A couple of months ago, when I was at the grocery store, I was idly strolling through the bakery when a slice of cake caught my eye. It claimed to be something called an Italian Cream Cake. I’m Italian and creamy, I thought to myself as I picked the plastic clamshell off the display. You’re coming home with me, lady.
When I got home I promptly googled “Italian Cream Cake” to find out if it’s one of the many Italian things I’ve missed out on in my life thanks to not having access to that side of my family.
Google informed me it was not an Italian thing I’ve been deprived of. It’s actually a dessert from the Southern United States, possibly created by an Italian immigrant but not much else can be found out about it.
Either way, it was just begging to be infused once I did some research. For the infusion, I used some of my Instant Pot cannabis-infused butter. You can find the recipe/method for that here.
Ingredients for Cake
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup cannabis-infused butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 1/2 eggs
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Method for making the cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Grease cake pan (can make one deep 9″ layer or you can split a second pan using tin foil and pie weights for one and a half 9″ round layers). Line bottom with parchment paper
- In a small bowl sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
- Cream together butter, shortening, and sugar. Mix in eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and coconut. Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Pour into cake pan(s). Bake for 28-32 minutes.
Ingredients for Frosting
- 1/2 pound cream cheese
- 1/2 cup butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup light cream
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
Method for making the frosting
- Beat together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Gradually add the cream as needed for a smooth consistency.
- Mix in coconut and walnuts.
- Reserve some coconut and walnuts for sprinkling on top of the frosting.
- Spread on cake.
