Festive Italian Cream Cake
1st Place Winner
2025 Meant to be Broken, Egg-specially During the Holidays Egg Recipe Contest
Lucy Moore, Chesterfield County Fair Finalist
Cake
| 1 - 14 oz. pkg. sweetened flaked coconut |
| 1 ½ cups pecan pieces |
| 2 cups flour |
| 1 tsp. baking soda |
| ½ tsp. baking powder |
| 1 cup. softened salted butter |
| 1 ½ cups sugar |
| ½ cup brown sugar, packed |
| 2 T vegetable oil |
| 5 eggs, room temp |
| 4 tsp. vanilla extract |
| 2 tsp. almond extract |
| 1 cup whole buttermilk |
Serves 16
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lay coconut on baking sheet and toast 5 minutes. Repeat with pecans. Blend the two then divide in half. Line 3 - 8” round cake pans with parchment and butter sides of pans. Measure, then sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder; set aside.
In stand mixer bowl, beat butter and sugars together for five minutes. Beat in oil.
Add eggs, one at a time; beat one minute after each addition; scraping down bowl sides.
Blend in flavorings. On low-speed blend in 1/3 flour mixture, half buttermilk; repeat; end with 1/3 flour.
Fold in half the coconut/pecan mixture. Pour into baking pans. Bake 30 - 35 minutes - just until tester comes out clean - do not overbake. Cool in pans on rack for five min.; remove cakes to rack to cool. Once mostly cool, place in plastic bags until frosted.
Frosting
| 2 - 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened |
| 1 cup butter, room temp |
| 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract |
| ½ tsp. almond extract |
| ¼ tsp. salt |
| 8 cups powdered sugar |
| Remaining coconut and pecans |
Directions
Beat cream cheese, butter, extracts, salt and powdered sugar on low speed in a stand mixer until well combined. Turn speed on high for 4-5 min., and whip until smooth, light, and creamy. Reserve 1½ cups to decorate cake.
Reserve a small amount of coconut/pecan mixture for decorating and blend the rest into frosting.
Layer thick coats of frosting between first two layers, top with third cake layer and do a skim coat over sides and top. Chill. Then frost generously with remaining frosting.
Use the set-aside frosting to decorate top of cake and the remaining coconut/pecan mixture to pat onto the bottom of cake. Refrigerate cake. Remove 30 minutes before serving
