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Cream Cake: Italian Cream Cake

Source of Recipe

Cooking Light YEAR: 1995 ISSUE: Nov/Dec PAGE: 125


List of Ingredients

Cream Cheese Icing:
1 tablespoon light butter
8 ounces Neufchatel cheese
1 pound powdered sugar sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Batter:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light butter
2 egg yolks
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon butter extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 egg whites at room temperature
Sugared kumquats optional
Orange rind strips optional
Kumquat leaves optional


Recipe

To prepare Cream Cheese Icing, cream butter and cheese at high speed of a mixer until fluffy. Add sugar; beat at low speed until well-blended. Add vanilla; beat well. Cover and chill. Coat bottoms of three 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray (do not coat sides of pans); line bottoms of pans with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray, and dust with flour; set aside. To prepare batter, combine sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine 2 cups flour and baking soda; stir well. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in pecans and extracts. Beat egg whites at high speed of a mixer until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat). Fold egg whites into batter; pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350¼F for 23 minutes. Let cool in pans 5 minutes on a wire rack. Loosen cake layers from sides of pans using a narrow metal spatula, and turn out onto wire racks. Peel off wax paper, and let cool completely.

Notes: To make sugared kumquats, dip kumquats into lightly beaten egg white, and drain; roll in sugar. To serve, place 1 cake layer on a plate, and spread with 2/3 cup Cream Cheese icing layer, ending with cake. Spread remaining icing over cake. Garnish with kumquats, orange rind, and kumquat leaves, if desired. Cake Serving size: 1 slice. Cream Cheese Icing Yield: 2-2/3 cups.