Italian cream cake is three tender buttermilk layers full of coconut and toasted pecans, stacked with a thick, tangy cream cheese frosting. It is the tall, dressed-up cake for Easter, Christmas, a birthday or any dinner where dessert should be the thing people remember.
How to make Italian cream cake: Beat butter, sugars and extracts, add eggs, then flour and buttermilk. Fold in half the coconut and 1 cup of toasted pecans and bake in three 9-inch pans at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely, frost with cream cheese frosting and decorate with the reserved coconut and pecans.
Why You’ll Love It
- Three layers. It stands tall on the table and cuts into 12 generous pieces.
- Coconut and pecans inside and out. Part goes into the batter and part is saved for the outside.
- Cream cheese frosting. Two blocks of cream cheese make plenty to fill and cover the cake.
- Made ahead. The finished cake is stored chilled until serving, so it can be done before guests arrive.
What Is an Italian Cream Cake?
It is a three-layer cake made with buttermilk, sweetened coconut and toasted pecans, filled and covered with cream cheese frosting. That is the whole idea: a soft, nutty, coconut-flecked crumb under a rich white frosting.
Ingredient Notes
Butter. The cake uses 1 cup of salted butter and the frosting uses 1 cup of unsalted butter. Soften both.
Granulated and light brown sugar. The batter takes 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of light brown sugar.
Vanilla and almond extract. Both go in the cake and both go in the frosting: 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon of almond each time.
Whole buttermilk. One cup, added in turns with the flour.
Sweetened flaked coconut. One 14-ounce package, split in two.
Pecan pieces. One and a half cups, toasted first and then divided.
Cream cheese. Two 8-ounce blocks, softened. Full-fat block cream cheese is the kind to buy for frosting, not the spreadable kind in a tub.
Powdered sugar. Two pounds, added gradually.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 5 eggs, large
- 1 cup whole buttermilk
- 1 package sweetened flaked coconut (14 ounces), half for the batter and half reserved to toast for decorating
- 1 1/2 cups pecans, pieces, toasted and divided: 1 cup for the batter, 1/2 cup for decorating
For the cream cheese frosting
- 2 blocks cream cheese (8 ounces each), softened
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 pounds powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
How to Make Italian Cream Cake
1. Prepare the pans and pecans. Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour three 9-inch round cake pans, or coat them with baking spray. Spread the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for 6 to 8 minutes, until lightly golden and fragrant. Cool them completely.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking soda and baking powder together in a medium bowl.
3. Make the batter. Beat the softened salted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract until creamy and light beige, about 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Increase the mixer speed and beat until fully combined.
4. Divide the coconut and pecans. Fold half the coconut package and 1 cup of the cooled toasted pecans into the batter by hand. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Reserve the remaining coconut and pecans for decorating.
5. Bake and cool. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the layers completely in their pans on a wire rack before frosting.
6. Make the frosting. Beat the cream cheese and softened unsalted butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the frosting’s vanilla and almond extracts. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until creamy and smooth.
7. Assemble and decorate. Frost the cake layers, sprinkling reserved toasted pecans between them. Frost the top and sides. Press the reserved toasted coconut onto the sides and decorate the top with the remaining pecans. Store chilled until serving.
How Much Coconut and Pecans Go in the Batter?
Half the coconut and two-thirds of the pecans go into the cake. The rest is saved for the outside. It is easy to dump the whole bag into the batter out of habit, so split both before you start mixing.
| Ingredient | You start with | Into the batter | Saved for decorating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweetened flaked coconut | One 14-ounce package | Half the package | The other half, toasted, pressed onto the sides |
| Toasted pecan pieces | 1 1/2 cups | 1 cup | 1/2 cup, between the layers and on top |
Toast all the pecans at once in the first step, while the oven heats, and let them cool completely before they touch the batter. The coconut that goes into the batter is used as it comes from the package. Only the reserved half is toasted, for the sides of the cake.
Set the reserved coconut and the 1/2 cup of pecans in two small bowls and push them to the back of the counter. That way they are still there when the cake is frosted.
Tips for Success
How do I know the pecans are toasted?
They turn lightly golden and smell nutty. That takes 6 to 8 minutes at 350°F. Watch them near the end.
How do I know the layers are done?
A toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean. Start checking at 25 minutes.
Why is my frosting melting off the cake?
The layers were still warm. Cool them completely in their pans on a wire rack before frosting. The recipe allows 175 minutes from start to finish, and much of that is cooling time, though it does not give an exact number of minutes for it.
How do I get a neat finish?
One optional trick: spread a thin coat of frosting over the whole cake, refrigerate it for 15 minutes, then put on the final layer of frosting. The thin coat holds the crumbs in place.
Why add the flour and buttermilk in turns?
That is how the recipe is written: flour first, then buttermilk, back and forth, ending with flour. Then the mixer speed goes up to bring the batter fully together.
Storage & Reheating
This cake is served cold or cool and is not reheated. Because of the cream cheese frosting it belongs in the refrigerator, so store it chilled until serving. USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and to use refrigerated leftovers within 3 to 4 days. Cover the cut sides so they do not dry out.
What to Serve With It
If pecans are your favorite part, bake the pecan pie dump cake next. For more cream cheese desserts, there is the strawberry cream cheese icebox cake, the 4-ingredient lemon cream cheese dump cake and a bowl of cream cheese whipped cream. For a holiday dessert table, add carrot cake cookies and the 5-ingredient slow cooker pineapple cream cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much coconut and pecans belong in the batter versus the decoration?
Half of the 14-ounce coconut package and 1 cup of the toasted pecans go in the batter. The other half of the coconut and the remaining 1/2 cup of pecans are for decorating.
What is an Italian cream cake?
A three-layer buttermilk cake with coconut and toasted pecans, covered in cream cheese frosting.
Does Italian cream cake need to be refrigerated?
Yes. A cake with cream cheese frosting needs to be refrigerated. Keep it chilled until serving and put leftovers back within 2 hours.
Can I use tub cream cheese for the frosting?
Block cream cheese is the better choice. Full-fat blocks are recommended over the spreadable tub kind for frosting.
Final Notes
I split the coconut and the pecans into their bowls before I turn on the mixer, so nothing meant for the outside ends up in the batter. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
Italian Cream Cake
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Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour for the cake
- 1 teaspoon baking soda for the cake
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder for the cake
- 1 cup salted butter softened; for the cake
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar for the cake
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar for the cake
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract for the cake
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract for the cake
- 5 eggs large; for the cake
- 1 cup whole buttermilk for the cake
- 1 package sweetened flaked coconut 14 ounces; use half in the batter and reserve half to toast for decorating
- 1 1/2 cups pecans pieces; toast and divide: 1 cup for the batter, 1/2 cup for decorating
- 2 blocks cream cheese 8 ounces each; softened; for the frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened; for the frosting
- 2 pounds powdered sugar for the frosting
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract for the frosting
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract for the frosting
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour three 9-inch round cake pans, or coat them with baking spray. Spread the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for 6 to 8 minutes, until lightly golden and fragrant. Cool them completely.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda and baking powder together in a medium bowl.
- Beat the softened salted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract until creamy and light beige, about 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Increase the mixer speed and beat until fully combined.
- Fold half the coconut package and 1 cup of the cooled toasted pecans into the batter by hand. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Reserve the remaining coconut and pecans for decorating.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the layers completely in their pans on a wire rack before frosting.
- Beat the cream cheese and softened unsalted butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the frosting's vanilla and almond extracts. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until creamy and smooth.
- Frost the cake layers, sprinkling reserved toasted pecans between them. Frost the top and sides. Press the reserved toasted coconut onto the sides and decorate the top with the remaining pecans. Store chilled until serving.
