For a dear friend's birthday I wanted to make a special cake that was both rich and out of the ordinary. Since my friend is Italian, I wanted to make a dessert that would be symbolic as well. I came across this recipe by Ree Drummond (my hero) aka The Pioneer Woman. The best part of this cake, and there are many, is the texture added by the chopped pecans in the frosting. The pecans add a special touch of savory to the otherwise sweet cream cheese frosting base. Delicious! I definitely recommend this recipe if you want to impress your holiday guests without driving yourself crazy! I tweaked this a bit because I prefer a lot of vanilla in my cakes.
For the Cake:
5 Large eggs (separated)
1 cup sugar
1 cup oil
1/2 cup (1 stick of butter)
1 cup of sweetened coconut flakes
1 cup of buttermilk
2 cups flour
1t baking powder
1t baking soda
2t cinnamon
2T Vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk together the egg whites until still peaks form.
Remove the egg whites to another bowl and wash and the whisk attachment and bowl. Next, whisk together butter, sugar and oil until creamy (about 4 minutes) . Add the egg yolks one at a time until fully incorporated into the mixture.
In a large measuring cup mix the buttermilk and vanilla. If you do not have buttermilk on hand, mix together 1T vinegar and 1 cup milk and let it sit for a few minutes. In another large measuring cup blend the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients and wet ingredients to the sugar mixture alternating and finishing with the wet ingredients. Mix gently to incorporate the flour but do not over mix.
Fold in the coconut flakes. Finally, fold in the egg whites just enough to incorporate them into the batter.
Add the batter to 2 9" round baking pans and bake for 25-35 minutes. Check oven periodically to ensure that your cakes do not over bake.
For the frosting
16 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
1 stick of butter (room temperature)
2-3 cups of powdered sugar
3/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes
3/4 cup of chopped pecans
2 T Vanilla extract
In the bowl of an electric mixer with either a whisk or paddle attachment, mix together the cream cheese and butter until soft and creamy (about 4-5 minutes).
Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time mixing well in between each cup and taste to desired sweetness. Add coconut flakes and vanilla extract. Once nicely mixed, fold in pecans.
This frosting makes a delicious frosting and filling to any cake!
Once your cakes are cooled and torted, fill and frost. You may add additional pecans or coconut flakes to further adorn your cake.
Buon apetito!
