So this isn't the best looking picture in the world, but it's one I took with my iPhone at work before the cake was all gone! I made this cake as a 13x9 cake for the pure and simple fact that I was taking it to work for a coworker (who is reducing her schedule to one day a week :( ) and I wanted there to be enough to share for a small special team. Traditionally, I would make this as a 2-layer cake. It is certainly prettier in presentation when I do that. I haven't made this cake in years and it was about time to bring it out as a special treat. Of course, it helped that it's my coworker's favorite cake! This cake has been compared to other Italian Creme Cakes and always came out on top. Italians have been creating fabulous rich egg cakes composed of nuts and sweet, sealed with creamy dairy fillings from ancient times forward. Italian Creme Cake, as we Americans know it today, descends from this culinary tradition. While no one claims to have invented this particular cake, food historians generally agree Italian Creme Cakes are related to Renaissance-era Trifles. This recipe has been passed down for many generations in my family. I received it from my grandmother, of French and Italian ancestry, and it was one of her signature desserts. I learned a lot of my baking from her. It's interesting to follow how this recipe got to my maternal aunt from my paternal grandmother, especially when they never had any interaction! Just goes to show how delicious this cake is. Please take the time to create the frosting by hand-beating. It really does make a difference, not to mention puts more love into it. :) My husband had the wonderful task of creating the frosting this time and I must say, I think it's the best I've ever tasted. You may want to double the frosting recipe, especially if doing a multi-layer cake. You MUST use cake flour for this recipe. It really does make a difference. You can find it in a red box in the baking aisle. And don't scoff at the buttermilk. It really makes the cake nice and moist. I have found it to be the secret behind moist cakes and quick breads. I otherwise hate buttermilk and will only have it around if I'm baking with it. For more variety, try this as miniature loaves, or cupcakes, or individual Bundt cakes. The possibilities are endless with cakes! Enjoy!
The BEST Italian Creme Cake
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup Crisco
- 2 cups sugar
- 5 eggs, separated
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 7oz can of sweetened coconut (or half of a 14 oz bag)
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Cream butter and Crisco. Add sugar and egg yolks, beating well. Add baking soda to buttermilk, and mix alternately with flour and salt to creamed sugar mixture. Beat slowly. Add vanilla. Add coconut and pecans, then fold in beaten egg whites that are whipped to stiff peaks. Bake at 350F for 40 minutes or until done.
Frosting
- 1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1 box powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Cream butter and cream cheese together by hand, making sure to fully mix the two. Slowly add the powdered sugar in batches, mixing thoroughly. Once all the powdered sugar is mixed, add the vanilla and pecans. Spread on the cake as desired.
