Butter Pecan Cream Cake

 

After our nephew's graduation all of the parents got together and did a reception for the graduating class.  One of the parents baked cakes and one of those was an Italian Cream Cake.  By the time I found out about this cake all that was left was the crumbs.  A common ingredient in Italian Cream Cake is coconut which is not something commonly found at our house.  Hubby doesn't like coconut and rather than eating the whole cake by myself, I decided it was a better idea to come up with a version of Italian Cream Cake without the coconut. 

 

The taste of the cake is incredible!  The butter toasted pecans truly add to the flavor so you won't want to skip it.  Sometimes this cake tasted more like butter pecan ice cream and other times it tasted like a cake version of pecan pie.  

Butter Pecan Cream Cake (adapted from Taste of Home)
Ingredients:
{For Cake}
2 1/3 c. pecans, chopped and divided
2 c. white sugar
4 eggs
1 c. evaporated milk
3 c. all-purpouse flour
1 1/4 c. butter
1 t. vanilla
2 t. baking powder
1/2 c. oil

{For Frosting}
 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. evaporated milk
6 c. confectioner's sugar

Instructions:
{For Cake}
Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and line the bottom of 3 - 9 inch cake pans with wax paper.  Melt 1/4 c. butter in a large baking pan.  Add pecans and coat evenly with  butter.  Bake for 1520 minutes, stirring frequently.  Set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, cream 1 c. butter, sugar and oil.  In a small bowl, crack eggs and add vanilla.  Add eggs 1 at a time into the creamed mixture.  Beat well after each egg addition.  Sift together the flour and baking powder.  Mix the evaporated milk alternately with flour into creamed mixture.  Stir in 1 1/3 c. pecans.

Pour the batter evenly into prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes.

{For Frosting}
In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter.  Mix in 1/2 of the powdered sugar.  Add vanilla and evaporated milk.  Beat until smooth.  Mix in remaining powdered sugar.  Stir in 1 c. chopped pecans.

Enjoy!
Shayna