judy@ut-ngp.UUCP (Judy Ashworth) (08/08/84)
Italian Cream Cake
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sugar
5 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour, double sifted
1 cup chopped pecans
3 oz. shredded coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
Grease and flour 3 round cake pans. Cream the butter and shortening with
the sugar. Separate the eggs, setting the whites aside, and add the egg yolks
to the sugar mixture one yolk at a time. Now add the soda to the buttermilk
and alternate additions of buttermilk and flour to the batter, beating well
after each addition. Next add the pecans, coconut and flavorings. Mix well.
Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into batter. Pour about 2 cups
of batter into each pan and bake at 350 for 25 - 35 minutes. Cool to room
temperature then frost with Cream Cheese Icing and decorate.
Cream Cheese Icing
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter
1 lb. powered sugar
1 scant teaspoon almond extract
20 whole pecans
3 maraschino cherries, halved
Mix the cream cheese and butter, slowly add the powdered sugar, then the
extract. Be careful not to use too much extract as this will make the icing
soft. Frost cake between layers, then the side and top.
Decorate the top of the cake with five pecan petal flowers (four petals
each) and a half maraschino cherry for the center (eat the sixth half!).
This is a deliciously rich cake for special occasions. It is quite
impressive looking and delightfully different tasting.
Enjoy!
From the kitchen of ut-ngp!judy