Carol made for my birthday an Italian cream cake, a type of cake which is very popular in Houston. The name of this cake is a bit of a mystery, since there is no cream in it, just cream cheese in the frosting, and it is unclear what is Italian about it. According to an article in oklahomapastrycloth.com the first recorded version of this cake in Texas was in the Plano News in 1937, and it has evolved a lot since that time. It is thought than an Italian baker who had moved to the US first made this cake.
This version is adapted from a recipe in Joanne Smith’s book Cuisine, Texas, A Multiethnic Feast, a book of recipes from the many ethnic groups who settled in Texas. (Texas cuisine is more than Tex-Mex and Southern cooking.) The recipe is for three 8-inch rounds. Carol was afraid this would be a bit small, so she multiplied everything by 1.25 and baked three 9-inch rounds. After serving 8 people, we had a lot left over from that bigger cake.
For the cake
½ cup salted butter
½ cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, separated
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup chopped pecans
For the icing
8-oz package cream cheese, softened
½ cup salted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 lb. confectioner’s sugar
½ cup pecans, finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Cream the butter, oil, and sugar. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir the baking soda into the buttermilk. Add the flour to the batter alternating with the buttermilk mixture. Add the vanilla, coconut, and pecans. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the batter. Pour into 3 greased and floured 8-inch cake pans (or a 9 x 13 inch baking pan).
Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
To make the icing, beat together the cream cheese and butter. Add the vanilla and confectioner’s sugar and beat to a spreading consistency. Ice the cake and then put the pecans on top of the icing in a decorative pattern.
