Classic Italian Cream Cake Recipe

Italian Cream cake is an incredibly delicious dessert loaded with toasted pecans, coconut, and almond flavors. This recipe is pretty easy and is one of the best cakes I ever had. The layers are frosted with cream cheese and are beautifully decorated with pecan bits and coconut.

The origin of Italian cream cake is unknown, and it is more of a Southern cake than Italian. Why it was named this way is still uncertain.

The Italian cream cake is light and fluffy, with soft cake crumbs enriched with toasted pecan and coconut. Cream cheese frosting compliments the cake layers perfectly. Everyone loves this delicious dessert, and it is ideal for special occasions.

I tested various forms of this recipe before coming up with the perfect version that I tried at the birthday party. It turned out to be a success, as all the guests loved this elegant dessert. You can increase or decrease quantity of cake as per size of your gathering.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Texture: The combination of soft & fluffy cake with cream cheese frosting is simply amazing just like heavenly combination of custard filling and donut in crème brulee donuts. Crunchy pecans and chewy coconuts add a satisfying texture to soft cake crumbs.

Flavor: Each bite of this cake offers a delightful experience with a unique taste. This cake offers delicate sweetness that makes it perfect for spring parties.

Beautiful Looks: Three-layer cake covered with cream cheese frosting and beautifully decorated with chopped pecans and coconut

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour: If you have gluten-related allergies, you can use 1:1 gluten-free flour
• Baking soda & Baking powder
• Sugar: Granulated and Powdered Sugar
• Unsalted butter: Use room temperature, softened butter as it blends better.
• Eggs 5 large eggs
• Vanilla extract
• Almond extract: It adds a wonderful, enticing flavor to cake and frosting.
• Buttermilk: It adds moisture and fluffiness to the cake. You can use powdered buttermilk as well.
• Coconut Sweetened coconut that is toasted and chopped
• Pecans: toast the pecans before chopping to avoid burning them. Pecans add a nice flavor to the cake
• Cream cheese: Use room temperature full-fat cream cheese as it will blend with other ingredients smoothly.
• Salt

How to make Italian Cream cake

For the Cake

• You can use an electric mixer or a stand mixer with paddle attachment.
• Prepare three round cake pans of 9” by greasing them on the sides and bottom. I prefer to line the bottom with round parchment paper to prevent cake from sticking the bottom. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the salt, baking powder, baking soda, and flour.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add softened butter and sugar and beat together until the mixture becomes creamy. Add buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and almond extract in a large measuring cup. Slowly add this buttermilk mixture to the batter. Scrap the sides periodically for even mixing.

• Add coconut and pecans into the batter and stir it. Divide the batter evenly among three prepared pans and bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 10-12 minutes.
• If you don’t need this much cake or you have small pans, then half the recipe. 

Frosting

• Beat cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer or stand mixer until the mixture becomes creamy.
• Add in powdered sugar, almond extract, and vanilla extract to the creamy mixture and keep on mixing until the frosting turns smooth and silky. Scrap the sides periodically to get evenly mixed frosting. You can change the sugar quantity as per your preference by checking the sweetness of the frosting from time to time.
• Your cream cheese and butter should be at room temperature before mixing, as this gives the best results. 

To assemble

• Using a knife, level your cakes from the top, then place the first layer on a serving plate and carefully spread a thin layer of frosting on top of the first layer. Repeat this process until all 3 layers are covered with frosting.
• Refrigerate the cake for 15 minutes and spread an even layer of frosting on all the sides of the cake. Using an icing bag, make decorative swirls on top of the cake.
• Sprinkle pecans and shredded coconut on top and sides to give it a nice touch.

• You can refrigerate the cake before serving.
• For toasting the coconut, simply spread shredded coconut on a baking sheet and bake it at 350°F for 8–10 minutes. You can use it as a garnish for the sides of the cake. Toasted coconuts add spectacular flavor to the cake.
• You can store this cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and it can be used within 4-5 days.

Tips

Mix thoroughly: while mixing the butter, cream, and cheese, use high speed for 4 minutes, as this will result in a light and fluffy frosting.

Mixing the batter: While combining the wet and dry ingredients, don’t overmix the batter, as it will make the cake dense and dry.

FAQs