Name: Italian Cream Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 20 servings
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), softened; 1/2 cup vegetable shortening; 2 cups sugar; 5 egg yolks; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 cup buttermilk; 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla; 1 1/4 cups sweetened shredded coconut; 1 cup chopped toasted pecans; 5 egg whites; 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened; 12 tablespoons butter, softened; 2 (1-pound) boxes powdered sugar; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 2 ½ cups chopped toasted pecans

Italian Cream Cake is a classic Southern layer cake made with coconut, pecans, and a rich cream cheese frosting. The cake layers are light and tender thanks to beaten egg whites, while toasted pecans and sweet coconut give every bite plenty of flavor and texture.

This old-fashioned cake is one of my favorite cakes for birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and other special occasions. It looks impressive on a dessert table, but the cake itself is surprisingly easy to make.

But let’s just start by saying that Italian Cream Cake isn’t exactly Italian. It’s more of a southern thing. I’m not really sure what the origin of it is, but I know it has been very popular in the south for years and I mostly associate it with Christmas.

Every year my mother was in charge of making this cake for an annual Christmas Eve Party at her friend’s house. The cake would be lit with candles and we’d all sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.

Coconut and Pecan Combination

The combination of coconut and pecans is what really makes this cake special. In this recipe the coconut is added to the batter, but I’ve eaten plenty of Italian Cream Cakes with coconut in the frosting. Lots of chopped pecans are in both the batter and the frosting. Be sure to finely chop them or you’ll have a heck of a time spreading the frosting.

This cake has quite a few eggs in it. Five to be exact. The eggs are separated and the egg whites are beaten to stiff peaks and then folded into the batter, helping to give it a light texture.

How To Make Italian Cream Cake

(More detailed instructions and video in recipe card below.)

Prepare the cake pans. Grease and flour 3 9-inch cake pans and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Make the cake batter. Cream together the butter and shortening, then beat in sugar and egg yolks.
Add dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to batter, alternating with the buttermilk.
Add coconut and pecans. Stir in vanilla, coconut, and toasted pecans.
Beat the egg whites. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold them into the batter.
Bake. Divide the batter between the 3 cake pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Make the frosting. Beat the cream cheese and butter and smooth.
Gradually beat in sugar, vanilla and pecans.
Assemble. Layer the cakes with frosting between each layer and then coat the sides with frosting.
Recipe Tip
A good tip for beating egg whites is to separate them when they are cold and then let them sit at room temperature before you beat them. You’ll have a much easier time separating cold eggs and beating room temperature eggs.
A combination of both butter and shortening gives Italian Cream Cake a light and fluffy texture.
Whether it’s Christmas or another special occasion, Italian Cream Cake makes a memorable and beautiful dessert that you will want to eat every last crumb of.
More Cakes For Special Occasions
- Southern Caramel Cake
- Hummingbird Cake
- Almond Cake with Amaretto Filling
- Classic Southern Pound Cake
- Andes Layer Cake
- Coconut Celebration Cake
Try this Bundt Cake version of Italian Cream Cake.
Originally posted December 19, 2015.
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