Italian Cream Cake

This Italian cream cake recipe is as effortless as making a homemade bakery-worthy cake gets. It features a rich coconut-scented cake with a thick coating of cream cheese frosting speckled with crushed pecan chunks. Although its name would suggest otherwise, this dessert isn’t believed to have originated in Italy. Instead, speculation says it’s a recipe developed by an Italian expatriate who relocated to the Southern United States years ago. Either way, it’s indisputably delicious and the perfect sweet treat to complement any meal year-round. Fortunately, preparing it isn’t a big undertaking either, as it only takes about an hour from start to finish.

Ingredients for Italian Cream Cake

• Butter, shortening and sugar: Creaming these ingredients together helps give the cake structure and rich flavor. Taste of Home recipes are tested with lightly salted butter unless otherwise specified. The light salt content helps balance the sweetness from the sugar.
• Eggs: Bring the eggs to room temperature to make mixing them into the cake batter easier. The egg yolks help bind the ingredients, while the whipped egg whites give the cake a light, airy texture.
• Vanilla extract: Opt for high-quality vanilla extract to give this cake its warm, cozy flavor.
• All-purpose flour and baking soda: These dry ingredients help give the cake its tender texture and structure. Baking soda also acts as a leavening agent, promoting extra fluffy cake layers as they bake.
• Buttermilk: Tangy buttermilk gives the cake a mildly acidic undertone that helps balance the sweetness from the sugar.
• Shredded coconut and pecans: These ingredients give this recipe for Italian cream cake a chewy consistency and add nutty flavor notes to each bite.
• Cream cheese and butter: Softening these two ingredients before beating them helps create a creamier, lump-free cream cheese frosting mixture.
• Confectioners’ sugar: This sugar delicately sweetens the cream cheese frosting. To achieve a sweeter and thicker consistency, continue adding confectioners’ sugar until you’ve achieved the desired results.
• Vanilla extract: Opt for good-quality vanilla extract to lightly scent the cream cheese frosting with its warm, aromatic notes.
• Chopped pecans: The chopped nuts give the cream cheese frosting a chewier texture. The pecans will continue to soften as they absorb residual moisture from the cream cheese.

Directions

Step 1: Make the cake batter

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 9-inch round baking pans. In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, for about five to seven minutes. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla. Combine the flour and baking soda and add it to the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Beat it until just combined. Stir in the coconut and pecans.

Step 2: Beat the egg whites

In another bowl, beat the egg whites with clean beaters until stiff but not dry. Fold 1/4 of the egg whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining whites. Pour it into prepared pans.

Step 3: Bake the cakes

Bake it until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Step 4: Prepare the frosting

For the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Stir in the pecans. Spread the frosting between layers and over the top and side of the cake. Store the cake in the refrigerator.

Italian Cream Cake Variations

• Make a DIY buttermilk: Instead of buying buttermilk, place one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup and add enough milk to make one cup. Stir and then let it stand for five minutes. You can also substitute one cup of plain yogurt for the buttermilk.
• Add a splash of Amaretto: To give the dessert a boozy twist, add a splash of amaretto, an almond-flavored Italian liqueur, to the frosting and lightly brush the cooled cake layers with the liquid.
• Swap the pecans: Use walnuts or hazelnuts instead of pecans in the frosting and cake for a slightly different flavor,.
• Cut the recipe in half: This recipe yields 16 servings. To make a smaller portion just cut the recipe in half. This may entail modifying the cooking time depending on the size of the cake pans.
• Save the batter for making other baked goods: Save some of the batter for making cupcakes or smaller, personal-sized mini cakes rather than cutting the recipe in half.

How to Store Italian Cream Cake

Store the Italian cream cheese cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to seven days. Due to the perishable ingredients in the cream cheese frosting, we don’t recommend storing the cake at room temperature.

Can you freeze Italian cream cake?

For the best quality, you can freeze Italian cream cake for up to two to three months. However, the cold temperatures may impact its texture, especially once it’s thawed.

Italian Cream Cake Tips

What is Italian cream cheese called?

Although this recipe calls for traditional cream cheese, mascarpone is often considered the Italian variation of this product. You can swap the two ingredients interchangeably in this recipe at a one-to-one ratio. The two ingredients share a similar creamy texture, although mascarpone isn’t as tangy and has a butterier flavor than cream cheese.

What is Italian cake made of?

This Italian cream cake recipe features a moist cake flavored with vanilla, buttermilk, shredded coconut and pecans. It’s topped with a rich cream cheese frosting made with softened cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract. A handful of chopped pecans gives the frosting an added layer of crunchiness.

Can I leave a cream cheese cake out overnight?

We strongly advise against leaving this cream cheese cake out overnight. It can promote spoilage as the ingredients enter the temperature danger zone where bacteria can grow quickly to potentially harmful levels.