Italian Cream Cheese Cake

This Italian-style cake is filled with nuts and coconut and frosted with a simple cream cheese frosting.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Calories: 523 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 cup buttermilk
• ½ cup margarine
• 5 egg whites
• 5 egg yolks
• ½ cup vegetable shortening
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup chopped nuts (Optional)
• 1 (3.5 ounce) can sweetened flaked coconut (such as Bakers® Angel Flake®)
• 1 (16 ounce) box confectioners' sugar
• ¼ cup mixed nuts, or as desired for garnish (Optional)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Step 2

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 3 9x1.5-inch cake pans.

Step 3

Beat margarine, shortening, and white sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy; add egg yolks one at a time, thoroughly beating each yolk into the butter mixture before adding the next.

Step 4

Mix flour and baking soda together in a bowl; alternately stir portions of flour mixture and buttermilk into the butter mixture, mixing until just incorporated into a cake batter. Stir 1 cup nuts, coconut, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract into the batter.

Step 5

Beat egg whites in a glass or metal bowl until soft peaks form. Lift your beater or whisk straight up: the egg whites will form soft mounds rather than a sharp peak. Fold egg whites into the batter; pour into prepared pans.

Step 6

Beat cream cheese and butter together in a bowl until smooth. Beat confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract into the cream cheese mixture until smooth; spread over completely cooled cakes; garnish with 1/4 cup nuts.