Italian Cream Cake

(Yields about 36 cupcakes or 1 – 8”x3” or 3- 8”x2” cakes)

Ingredients:

1 box-mix Butter-Yellow Cake mix

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup water

1 cup sour cream

½ cup chopped pecans

1 cup shredded coconut

***Special Note:  If you are torting or leveling this cake after baking with a wire cake leveler, make sure that you chop the pecans into fairly small bits and shred the coconut well.  Large pieces of nuts or coconut will get caught in your cake leveler and drag through your cake, causing it to crack and break apart (or snapping your cake leveler wire).  A knife can work a little better for torting or leveling this cake, but just be careful!!!***

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare 3 – 8”x2” pans or 1 – 8”x3” pan.  Set aside.  Combine Cake mix, flour, sugar and salt in a mixer and mix on low speed until combined.  Slowly add eggs, buttermilk, water and sour cream.  Mix on low until combined.  Add pecans and coconut.  Turn mixer speed to medium and beat mixture until there are no lumps and nuts and coconut are evenly distributed throughout the mixture.  Pour mixture into prepared pan(s) and bake for 45-50 minutes or until done in middle and cake(s) pulls away from sides of pan(s).  Remove cake(s) from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.  Wrap and refrigerate until ready to assemble and decorate.

My favorite filling to go with this cake is a Hazelnut Mousse.