Italian Cream Cake

Name: Italian Cream Cake
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter flavored shortening; 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter; 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar; 5 eggs, separated and at room temperature; 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature; 2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut; 1 cup finely chopped pecans; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 16 oz cream cheese, at room temperature; 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 32 oz powdered sugar; 1 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (for frosting)

McBritters @McBritters

This is my grandmother's recipe. My family is from Georgia and she or my aunt would make this cake every Christmas. I'm also including a scaled down version of the cake that I created for smaller gatherings.

McBritters @McBritters

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Ingredients

1/2 cupbutter flavored shortening
1 stick (1/2 cup)salted butter
2 cups (400 g)granulated sugar
5eggs, separated and at room temperature
2 cups (240 g)all purpose flour
1 teaspoonbaking soda
1/2 teaspoonkosher salt
1 cupbuttermilk, at room temperature
2 cupssweetened, shredded coconut
1 cupfinely chopped pecans
1 teaspoonvanilla extract
16 ozcream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick (1/2 cup)salted butter
2 teaspoonsvanilla extract
32 ozpowdered sugar
1 1/2 cupfinely chopped pecans (for frosting)

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Steps

1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease, flour and line the bottom of 3 (9-inch) pans with parchment paper.
2

In a bowl of an electric mixer cream the shortening, butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
3

Sift flour, baking soda and salt together onto a sheet of waxed or parchment paper. With the mixer on low speed, add the sifted ingredients in batches alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
4

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, and gently fold into the prepared batter. Add the coconut, pecans and vanilla and fold into the batter.
5

Divide the batter among 3 prepared cake pans and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of each cake.
6

While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting. In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, butter and vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and mix until throughly combined. Add the nuts and fold together. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to frost the cake, then bring back to room temperature.
7

Allow cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
8

When the cakes are completely cool, stack the layers with the frosting and frost sides and top. Decorate with whole pecans around top edge of cake.
9

For a smaller version of the cake, use two (8-inch) pans and the following ingredient amounts: 1/3 cup butter flavored shortening, 1/3 cup salted butter, 240g granulated sugar, 3 eggs, 144g all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2/3 cup buttermilk, 1 1/4 cup shredded coconut, 2/3 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 8oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup salted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 16 oz powdered sugar, 3/4 cup chopped pecans. Baking time may vary.