Italian Cream Cheese Cake

Italian Cream Cheese Cake is a southern-style cake is bursting with pecan, coconut, and almond flavors. It’s frosted with a cream cheese frosting and beautifully decorated to make one impressive and ridiculously tasty dessert!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

5 eggs, separated

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1-1/2 cups flaked coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

2 packages (one 8 ounces, one 3 ounces) cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup butter, softened

6 cups confectioners’ sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Combine flour and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Beat just until combined. Stir in coconut and pecans.

In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold a fourth of the egg whites into batter, then fold in remaining whites. Pour into three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans.

Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely …