Italian Wedding Cake

My sweet friend Candice got married this weekend!! She asked if I would help her out with a cake for her Bridal luncheon that she was having for all the ladies in her life as well as her bridesmaids. I have to admit that I was surprised that she wanted me to make it, because I don’t have a background in baking. I do have a serious sweet tooth though, so I accepted the challenge. Also even though I’ve never been married….when the bride asks you to help-YOU DO IT!  Candice is such an amazing friend and I know she would do the same for me.  She even went all the way to Jackson, MS to cheer me on for my first half marathon, poster and all.  We were discussing the type of cake and she mentioned that she had been thinking about Italian Cream Cake. I recognized the name from church bake sales, and always thought they looked amazing. I’m still not sure where the name comes from (maybe the cream cheese?), because it seems to be a very southern recipe. This was my first time making the cake and so I did some research and asked around about a good recipe. My friend Kristen gave me one, and it seemed to match up pretty closely to all of the other ones I found. The cake turned out great and it got rave reviews from everyone. The cake is light and fluffy and the frosting is really flavorful without being overly sweet. The pecans and coconuts round everything adding great texture. I will definitely be making this one again!

Cream the butter, sugar, and crisco in a stand mixer, until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and beat well. Sift flour and baking soda. Alternate adding the buttermilk and dry ingredients into the mixer. When it is thoroughly mixed, pour contents into a large bowl.  Clean the mixer bowl and whip the egg whites to medium peaks. I chose to stir the coconut into the batter first, then I carefully folded the egg whites into the batter. Some variations call for nuts to be added to the cake mix, but I left them for the frosting only.

Use any leftover crisco to grease the pans you are using, then dust them lightly with flour. Preheat your oven to 325°.  The cakes did rise a bit, so take that into consideration when filling them. I doubled the recipe and I was able to fill 4 pans and make 12 cupcakes. I needed to make enough cake for 17 people, so I chose to do 3 layers. I was able to borrow some pans and a cake board from work to help me out! You will know the cakes are finished when the cake starts to pull away from the side of the pans and they are slightly golden on top.

When Candice first asked me about the cake, she mentioned something about cake pulls. I had no idea what she was talking about, so I did some googling and found out that it is a very southern tradition. Usually the bride will buy assorted charms, such as a ring, and whichever bridesmaid pulls that charm, would be the next to get married. Candice decided to get personalized charms for each person, and had their names on each ribbon so the girls would know which one to pull. It was a really sweet gesture and a nice touch for her bridal luncheon. I may steal it one day! So after icing the cake, I took the charms and placed them just inside the cake so that they were hidden. I was pleasantly surprised with the way it came out. SUCCESSSSS!