Italian Cream Cake

This is a deliciously rich cake for special occasions. It is quite impressive looking and delightfully different tasting. - Judy Ashworth/1984

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sugar
5 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour, double sifted
1 cup chopped pecans
3 oz. shredded coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract

Grease and flour 3 round cake pans.

Cream the butter and shortening with the sugar.

Separate the eggs, setting the whites aside, and add the egg yolks to the sugar mixture one yolk at a time.

Now add the soda to the buttermilk and alternate additions of buttermilk and flour to the batter, beating well after each addition. Next add the pecans, coconut and flavorings. Mix well.

Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into batter. Pour about 2 cups of batter into each pan.

Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes. Cool to room temperature then frost with Cream Cheese Icing and decorate.

Cream Cheese Icing
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter
1 lb. powered sugar
1 scant teaspoon almond extract
20 whole pecans
3 maraschino cherries, halved

Mix the cream cheese and butter, slowly add the powdered sugar, then the extract. Be careful not to use too much extract as this will make the icing soft. Frost cake between layers, then the side and top.

Decorate the top of the cake with five pecan petal flowers (four petals each) and a half maraschino cherry for the center (eat the sixth half!)