Tony Claxton's Recipes
Italian Cream Cake		    

Italian Creme Cake      
Instead of real buttermilk I usually use powdered buttermilk. The product I use says to combine 4 tablespoons of powder with 1 cup of water to make one cup of buttermilk. What I do is combine the buttermilk powder with the dry ingredients and just add the water to the batter when I'm mixing it. When beating the egg whites I try to remember to hold out a couple of teaspoons of the sugar for the cake and beat the whites with it. The sugar helps to form a stable meringue.

                                   

Ingredients
Cake:
1/2 C - Butter, softened
1/2 C - Shortening
2 C - Sugar
5 - Eggs, separated
2 C - All Purpose Flour
1 t - Baking Soda
1/4 t - Salt
1 C - Buttermilk
1 t - Vanilla Extract 		    3 1/2 oz - Coconut, flaked
1 C - Pecans, chopped

Frosting:
8 oz - Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 C - Butter, softened
5 C - Powdered Sugar, sifted
1/2 t - Vanilla Extract
3/4 C - Pecans, chopped
Pecan Halves for Decoration


Instructions
  • Cake:
    • Grease and flour 3 9" round cake pans.
    • Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
    • Cream butter and shortening very well in a large mixing bowl.
    • Add sugar gradually, while beating, until mixture is very light and fluffy.
    • Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
    • Combine flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk powder (if using, see comments at top).
    • Combine vanilla extract with the water or buttermilk.
    • Add to creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk or water, beginning and ending with flour.
    • Stir in coconut and chopped pecans
    • Beat egg whites in a medium mixing bowl until stiff peaks form.
    • Gently fold beaten egg whites into batter in 3 installments.
    • Divide batter equally into the prepared cake pans.
    • Bake for about 25 minutes or until cakes test done.
    • Remove cakes from oven and cool on racks for about 10 minutes before turning them out of the pans and allowing to cool completely before frosting them.
  • Frosting:
    • Beat cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl until very creamy.
    • Add powdered sugar gradually, beating until very light and fluffy.
    • Beat in vanilla and stir in chopped pecans.
  • Finishing:
    • Assemble the cake layers, using just enough frosting between each layer to cover them.
    • Cover the assembled cake with the rest of the frosting.
    • Decorate the cake with the pecan halves.
    • Eat and enjoy!


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