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I WATCH ENOUGH DETECTIVE SHOWS to realize one case always remains unsolved. And in my sleuthing of recipes, there’s one cake that has continued to mystify, too—the Italian Cream Cake. As much as I have tried to figure out where the blond coconut and pecan cake was first baked, marvel at how it so resembles the German chocolate, and have said with certainty that any layer cake with a cream cheese frosting smacks of the 1970s, I haven’t found its origin. But I’m still searching. Often cakes of lore come out of bakeries, and in 1913 in Salem, Ohio, Long’s Bakery at the corner of Howard and Main Streets made an Italian Cream Cake. By 1925, Italian Cream Cake was all over California, on restaurant menus, and in newspaper grocery ads. But this wasn’t the cake I was looking for. I was looking for a more modern, Southern version of the Italian Cream Cake that most likely came out of a home kitchen.
The cake has offered up some clues…the addition of pecans simply says it comes from an area with access to pecans. Coconut might have been popular everywhere thanks to the blue Bakers coconut packages on store shelves. The use of buttermilk in the cake is telling, too, and says “home” or better yet, “farm.” But that cream cheese frosting has me scratching my head: Was it simply a recipe shared by Philadelphia cream cheese to boost sales? Or did it win a contest or was printed in Southern Living or Better Homes & Gardens? Why Italian for goodness sakes? There’s not a smidgen of ricotta, citrus, or almonds in the recipe. Perhaps the originator was just like the late Eugenia Moore of Nashville whose Italian Cream Cake recipe I have used for years. She was a good cook and threw an Italian-inspired dinner party and served this cake. If you have Italian Cream Cake intel, please share. Did you grow up on Italian Cream Cake, and if so, where?
Fall Baking Sweepstakes!Until I find the true story on Italian Cream Cake, I’d like to share news of a fabulous sweepstakes you can enter now to get your holiday baking pantry stocked and ready. Along with my friends at Rodelle Vanilla and Schermer Pecans, plus a generous stand mixer donation from KitchenAid and my cookbooks, too, we’ve assembled a heck of a baking bundle that could be yours. If you win, you receive Rodelle baking cocoa and all kinds of vanilla extracts and flavorings, six pounds of shelled Georgia-grown Schermer Pecans, and that wonderful mixer, plus my four books—a bundle worth $850. The runner-up receives Rodelle and Schermer products and a signed copy of my book, Baking in the American South, a $245 value. Rodelle’s Madagascar Bourbon vanilla is so beautifully flavored that if I use it in my mother’s fudge cake, people swear there’s bourbon in the cake. And the Schermer pecans go into our holiday toffee each Christmas, Steve’s pecan pie each Thanksgiving, and we just roast them with a little kosher salt and gobble them up other times when it’s not the holidays. No detective work needed here. I know the pecans are fresh and come from age-old pecan trees in South Georgia. I wish you luck! If ever we needed a baking sweepstakes diversion, it’s now! So let’s get in the kitchen, think about the holidays ahead, and fingers-crossed, hope to win! - xo, Anne
THE RECIPE: Eugenia’s Italian Cream CakeYou might wonder what is American about an Italian Cream Cake? It has to do with the type of Italian Cream Cake, as there are two types of this cake. One is more of an Italian version with a cream filling, maybe ricotta cheese in the filling and cake, and it’s often flavored with lemon. And there is a second version, more of a pseudo Italian Cream Cake that’s been very popular in the South, Texas, and the Midwest. It contains both pecans and coconut, and many people consider it the alter ego of the German Chocolate Cake! The frosting is most often cream cheese and flavored with vanilla as in this recipe from the late Eugenia Moore of Nashville who was known for her extravagant Italian dinner parties. Garnish as you like with piles of coconut and pecan halves as well as finely chopped pecans. Add a bit of sherry (or marsala) to the frosting, and this cake is ready for the holidays or your next Italian dinner party! Makes 12 servings Prep: 1 hour Bake: 22 to 25 minutes
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 325ºF. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans. 2. Place the butter and shortening in a large bowl and blend with an electric mixer on high speed until creamy, 1 minute. Gradually add the sugar, blending on medium speed. Add the egg yolks, one yolk at a time, beating just until combined. Add the vanilla and combine. 3. Place the flour and soda in a small bowl and sift to combine well. Spoon a third of the flour mixture into the butter mixture and blend on low, then add 1/2 cup of the buttermilk and blend. Add another third flour mixture, then the rest of the buttermilk, blending, then the rest of the flour mixture. Fold in the coconut and pecans just until combined. Set aside. 4. Place the 5 egg whites in a large bowl and beat on high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes. Fold the beaten whites into the batter until the whites are well combined. Divide the batter between the three pans, and smooth the tops. Place the pans in the oven. 5. Bake until the cakes are golden brown and just pull away from the sides of the pan, 22 to 25 minutes. Remove the pans to a rack to cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges. Shake the layers gently, then invert onto a rack right side up to cool completely, 30 minutes. Leave the oven on. 6. Meanwhile, make the frosting. Place the 1/2 cup nuts for the frosting in a small pan in the oven to toast for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool. Place the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy, 1 minute. Add the vanilla and half of the sugar, beating on medium until combined. Add another cup sugar and the salt and blend on medium-high until combined and light. And add the remaining sugar as needed, and beat on medium-high to lighten the frosting. Fold in the cooled toasted pecans. 7. To assemble the cake, place one cooled layer on a cake stand and cover with 3/4 cup frosting, spread to the edges. Place a second layer on top, and spread it with 3/4 cup frosting. Place the third layer on top, and add 1 to 1/2 cups frosting to the top of the cake, spreading it decoratively across the top. Use the remaining frosting to frost the sides of the cake, using smooth and clean strokes. Pat extra coconut on the top (and sides, if desired) of the cake for garnish, if desired. Add pecan halves to garnish, if desired. You’re on the free list for Anne Byrn: Between the Layers. If you’re liking what you’re reading, why don’t you become a paying subscriber for more recipes, stories, and content.
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