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Treat your taste buds to true Southern comfort food with Italian Cream Cake! This old-fashioned Italian Cream Cake begins with 3 layers of moist cake with a dreamy combination of fluffy cream cheese frosting with coconut and roasted pecans right in the cake! Are you in?

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What is Italian Cream Cake?

This old-fashioned cake is the perfect marriage of indulgent coconut and crunchy pecans and is made even more heavenly frosted with a fluffy cream cheese frosting topped off with roasted pecans on top; the perfect way to serve up this scrumptious and sweet delight.

This delectable old-fashioned Italian Cream Cake recipe is sure to impress your friends and family and is ideal for holidays, birthdays and special occasions. Whip up this classic favorite that has been enjoyed for generations today!

Gather Your Ingredients

Italian Cream Cake Recipe

unsalted butter, softened
shortening, like Crisco
granulated sugar
eggs, separated, room temperature
vanilla extract
all-purpose flour
baking soda
buttermilk or milk of choice – To make buttermilk – Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in a cup and fill it with milk. Stir it and let it sit for 5 minutes. You can also use 1 cup of plain yogurt instead of buttermilk.
sweetened shredded coconut
chopped pecans, I used roasted unsalted pecans at OH Nuts!

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

cream cheese, softened
butter, softened
confectioners’ sugar
vanilla extract
chopped pecans, I used roasted unsalted pecans at OH Nuts!

How to Make Old-Fashioned Italian Cream Cake

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.

Adding the Coconut, Pecans and Preparing the Egg White Mixture

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. Pour the mixture into the prepared pans.

Baking The Cake

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.

Making the 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.
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.
Store cake in fridge.

Storing Italian Cream Cake

Keep the Italian cake in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it, because the cream cheese frosting needs to be refrigerated.

Cover any leftovers lightly with plastic wrap for up to a week. A cake keeper or container is best for storing your cake, but if you don’t have one, put toothpicks in the cake so the frosting doesn’t stick to the plastic wrap.

In conclusion, Italian cream cake is a wonderful dessert that can provide a delicious and luxurious experience for anyone who chooses to indulge in its sweet and creamy goodness and is always a favorite!

While this dessert may appear a bit intimidating at first, it’s actually quite simple to prepare—all you need is a few basic ingredients and some quality kitchen tools to get you on your way to baking success.

Whether served alone or with your favorite scoop of ice cream, Italian cream cake is an ideal dessert that is sure to delight everyone at your table. Buon appetito!

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