Mama’s Italian Cream Cake

My Mama makes a delicious homemade Italian Cream Cake. It has 3 layers and the most decadent frosting. This cake is completely from scratch and is the BEST Italian Cream Cake that I’ve ever had!

Have you ever had an Italian Cream Cake? Oh boy, are they ever delicious!

For some reason, I didn’t use to like them when I was kid. But as I grew older and my tastes changed, I find that I can never get enough of it. It’s one of my favorite cakes of all time.

My Mama makes the BEST Italian Cream Cake and I’m so excited to be sharing the recipe with y’all!

What ingredients do I need to make Mama’s Italian Cream Cake?

Here’s the cast of ingredients for the cake.

The printable version of this recipe is at the bottom of the post. 

• 1 stick of butter, room temperature 
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (such as Crisco)
• 2 cups white sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 2 cups all purpose flour (or use self rising flour and omit the baking soda and salt)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup full fat buttermilk (not fat free)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-1/4 cups sweetened shredded coconut 
• 1 heaping cup chopped toasted pecans
• 5 egg whites, stiffly beaten

How do I make the cake?

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 3 9-inch cake pans, or spray with Baker’s Joy baking spray (nonstick spray that already has flour in it). Cream the butter and shortening with an electric mixer. Add sugar and beat until smooth. Mix in egg yolks. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. Stir in the vanilla extract, coconut, and pecans. Fold in the egg white and pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 22-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Let’s make the frosting for this cake!

You’ll need:

• 2 8oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
• 12 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 pounds powdered sugar (about 7 cups)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups chopped toasted pecans

Cream together the cream cheese and butter. Beat in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until all is incorporated and smooth. Mix in the vanilla extract and fold in the pecans. If the frosting is too thick for your liking, add a splash or two of milk to thin it down a little.

Now let’s assemble the cake!

Spread some frosting on top of the bottom layer of cake. Top with the second layer and cover with frosting. Top with the third layer of cake and spread the remaining frosting on the top and the sides.

It’s best to store this cake in the refrigerator.

(printable recipe below)