Picture Perfect Cooking

This is my go-to “fancy” dessert for any holidays.  It is also my dad’s favorite so I try to make it for his birthday and Father’s Day as well.   

I made this cake this past Thanksgiving and C’s 5 year old cousin offered me a million dollars for my “wecipe”.  I told him that I would just make him another cake sometime.  He even tried to sell his little toy cars to pay for it.  How cute is that?!?!?

Italian Cream Cake:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup cooking oil

2 cups granulated sugar

5 eggs, separated & room temperature

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup buttermilk (I use the dehydrated buttermilk.  You mix the powder in with the dry ingredients and use water in place of the buttermilk itself.  It works great!)

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 9 inch cake pans.  I have just recently started using Baker’s Joy spray and it is great!!!  I highly recommend it, and, no, Baker’s Joy has no idea who I am or that I am endorsing their product.  It is just good stuff.

With an electric mixer, cream butter and oil.  Add sugar and beat until creamy.  Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

 

Sift together the flour, baking soda and buttermilk powder.  Add the flour mixture, 1/3 at a time, alternating with the water (for the buttermilk powder), 1/2 at a time, to creamed mixture.  Stir to blend after each addition.

 

Stir in the vanilla and nuts.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Fold the whites into the batter.  Pour into the prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  I have started weighing my cake pans with the batter so the layers will come out even.  Cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then turn out to cool completely.

 

Italian Cream Frosting:

This recipe is actually a double batch of the frosting because I wanted it really thick and creamy.  If you are not as big a frosting fan as I am, cut this recipe in half.

16 oz cream cheese, room temperature

8 tbsp butter, room temperature

1 1/2 to 2 lbs powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add the sugar slowly and mix well.  Stir in the vanilla. 

To assemble the cake:

Place one cake layer on a plate and line the edges with wax paper strips for easy clean-up of drips.

Spread a thick layer of frosting on the cake and sprinkle with half of the chopped pecans.

Place the other cake layer on top and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Pull out the wax paper strips.  Sprinkle the rest of the pecans on the top.

 

Here is a photo of the one I made for C’s family Christmas dinner this year.  I “fancied” it up a little!