Nana's Italian Holiday Cream Cake

Take your holiday celebration to the next level with this crowd-pleasing Italian cream cake that's made with buttermilk, coconut, and pecans.

• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Calories: 751 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• ½ cup shortening
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup margarine
• ¼ cup margarine, softened
• 5 eggs, separated
• 1 (3.5 ounce) can flaked coconut

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9-inch baking pans.

Step 2

Beat 1/2 cup margarine and shortening in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in sugar. Beat in egg yolks until smooth.

Step 3

Combine flour and baking soda in a bowl. Add to the margarine mixture in batches, alternating with buttermilk, until batter is smooth. Mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; add pecans and coconut.

Step 4

Beat egg whites with clean beaters in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold into the batter. Pour into prepared pans.

Step 5

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes; invert onto a cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Step 6

Beat cream cheese and 1/4 cup margarine in a bowl until smooth; stir in confectioners' sugar. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until frosting is combined.

Step 7

Spread frosting onto the cooled cake layers. Stack cakes; frost top and sides.