Treat your taste buds to true Southern comfort food with Italian Cream Cake! Moist layered cake with coconut and roasted pecans with a dreamy combination of fluffy cream cheese frosting !
Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease three 8 in or 9-in round baking pans, dusting with flour.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer and cream together butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes.. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking soda; mix in the dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk until just combined. Add in the coconut and pecans and mix just to combine.
Beat egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form - but not so much that they become dry. Gently fold ⅓ of the whites into the batter, then carefully fold in the remaining whites until just incorporated. Finally, pour the mixture into the prepared pans.
Bake your cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean—20-25 minutes for 9 -in pans, 30-35 minutes or 8 -in pans. After 10 minutes, carefully remove your cake from the pans and let them cool completely on wire racks before frosting.
Cream cheese frosting:
For a cream cheese frosting, beat together cream cheese and butter until the combination is ultra-smooth. Gradually incorporate confectioners' sugar and vanilla, and keep beating until the mixture is light and fluffy. Stir in some chopped roasted pecans for a rich, nutty flavor.
Assemble and Frost the Cake
Use the frosting to fill the layers and then frost the entire top and sides of the cake.
Top with some chopped roasted pecans on top if desired.