any batter left over, simply pop in a couple of cup cake liners).

Step 2

Cream butter and butter flavored shortening until smooth. Add sugar and mix well. Add eggs one at a time, just until the yellow disappears. Mix for about 30 seconds more.

Step 3

Combine flour, baking soda and dash of salt. Set aside.

Step 4

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture (above) to the creamed mixture. Mix well. Now add 1/2 of the buttermilk. Mix well. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture, rest of the buttermilk, then last of the flour mixture, mixing well after each addition. (i.e. flour, buttermilk, flour, buttermilk, flour) Add the vanilla & mix well.

Step 5

Stir in the remaining ingredients, coconut and pecans. Pour evenly into the greased and floured cake pan.

Step 6

Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes and remove from pans. Let cool completely.

Step 7

Mix the Instant pudding with the milk and allow to set. This should only take 5 - 10 minutes.

Step 8

In a separate bowl, mix the mascarpone and sweetened condensed milk well until smooth. The instant pudding should now be set; add this to the mascarpone mixture and mix well. Now fold in the Cool Whip and refrigerate until ready to assemble.

Step 9

Break up the cake (you can just use your hands) so it is in small pieces or large crumbs).Then assemble and layer starting with cake, pudding, coconut and pecans, repeat 1-2 times. If you end with pudding and toasted coconut sprinkled on top you can cover with plastic and it comes off fairly clean.