Italian Cream Cake
{3-layer cake, serves 12}
for the cake:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
5 eggs, separated and at room temperature
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup angel flake coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla
for the frosting:
1 & 1/2 cups chopped pecans
12 oz mascarpone, room temperature
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2 TBSP unsalted butter, room temperature
1 lb. + 1/4 cup powdered sugar, divided
pinch kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Butter three 9" round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment. Butter the parchment and flour the pans. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350.
Cream together the sugar, butter and oil. Add in the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir the soda into the buttermilk. Add the flour and buttermilk alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Add the salt with the last addition of the flour. Fold in the coconut and vanilla.
Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form. In three additions, fold into the batter.
Pour into the prepared pans and bake for 25 minutes or until done. Remove to wire cooling racks and let cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove from the pans and let cool completely.
make the frosting:
Place the pecans on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake at 350 for 4-6 minutes, until fragrant and toasted. Remove from the pan and let cool completely.
Cream together the mascarpone, cream cheese and butter. Beat in the 1 pound of sugar, pinch salt and vanilla until smooth and combined. Remove 1/2 cup of frosting for piping and stir in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar to thicken.
Stir the pecans into the remaining frosting.
Spread about 1/2 cup of frosting between each layer of the cake. Use the remaining to go around the sides and top of the cake. Pipe a border with the reserved frosting.
Please visit the full post for more photos and details: https://www.bakeat350.net/2013/05/mother-knows-best-italian-cream-cake.html
