Redbird Café Best Italian Cream Cake

The RedBird Café's ~ Best Italian Cream Cake Recipe (Ever!)

1 stick butter
1/2 cup vegetable (olive-extra light) oil
2 cups sugar
5 eggs separated - - (beat eggwhites until stiff, set aside)
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 small can shredded coconut
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup very finely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. If oven browns well, back off temperature 15 degrees.
Grease and flour (3) three round cake pans - diameter doesn't matter; 8 or 9 inch round, or (1) "9x14" sheet pan.*

Cream butter and oil with sugar and vanilla, using mixer on "high" setting. Add (5) separated egg yolks (only) to the butter/sugar/oil mix, and beat until fluffy.

In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add the dry stuff to butter/sugar/oil/eggs, alternating with buttermilk, about 1/2 cup at a time.

Stir in walnuts and coconut. Gently fold eggwhites into your batter, turning spoon in a fugure-8 pattern.

Soon batter with spatula (fold) into prepared pans, and bake until springy 30 - 60 minutes, depending on the oven and size of cake pans.

When cakes have cooled, prepare the following topping:

Icing for Cream Cake

8 oz. cream cheese
2 sticks butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 box confectioners sugar
1 tsp. Buttermilk

Cream all ingredients together in order as they appear, and spread icing on tops of the bottom two layers first; securing all layers (toothpicks work, but be careful). Then frost the sides, and finally the top. Cake should then be refrigerated - - slices, however, may be warmed to room temperature for a few seconds in microwave, to enhance flavor (on low or 30% setting).

Serves 8-16. *When substituting sheet pan, use all frosting on one layer.