Two layers of classic Italian Cream Cake and a complementary layer of coconut pecan cheesecake sandwiched in the middle make for one amazing dessert! Così bello!
Friends! Say hello to my favorite layer cake of all time.
Ever since having my first piece of Italian Cream Cake years ago (when we carried it in my bakery,) I knew that no matter how much I loved chocolate and red velvet, I would never look at them the same way again.
That dense buttermilk cake. The almost ton of coconut, shaved and flaky and toasted to perfection. Those crunchy, roasty pecans on top of the best cream cheese icing ever. It’s a love affair I have yet to shake.
And then I went and put my little creative spin on it and now the world has Italian Cream Cheesecake to fall for. No need to thank me, y’all.
Say hello, also, to Easter Dessert 2016.
You might remember last year’s equally epic, delicious, award-winning Chocolate Cannoli Cheesecake Mousse Torte, and the dramatics that went into putting it together.
There was as much whining as there was wine-ing.
Thankfully, this year did not prove to be nearly as stressful a baking venture. This cake only looks complicated, but I can promise you it was almost fun to make, even after two 12-hour days in a row at work.
Alright so…it may have been slightly stressful, but it was all on me.
The cake itself was a 2-day project. I’ve learned my lesson as far as prepping big cakes for photographing – make sure it’s refrigerated or frozen long enough to be gor-gee-us for slice styling purposes.
Friday, the first night, was cheesecake baking night. No worries. I can bake a cheesecake in my sleep!
Which…is pretty much exactly what I did. I laid down on the couch while it baked to watch a little Netflix. Inevitably, I dozed off. I can’t help myself, our couch is ridic in the comfort department.
I dozed off and slept right through the oven timer.
The one that stops chiming after two minutes.
I woke up with a start to hear the extraneous beep my oven lets off every minute or so. A string of profanity fell from my lips as I leaped off the couch and flew to the oven door. How long had I been asleep?
The three-inch crack down the top of the dark cheesecake was a telltale sign. I thought for sure as I stared at it that I would be up another two hours remaking the damn thing.
I pulled it out of the oven (prematurely, since I normally let my cheesecakes cool in the oven with the door cracked) and amazingly, it still had jiggle. It was still soft, and the color wasn’t as dark as I originally thought.
Hello, sigh of relief. I could still pull it off.
The following day, I woke up extra early before work and pumped out the cake layers (and six cupcakes with the extra batter.) They cooled for twelve hours while I took care of business at work, then it all came together around 9pm.
I almost ran out of coconut.
I had to redo the top twice because I apparently forgot what a circle looks like.
A few of my whole garnish pecans got a bit over-toasted.
This cake wasn’t a perfect subject to work with, but it’s about as close as I’ve gotten to it.
And the best part, of course?
Our Annual Easter Wine Dinner is basically a room full of Italians, me, and Mr. Crumby.
The cake was a complete hit. Quite literally plate-licking good, from the looks of the dishwasher after dessert.
Nailed it.
- Coconut Pecan Cheesecake
- 4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- Seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 7 ounces coconut milk
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup toasted pecans
- Italian Cream Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 cups sweetened coconut, divided
- 1 1/2 cups toasted pecans, divided
- Almond Cream Cheese Frosting
- 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- Pinch kosher salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- Reserved coconut, toasted
- Reserved toasted pecans
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, placing the oven rack in the lower third. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan, place a round of parchment paper in the bottom, then butter the parchment. Double wrap pan carefully in aluminum foil, set in a large roasting pan, and set aside.
- Place the cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt, beating until smooth and well combined.
- Beat in coconut milk and extract until well blended. Add eggs in one at a time, beating well between each addition. Gently fold in toasted pecans.
- Pour batter into prepared springform pan. Place roasting pan containing springform pan in the oven, and carefully fill roasting pan with boiling water to about an inch up the springform pan. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F and bake for 65-70 minutes, until lightly browned and the middle retains a slight jiggle. Cool cake in pan to room temperature on a cooling rack, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour (or spray with baking spray) 2 9-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl,whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, cream together the butter, sugars, and extracts 3-4 minutes, until creamy and pale in color.
- Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until fully combined.
- Gently fold in 1 cup of coconut and 1 cup of toasted pecans.
- Divide the batter evenly between cake pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely.
- Cream together cream cheese and butter until light, fluffy and pale yellow in color. Beat in extracts and salt, then gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until creamy and smooth.
- Place one layer of cake on the cake plate, spread a layer of icing on top, and sprinkle with 1/3 of the remaining toasted pecan pieces. Carefully remove cheesecake from springform base and flip upside down on top of icing. Peel off parchment layer, spread on another layer of icing, sprinkle on another 1/3 of pecans, then top with second layer of cake.
- Frost the top and sides or the cake. Garnish the sides of the cake with toasted coconut. Spoon cream cheese icing in a piping bag and pipe a circle of dots around inner edge of top of cake. Decorate the top and bottom edge with the remaining pecans and more cream cheese dots.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Italians make some of my favorite foods…how many of your favorites are listed down below?
Appetizers:
- Cacio e Uova Meatless Recipe from She Loves Biscotti
- Gnocchi alla Romana from Tramplingrose
- Italian Rice Balls from My World Simplified
- Rosemary Focaccia from Curious Cuisiniere
- Tomato Caprese with Burrata from Casa de Crews
Mains:
- Asparagus and lemon risotto from Un Assaggio of Food, Wine & Marriage
- Braised Italian-Style Beef Short Ribs from Hardly A Goddess
- Bruschetta Chicken from Meal Planning Magic
- Bucatini with Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce from The TipToe Fairy
- Orechietti with Broccoli Rabe and Shrimp from Delaware Girl Eats
- Cheesy Gnocchi and Sausage Bake from Confessions of a Cooking Diva
- Classic Vodka Sauce from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Eggplant Parmesan from Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
- Fast Faux-Baked Ziti from Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
- Florentine Pizza from A Mind Full Mom
- Gluten Free Meatballs with Homemade Sauce from Gluten Free Crumbley
- Green and Yellow Artichoke Tortellini with Mushrooms, Pancetta and Spring Peas with White Wine Reduction from Crazy Foodie Stunts
- Grilled Chicken Pesto Panini from Eat, Drink and be Tracy
- Mushroom Bolognese Pasta Recipe from Life Tastes Good
- Parma Rosa Baked Ziti from Palatable Pastime
- Pasta Con Sarde a Mare – Pasta with Sardines at Sea from Caroline’s Cooking
- Pasta e Fagioli from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Penne with Sausage in Creamy Boursin Cheese Recipe from Feeding Big and more
- Pesce all’Aqua Pazza from Monica’s Table
- Polenta-Crusted Italian Sausage Pies from Wholistic Woman
- Pumpkin Agnolotti from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Shrimp Fra Diavolo from Grumpy’s Honeybunch
- Slow Cooker Lasagna from Food Lust People Love
- Stuffed Ravioli in Alfredo Sauce from The Freshman Cook
- Tuscan Kale Pesto Risotto from Cooking Chat
- Tuscan Porterhouse with Balsamic-Rosemary Steak Sauce and Seared Radicchio from The Texan New Yorker
- Tuscan Style Chicken Breasts from Simple and Savory
- Zuppa Toscana from Momma’s Meals
Dessert:
ORDER OUR #1 BEST SELLER COOKBOOK!
- Italian Berries, Mascarpone and Marsala Budini from La Bella Vita Cucina
- Berry Tiramisu from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Cannoli Poke Cake from Moore or Less Cooking
- Cherry Walnut Biscotti from Pies and Plots
- Chocolate Tiramisu from Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
- Fiordilatte Gelato from Manu’s Menu
- Italian Cream Cheesecake from The Crumby Cupcake
- Lemoncello Tiramisu from The Redhead Baker
- Limoncello Cookies from Cosmopolitan Cornbread
- Orange and Almond Ricotta Cheesecake from Pine Needles In My Salad
- Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries from The Chef Next Door
- Salame al Cioccolato (Chocolate Salami) from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Strawberry Panna Cotta from From Gate to Plate
- Tiramisu Semifreddo from Tara’s Multicultural Table
- Wine and Cheese Chocolate Muffins from What Smells So Good?
- Zabaglione Gelato from Magnolia Days
Beverages:
- Bicerin (Italian Coffee) from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Easy Limoncello from Our Good Life
- Liquore all’Alloro from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Sgroppino (Frothy Italian Sorbetto Cocktail) from The Wimpy Vegetarian
And Artichoke Torta plus More Recipes for Italian Fest from Sunday Supper Movement
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Manu says
This looks stunning! And I love all the flavours in it! I would love a slice with my cup of tea, right now! 🙂
Liz says
This is decadence at it’s finest! I adore Italian Cream Cake and you’ve made it even better! Brava!
Laura Dembowski says
This cake looks well worth all the trouble it caused you. I mean cake and cheesecake and frosting. What’s not to love???
Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere says
What a story! This cake is definitely the thing dreams are made of. It is gorgeous!
Hezzi-D says
WHat a show stopping dessert! All the flavors in this sound incredible together!
Amy Barrett says
stunning
Tara says
Absolutely stunning! Such gorgeous layers.
Kristen Chidsey says
Simply no words to say how incredible this is!
Barrie says
Isn’t is so great when after all that hard work, people LOVE the recipe or dish that you make? Makes it all worth it for me! I love the pictures of this beauty!
Sarah says
Wowee! Amazing!
DB, Foodie Stuntman | Crazy Foodie Stunts says
Glad this dessert came together so beautifully, despite the drama preparing it.
monica says
Wow – this is stunning!
Christie says
This cake is off the hook! Seriously. So tall, moist, decadent.