Italian Cream Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 8 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 23 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 20
• pam cooking spray (for baking)
• wax paper
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk (low fat)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon butter flavor extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 egg whites
• fresh lemon rind, strips (optional)
• 1 tablespoon chilled light butter (do not soften)
• 1 (8 ounce) package chilled light cream cheese (do not soften)
• 1 lb powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Recipe

• 1 prepare cream cheese icing as follows, cover and chill.
• 2 beat butter and cheese at high speed until fluffy.
• 3 gradually add sugar, beat at low speed until blended.
• 4 add vanilla and beat well.
• 5 tip 1: chill your mixing bowl (glass or metal) before you make icing.
• 6 tip 2: mix icing only until sugar is blended.
• 7 mixing too much will make your icing too soft.
• 8 cake mix: coat bottoms of 3- (9 inch) round cake pans with pam.
• 9 (do not coat sides of pans) line bottoms of cake pans with wax paper and coat with pam again.
• 10 dust with flour; set aside.
• 11 in large mixing bowl, beat butter at medium speed until creamy; gradually add sugar,beat well.
• 12 add egg yokes one at a time; beat well after each yoke.
• 13 in mixing bowl; combine flour and baking soda; stir well.
• 14 add half of flour mixture to butter mixture; blend.
• 15 add butter milk to butter mixture, blend.
• 16 add the other half of flour mixture to butter mixture, blend.
• 17 stir in pecans and next three ingredients.
• 18 in a glass or metal mixing bowl; beat egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks form (do not over beat).
• 19 fold egg whites into mixture.
• 20 pour batter into prepared pans.
• 21 bake a 350 degrees for 23 minutes.
• 22 cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes.
• 23 loosen cake layers from sides pan using a narrow metal spatula.
• 24 turn out onto wire racks and peel off wax paper, cool completely.
• 25 place first layer of cake on serving tray.
• 26 spread 2/3 cups of icing over top.
• 27 place second layer on top of first one and repeat icing.
• 28 place third layer on top and spread remain icing over cake.
• 29 garnish with lemond rind strips if desired.