You can ALWAYS find an Italian cream cake at my family holiday shindigs. I think everyone in my family has my grandma Barb’s highly requested Italian Cream cake recipe (and now so do you, welcome to the family!) so it really doesn’t matter who brings it. This recipe is fail-proof and always comes out tasting fabulous!

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The cake itself is soft and moist with a super yummy vanilla-coconut-butter flavor. The frosting is a regular cream cheese frosting with coconut and pecans added to compliment the Italian cream cake. It’s delish and even if you don’t like coconut, I bet you’ll still love this cake!

My husband is such a coconut hater.  He likes the taste of  coconut but not the texture so I make sure to use finely shredded coconut and then process it to break up the flakes even more when I’m making it for him.

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Italian cream cake is such a lovely, elegant and delicious cake. FYI: It’s also sometimes called Italian wedding cake or hummingbird cake in case someone gives you the side eye when you talk about how amazing you are at making Italian cream cakes : )  It’s so easy to make that there is really no reason to wait until a special occasion to . Make it today, just because.

Watch me make this Italian Cream Cake from start to finish!!

The Recipe

Italian Cream Cake

By Divas Can Cook
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4.8 from 42 reviews

Ingredients

  • CAKE
  • ½ cup butter-flavored shortening
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 5 eggs, separated (room temperature)
  • 3 teaspoons real vanilla extract
  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 1½ teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 cup real buttermilk, (room temperature)
  • 1½ cup finely shredded sweetened coconut flakes
  • FROSTING
  • 16 oz cream cheese, room tempt.
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • 4 cups confectioners sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1½ cups finely shredded sweetened coconut
  • 1½ cups pecans pieces

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325.
  2. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl cream together shortening, butter and sugar.
  4. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  5. In a separate bowl combine flour and baking soda.
  6. Alternate adding the buttermilk and flour into the sugar mixture. Starting and ending with the buttermilk. Be sure to mix well after each addition.
  7. Stir in vanilla.
  8. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
  9. Fold egg whites into batter.
  10. Stir in coconuts and pecans.
  11. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 25-27 minutes.
  12. Remove from oven and let cakes sit in pans for 5 minutes before removing from pans and placing on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
  13. Make the frosting by creaming together cream cheese, butter, vanilla and confectioners sugar.
  14. Stir in coconut and pecans.
  15. Frost & decorate cooled cake layers as desired (see video to see how I frost and decorated)

Notes

Add toasted pecans and toasted coconuts to the garnish the cake if desired.
Store in the fridge. Remove and let come to room temperature before serving.