The best of the best Italian cream cake

Ingredients:

1 cup buttermilk,

1 teaspoon of baking soda,

5 large eggs, separated,

2 cups of sugar,

1 stick of butter, soft,

½ cup vegetable shortening,

1-teaspoon vanilla,

1 cup walnuts, chopped,

1 can of coconut, grated,

2 cups flour.

Addresses:

Cream shortening, butter, sugar, and egg yolks in a large bowl; add flour and buttermilk; mix well; add coconut, walnuts, vanilla and beat well. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff and fold into the cake mix. Bake at 325° for 30 to 35 minutes in 3-layer pans. Let cool before freezing.

Cream:

4 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon vanilla,

8 ounces cream cheese 1 box powdered sugar,

1 cup walnuts, chopped.

Mix and spread the frosting in layers. Place 1/3 cup chopped walnuts in the first layer of frosting, add 1/3 cup chopped walnuts in the second layer of frosting. Finish spreading the frosting on the top and sides of the cake and finally place 1/3 cup of the chopped walnuts on top.

Serves 8 to 10

Note: This cake can be made into a single layer cake by baking it in a 9×13-inch baking dish, but it’s not nearly as good. Another fun and cool idea is to add three to six drops of food coloring, depending on how vibrant you want the color to be. Sometimes I add the food coloring to the cake and frosting and sometimes just to the cake or frosting. I choose my colors for the holidays, for example I choose red or green for Christmas.

This recipe is in “What’s Cooking?” Cook Book

You can find this recipe and many more like it at http://www.cristiescookin.com