Italian Cream Cake

It’s time for cake!

My sweet friend Robyn Stone’s first cookbook releases tomorrow and I’m super excited to bake and share something from it with you. I chose her Italian Cream Cake after I saw it featured on QVC’s In the Kitchen with David when she was on the show. This was also her wedding cake, so I knew it had to be delicious. And, oh my gosh – it’s so good.

Robyn’s book goes by the same name as her blog, Add a Pinch ^[1], so if you’re looking for a mix of sweet, savory and southern dishes, you should totally check her out.

Plus, look at that cover, so pretty and at the same time the most vegetables you’ll likely ever see on my blog. Ha!

The Add A Pinch Cookbook ^[2] releases March 28th and it’s full of delicious recipes I want to devour including Pimento Cheese Biscuits, Fried Green Tomato Caprese Stacks, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Citrus Shrimp, and Sausage and Grits Casserole. The recipes are categorized by 10 ingredients or less, 30 minutes or less, freezer friendly and slow cooker favorites. Pretty handy.

Plus, look at these desserts: Strawberry Shortcakes with Sweet Cream Cheese Biscuits, Buttermilk Praline Cheesecake (YES!), Georgia Peach Crisp, Cream Cheese Pound Cake, German Chocolate Cake, and Lemon Meringue Pie. Oh my!

Okay, back to cake. Let’s make one.

Making this cake batter is super satisfying. I love how thick and luscious it is after creaming the butter and sugar, adding 5 egg yolks and then mixing in the flour and baking soda.

But it’s also chocked full of coconut and chopped pecans.

After mixing in the add-ins, fold in five whipped egg whites and spread that magic into three 8-inch cake pans and bake away.

Assemble the cooled cake, spreading the top of each layer with pecan cream cheese frosting as you stack them. Then cover the sides with more frosting and even everything out.

Note: Before mixing chopped pecans in all of my frosting, I set some off to the side to pipe on top of the cake. I also added some extra chopped pecans around the base of the cake…

… and a ring of pecans on the top. But you can certainly just frost the entire cake with the pecan cream cheese frosting and forget all about fancying it up.

That way you can get right to enjoying a nice big bite. : )

Print

Yield: One 3-tiered, 8-inch layer cake

Italian Cream Cake

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

cake

• Baking spray
• 5 large eggs, separated
• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped pecans

frosting

• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare three 8-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring them.
2. For the cake: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), beat the egg whites until they hold a stiff peak, about 7 minutes.
3. In a clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition until combined.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the butter and sugar mixture, beating after each addition until just blended. Stir in the vanilla, coconut, and pecans. Fold in the whipped egg whites. Divide the batter among the prepared pans.
5. Bake until the center of the cake springs back to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes. Turn the cakes out of the pans onto wire racks and let cool before frosting.
6. For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), beat the butter and cream cheese at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating at the highest speed for about 10 seconds after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and nuts.
7. Spread the frosting over the top of one of the cooled cake layers. Add a second cake layer and spread with frosting. Top with the remaining cake layer and frost the top and sides of the cake. Because of the cream cheese in the frosting, this cake needs to be refrigerated.

Notes

Shared with permission from the Add A Pinch Cookbook ^[2] by Robyn Stone, Copyright © 2017

Enjoy!!!

And hugs and huge congrats to you Robyn, you deserve it!