Gourmet Shop Italian Cream Cake

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable shortening, softened
• 1/2 cup margarine, softened
• 5 large eggs, separated
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups coconut
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 lb confectioners' sugar

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350°f prepare 3-9â€? cake pans with grease and flours.
• 2 in bowl, with mixer, beat shortening, sugar and margarine until fluffy. add yolks one at a time.
• 3 in another bowl, sift together flour, soda and salt. alternating with buttermilk, beat into shortening. begin and end with flour. beat in vanilla, coconut and pecans.
• 4 in another bowl, beat egg whites to stiff peaks; fold into batter. pour into pans, smooth top. bake in upper 2/3 of oven; switch positions halfway through baking. bake 30 minutes. cool in pans on racks 10 minutes. remove from pan to rack until cool.
• 5 with mixer, beat together cream cheese, margarine, vanilla and confectioner's sugar for the frosting. frost cooled cake.
• 6 if desired, top with toasted chopped pecans or toasted coconut.