Italian Cream Cake
from Cooking Light

Ingredients

* Cream Cheese Icing
* Vegetable cooking spray
* 2 cups sugar
* 1/2 cup light butter
* 2 egg yolks
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans
* 1 teaspoon butter extract
* 1 teaspoon coconut extract
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 6 egg whites (at room temperature)
* Sugared kumquats (optional)
* Orange rind strips (optional)
* Kumquat leaves (optional)

Preparation

Prepare Cream Cheese Icing; cover and chill.

Coat bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray (do not coat sides of pans); line bottoms of pans with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray, and dust with flour; set aside.

Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine 2 cups flour and baking soda; stir well. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in pecans and extracts.

Beat egg whites at high speed of a mixer until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat). Fold egg whites into batter; pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350° for 23 minutes. Let cool in pans 5 minutes on a wire rack. Loosen cake layers from sides of pans using a narrow metal spatula, and turn out onto wire racks. Peel off wax paper, and let cool completely.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate, and spread with 2/3 cup Cream Cheese Icing; top with another cake layer. Repeat with 2/3 cup icing and remaining layer, ending with cake. Spread remaining icing over cake. Garnish with kumquats, orange rind, and kumquat leaves, if desired.

Note: To make sugared kumquats, dip kumquats into lightly beaten egg whites, and drain; roll in sugar.