Fresh Orange Italian Cream Cake

Blame it on her roots that my oldest who just turned 10 wanted a Fresh Orange Italian Cream Cake. She likes to eat grown up foods like this - it isn't something most kids would choose for a birthday cake. Her friends were less than impressed that I had worked forever on it.
I will tell you that this cake is a labor of love.  The first time I ate it was at my sweet Friend Leah's house.  Leah is one of the biggest givers I know.  She wanted our time together to be special so she slaved over this cake for us to eat when we were passing through Oklahoma one time.  I had never had it before and was so delighted with my very first bite.  It was like I had died and gone to heaven.  Why does cake make you feel this way?  Good cake anyway?
You will also need to pull up the post Fresh Orange Curd, Glazed Pecan Halves, and Toasted Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting.

You will need to start this cake a day ahead because the Fresh Orange Curd must chill for 8 hours.
Yeild: Makes 12 - 16 servings
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups of sugar
5 large eggs separated
1 Tbs vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup sweetened flaked  coconut
Fresh Orange Curd
3 cups Toasted Pecan Cream Cheese Icing
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut lightly toasted (optional)
Glazed Pecan Halves (optional)

Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy.

Gradually add sugar, beating well.

Add Egg yolks one at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
Add Vanilla; beat until blended. 

Combine flour and soda; add to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Beat at low speed until blended after each addition.  Stir in one cup of Flaked Coconut.








Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. 

Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Spread 3/4 cup chilled Fresh Orange Curd between each layer.

Spread the remaining Fresh Orange Curd on top of the Cake. (The Fresh Orange Curd layer on the top of cake will be very thick.)
If desired, loosely cover cake and chill 8 hours.  Chilling the cake with the curd between the layers helps keep the layers in place and makes it much easier to spread the frosting.





Spread 3 cups Toasted Pecan - Cream Cheese Frosting on the sides of cake

reserving remaining frosting for another use. 

Sprinkle Toasted coconut over the top of the Fresh Orange Curd.
Arrange Glazed Pecan Halves around the top edge of Cake. If desired store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.