by carrie
Birthday, Christmas, Conquering Intimidating Dishes, Dessert, Food + Entertaining, Italian, New Year, Showers
ItalianCreamCakePlatter
ItalianCreamCake
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I never in a million years thought I could make my mother’s Italian Cream Cake. It’s 3 layers and made from scratch and is the best tasting cake I’ve ever had.
My mother showed me step by step how to make this cake. She basically let me do everything and just looked over my shoulder. This is by far the best tasting Italian Cream Cake that you are going to find a recipe for.
Pan Notes: I used 3 round pans. Bottom pan was a 9 inch round and the 2 top pans where 8.5 inch round. I used the 9 inch round as the base of the cake.
Icing Notes: When making the icing you will need to adjust depending on where you are. If you are in a dryer climate you will need more butter. I will make a note of this in the ingredient list but I wanted you to know why. If you are in a humid climate like me then you will need less butter in your icing.
Assembly Notes: If you want to stabilize your cake because you might be taking it somewhere you can take straws and cut them to the appropriate size and stick it in the center through the 3 layers. This will secure the cake. Since I wasn’t going anywhere I didn’t do this at all and the cake was fine. I just wanted to give you that option.
Icing the Cake: Once I put my layers on the cake stand I cut strips of parchment and stick it around the base of the cake so that when I am icing it doesn’t get on the stand. Once I am done I remove the parchment and it has a nice clean finish at the bottom.
Italian Cream Cake Recipe
Pans that I used
3 round pans, if you can I like using 9inch for the base then 8.5 for the top 2 layers.
Ingredients
Cake Batter
2 Cups of Sifted All Purpose Flour (I like to use Farino Tipo 00 – An Italian Flour, note: you can also use Cake Flour)
2 Cups of Sugar
1 Stick of Butter
1/2 Cup of Shredded Coconut
1 Cup of finely chopped walnuts
5 Egg Whites (beat until stiff peaks)
5 Egg Yolks
1/2 Cup of Olive Oil
1 Cup of Buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon of baking soda (not powder but soda)
Cake Icing
8 oz of Cream Cheese
1/2 Stick of Butter for humid climates
1 teaspoon of buttermilk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of Creme de Cacao
8 oz of Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon of the White Chocolate Flavoring
*Note for Dryer Climates use 1 to 1.5 sticks of butter
Preparation
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. If your oven browns quickly then take it down 15 to 20 degrees. Grease and flour 3 round cake pans.
1. Cream butter with sugar and add vanilla.
2. Next add 5 separated egg yolks and 1/2 cup of olive oil – mix and beat until fluffy.
3. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients: Sifted flour and the baking soda.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the mixture a little at a time alternating with the buttermilk (about 1/4 cup at a time).
5. Next mix in walnuts and coconut.
6. In another bowl beat the egg whites until you have stiff peaks.
7. With a spatula gently fold in your egg whites into the batter by making the figure 8 pattern.
8. Spoon the batter into your 3 pans and make them as even as you can.
9. Bake until light brown and for about 30 to 60 minutes (use a toothpick in the center and make sure no batter is on the stick).
10. Once the cakes are done pull them out and let them cool.
11. After they cool place the cakes on parchment and use a brush to dust off the crumbs (easier to ice).
12. Next Cream all of the ingredients together for the icing in this order: Cream Cheese, Butter, Buttermilk, Vanilla extract, Creme de Cacao, and Powdered Sugar.
13. After the icing is mixed start to assemble the cake by taking one of the layers of cake and making it your base. Stick strips of parchment paper around the bottom of the cake. Ice the top of it and add the next layer of cake and ice the top of it adding your final layer of cake.
14. Now start to ice the sides and the top of the cake until covered. Use chopped walnuts or coconut to decorate the sides.
15. Refrigerate the cake until you are going to slice and serve!
Nicole Gamble
Great recipe ! I made it! It`s delicious!!! Thanks for sharing!
Anna
I want to recreate this in my kitchen…Looks so special! A lot of work but the end product is so worth it! Wish me luck…Thanks for sharing!
Gerry/Gewoon Lekker gewoon
In step 2. you mention oil, but I don’t see it added in step 1.? The cake looks yummy, like a tiramisu cake. Many greetings from Holland.
carrie
@Gerry/Gewoon Thanks for catching that. I updated the post so it is clear that 1/2 cup of olive oil is mixed in with the butter, sugar, and egg yolks!
It is a wonderful cake to have and is a family favorite.
Simply Tia
This looks and sounds marvelous!!!! Well done.
Dolores Hall
This looks wonderful & I have been asked to bring this type cake to Christmas dinner. I MUST also, however, bring the carb count for a Type 1 insulin dependent 4 yr. old child. Do you have it?
Mari Gregory
WOW! Looks soooo delicious! I’m dribbling!!! Thanks for sharing!
carrie
@Dolores Hall: It’s an amazing cake and I hope you can try to make it. As for the carb count I have no idea. This is my mother’s recipe that she has been using forever and we don’t have that information on it.
Angel
Give me strength. I’ve had this cake at my favorite dive years ago and people do not make this cake so i’m going to tackle it.
Angel
I can’t find white chocolate flavoring!!!
carrie
@Angel I have found the white chocolate flavoring in the coffee section of my grocery store.
You will find all types of flavoring syrups and white chocolate is usually one of them.
Angel
I found white chocolate hot chocolate. can i use that?
carrie
@Angel is it a syrup or extract?
Angel
I drove all over Vegas trying to find the right one. I did how ever it is sugar free. I hope that dosen’t effect it..
carrie
@Angel Perfect! That works. Sorry you had to drive all over Vegas!
Kim
Do you have to use 3 round pans? Could you do it as one long cake in a 9 x 13?
carrie
Hi Kim, Yes can use a 9 x 13. Just yesterday I used a bundt pan but changed up the icing for a lighter texture since I wasn’t layering cake rounds. It’s in another post on the site: Italian Cream Bundt Cake.
Leslie
does it mader if it is dark or light creme de cacao and the chocolate is supose to be a cream?
carrie
@Leslie It doesn’t matter dark or light creme de cacao will work. I did use the light one for this recipe.