Quick Italian Cream Cake (Printable Version)
Moist coconut pecan cake with creamy frosting, ready in under an hour.
# What You'll Need:
→ Cake
01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
03 - 1 tsp baking soda
04 - ½ tsp salt
05 - 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
06 - ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
07 - ½ cup vegetable oil
08 - 3 large eggs
09 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
10 - 1 tsp almond extract
11 - 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
12 - ½ cup chopped pecans
→ Cream Cheese Frosting
13 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
14 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
15 - 3-4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
16 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
17 - 2 tbsp milk as needed
→ Topping
18 - ¼ cup chopped pecans, toasted
19 - ¼ cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
# How To Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch pan or two 8-inch round cake pans.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt until well blended.
03 - In another bowl, whisk buttermilk, melted butter, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract until smooth and uniform.
04 - Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir gently just until combined; do not overmix.
05 - Fold in sweetened shredded coconut and chopped pecans until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
06 - Pour batter into prepared pan(s). Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
07 - Let cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before frosting.
08 - Beat cream cheese and softened butter until smooth. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar and vanilla extract, mixing until fluffy. Add milk as needed to achieve spreadable consistency.
09 - Spread frosting evenly over cooled cake. Sprinkle toasted pecans and coconut on top.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The buttermilk keeps this cake incredibly moist for days, unlike other layer cakes that dry out
- That almond and vanilla combo tricks everyone into thinking you spent hours on something fancy
- It travels beautifully to potlucks and actually tastes better on day two
02 -
- Cooling the cake completely before frosting is nonnegotiable or the frosting will melt right off
- Room temperature ingredients blend together smoothly without curdling or separating
- Toasting the coconut and pecans brings out flavors you cannot get from raw nuts
03 -
- Measure flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling off rather than scooping directly
- Grate fresh nutmeg into the frosting for a subtle warmth that makes people wonder what your secret is