Quick Italian Cream Cake (Printable)

Moist coconut-pecan cake with creamy frosting, ready in 55 minutes

# 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

→ 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, sugar, baking soda, and salt until well blended.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, melted butter, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract until smooth.
04 - Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Mix just until combined, being careful not to overmix.
05 - Fold in 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 butter until smooth and creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla extract, mixing until fluffy. Add milk as needed to achieve spreadable consistency.
09 - Frost the completely cooled cake. Sprinkle with toasted pecans and toasted coconut on top.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The texture is impossibly tender thanks to buttermilk and oil working together
  • Coconut and pecans throughout keep every bite interesting
  • Cream cheese frosting that's thick enough to stay put but soft enough to swoop
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients prevent lumps in both batter and frosting
  • Overmixing creates a tough cake, stop as soon as flour disappears
  • The cake needs to be completely cool or the frosting will slide right off
03 -
  • Toast extra coconut and pecans together, then store separately for garnish
  • Use a warmed knife dipped in hot water for clean frosting slices

Return