This Italian cream cake recipe is a fluffy, sweet buttermilk cake loaded with pecans and shredded coconut and topped with tangy cream cheese frosting. Despite “Italian” in the name, it’s a classic Southern dessert. I’ll show you how to make it from scratch!
Moist Italian Cream Cake With Coconut and Pecans
Besides being one of my most-requested cake recipes, I should preface this post by saying that an Italian cream cake isn’t Italian at all. This is a classic, moist Southern layer cake that’s a bit like a cross between my coconut cake and a hummingbird cake. An Italian cream cake is a soft, fluffy buttermilk cake hinted with almond flavor and packed with crunchy pecans and coconut.
I use a combination of vegetable oil for moisture, butter for flavor, and whipped egg whites in the light, airy cake batter. The result is a soft, bakery-style Italian cream cake that’ll blow you away. After all is said and done, I frost the cake with tangy cream cheese frosting, like a carrot cake.
My homemade Italian cream cake often makes an appearance during the holidays, Easter, and special occasions, but it really should be an all-year-round dessert. It’s THAT cake, and I’m going to show you how to make it perfect!
Ingredients Needed
These are the ingredients you’ll need to make this classic coconut pecan cake. You’ll find the full cake recipe with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
- Vegetable Oil – You can also use canola oil or another neutral oil.
- Butter – I always bake with salted butter, which is a preference, but unsalted works here, too.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar will give you a light cake with the purest flavor.
- Eggs – You’ll use the yolks and whites, but separately. It’s easier to separate the egg yolks from the whites while the eggs are cold, but afterward, bring them to room temperature. Egg whites at room temperature will whip better than cold egg whites.
- Flavoring Extracts – Traditional Italian cream cake recipes are heavy on almond flavor, so I use a combination of almond and vanilla extracts to soften it a bit. You can use more almond extract to taste.
- Baking Powder and Soda – If your leavening has been in the back of the pantry for a while, consider buying new or checking the expiration dates to make sure they’re still fresh.
- Cake Flour – Cake flour has less protein than all-purpose flour. This makes it more suitable for lighter, delicate cake recipes, like this Italian cream cake and chiffon cake. If you don’t have cake flour, you can make a homemade cake flour substitute from all-purpose flour and cornstarch.
- Buttermilk – Again, I have a buttermilk substitute that you can use if you don’t have the real thing. Buttermilk makes this cake exceptionally tender, and the acidity reacts with the baking soda/powder, so don’t skip it.
- Shredded Coconut – I use sweetened, but unsweetened also works.
- Chopped Pecans – While not traditional, you could swap pecans with walnuts if needed, or leave out the nuts to make this cake nut-free.
- Cream of Tartar – Last but not least, cream of tartar helps to stabilize the egg whites, like in meringue recipes.
- Cream Cheese Frosting – I include my homemade cream cheese frosting. It’s made from cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar, flavored with vanilla and almond, with crushed pecans folded in.
What Makes an Italian Cream Cake Different?
As you can tell from the ingredients, what sets this Italian cream cake apart from your typical vanilla layer cake is its rich buttermilk cake layers fluffed with whipped egg whites, scented with almond, and filled with pecans and sweet coconut. It’s a favorite Southern cake recipe for a reason!
How to Make Italian Cream Cake
Despite the layers, this Italian cream cake is easier than it looks! Even if you’re new to baking layer cakes, I know your cake will come out perfect if you follow the steps and take your time.
Prepare and Bake the Cake Layers
- Mix the wet ingredients. Beat the oil, butter, and sugar together, then add the egg yolks, one at a time. Once smooth, mix in the almond extract, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients. Slowly alternate adding the flour and buttermilk. Lastly, fold in the coconut and pecans.
- Whip the egg whites. Set the batter aside while you whip the egg whites and cream of tartar in a clean bowl until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter.
- Bake. Now, divide the cake batter between three greased and lined 9-inch cake pans. You can use a kitchen scale to weigh the batter for even layers. Bake the cakes at 325ºF for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Assemble and Frost the Cake
Cool the cakes completely before you stack and frost this Italian cream cake following the steps below. You can decorate this cake with a simple garnish of chopped pecans as pictured, pipe swirls around the border, or leave the sides of the cake unfrosted for a rustic look. It’s up to you!
- Make the frosting. Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth, then slowly add the powdered sugar, vanilla, almond extracts, and chopped pecans. Mix until the frosting is light and creamy.
- Assemble the cake. Start with the first cake layer, and spread a heaping cup of frosting on top. Place the second cake layer over the frosting, and repeat. Add the third and final cake, and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.
Tips for a Perfect Italian Cream Cake
- Use room temperature ingredients. Bring fridge-cold ingredients like eggs (yolks and whites), butter, and buttermilk to room temperature before you make the cake batter.
- Don’t overmix. As is the rule with most baked goods, do not overmix the cake batter. Overmixing can result in dense cake layers instead of light, fluffy ones.
- Toast the pecans. For a deeper flavor, lightly toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until they’re fragrant. Make sure they’re fully cool before you fold them into the cake batter or frosting.
- Slice the cake while it’s cold. This Italian cream cake is easiest to slice when it’s chilled from the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Italian cream cake is actually a Southern dessert, possibly created by an Italian immigrant baker. Another theory is that the cake’s ingredients, like coconut, pecans, egg whites, and cream cheese, were considered Italian-inspired.
Yes. If you dislike coconut or pecans, you can leave out either one in this cake.
No, but I encourage you to try it. Almond extract adds a unique element that pairs well with the pecans, and makes this Italian cream cake not just another vanilla cake.
Yes. Due to the cream cheese in the frosting, this cake should be stored in the fridge.
I make this Italian cream cake with cream cheese frosting, the traditional choice, but you could just as easily frost it with vanilla buttercream or heritage frosting.
Storage Instructions
- Keep refrigerated. Due to the dairy in the frosting, store this Italian cream cake airtight in the refrigerator. I actually don’t like cold cake, though, so I prefer to let it come back to room temperature before serving. However, I will say that you’ll get neater, prettier slices if you cut the cake while it’s cold.
- Freeze. To freeze this Italian cream cake, cover it airtight or wrap the cake twice in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 2 months. Whenever possible, I recommend freezing the unfrosted cake layers. This way, you can thaw them and freshly frost the cake for a special occasion.
More Layer Cake Recipes to Try
Italian Cream Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: serves 12 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
This Italian cream cake recipe is fluffy, sweet, loaded with pecans and shredded coconut and topped with cream cheese frosting. It’s a total special occasion cake and classic Southern dessert that everyone loves.
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 5 eggs, room temperature*, separated
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Frosting:
- 2 (8- ounce) blocks cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 8 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans, plus more for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Cake: Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat 3, 9- inch round cake pans with baking spray. Cut 3 parchment rounds to fit in the bottoms of the pans. Place the parchment in the pan and coat again with baking spray. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the oil, butter, and sugar together on medium speed until well blended. Add egg yolks, one at a time until combined and smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add in almond extract, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix for 30 more seconds or until combined.
- Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour and buttermilk in alternating additions, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until combined and smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Stir in the coconut and pecans. Set batter aside.
- In a clean mixing bowl combine the egg whites and the cream of tartar. Using the whisk attachment on your mixer beat the egg whites for 6-7 minutes on medium speed until stiff peaks form.
- Fold the egg whites into the cake batter until evenly combined. Divide the batter between the 3 cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Frosting: In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until combined and smooth.
- Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly add in the powdered sugar until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add in the vanilla extract, almond extract, and chopped pecans and turn the mixer up to medium and mix until smooth and creamy for 1 minute.
- Assembly: Place one cake on a cake plate and cover the top of the cake with a heaping cup of the frosting and spread evenly. Top with another cake and repeat. Top with the remaining cake layer and frost the cake with the remaining frosting, smoothing with an off-set spatula. Garnish with more chopped pecans if desired.
Notes
*Make sure your eggs are room temperature to ensure maximum volume when beating the egg whites.
Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 3 days
Made Italian cream cake before but couldn’t find the same recipe. So I tried this one. It was easy to follow. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out so perfect for our Christmas dinner. Fluffy and moist. So delicious. I definitely saved this to my favorites.
I followed this recipe and it was a hit! Everyone complimented its flavor and moistness.
Thanks for the review! So glad you enjoyed this!
I add toasted coconut to the frosting
I’ve struggled with making Italian cream cakes for 20 years. I’ve never been comfortable making them. This is the only cake I have difficulty with! I always have to tweak something in a recipe to make it come out perfect. This is the first recipe that I’ve never had to tweak at all! Turned out, absolutely perfect!
I love hearing this!!!
I made the cake for Easter & cut into the shape of a bunny. It was a Great hit & delicious. I did sift my flour as I measured it, this will help the cake to be lighter or more moist. I would recommend 1/4 tsp of almond in icing or none at all. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
I would love to see that! I bet it was so cute!
This is my second time making this. I love it it is amazing. The sponge is the best part. It is a real Italian cream cake sponge! I didn’t have cream of tartar so I used lemon juice with perfect results!
Can substitute melted coconut oil for the veg oil?.seems like it would blend nicely with the coconut vibe!
Also, coconut milk with the vinegar for the buttermilk??.again, the coconut vibe!
You can absolutely use melted coconut oil in place of the vegetable oil, but I’ve never created a coconut buttermilk! If you’re looking for a great coconut cake base, try this recipe…it’s amazing!! https://cookiesandcups.com/coconut-cake-recipe/
My cakes shriveled when I took them out of the oven to cool