Italian Cream Cake

A friend sent me this scratch recipe and asked me to make it for her birthday. It's a fantastic recipe, and I wanted to have it transferred from the hand written form I have it in now. Sean has requested this for his birthday cake twice now!

1/2 cup soft butter
1/2 cup oil
2 cups sugar
5 eggs, SEPARATED
7 ounces of coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Combine the oil, butter, and sugar. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Dissolve the baking soda in to the buttermilk, allow it to sit for a few minutes and grow in size. Alternately add flour and buttermilk mixture in your mixer.
In a seperate bowl, beat the egg whites until they are frothy, not stiff. Fold egg whites in to batter with a spoon or spatula, (not mixer). Fold in 3/4 of the coconut and nuts.

Pour into 2 greased -9 inch pans and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, depending on your oven.
Prepare the icing.

After ten minutes out of the oven, allow your cake to cool, wrapped in cellophane for 5-8 hours before icing.



Cream Cheese Icing
1 stick or 1/2 cup of butter
8 ounces of cream cheese
1 lb of powdered sugar
milk to add for consistency

Mix these ingredients until smooth. The milk will need to be added if it is a dry day. You don't want your icing to be too stiff.

Ice cake and cover with remaining coconut and nuts.