Italian Crème Cake

[PieSusan]

It has also been compared to the pineapple coconut Southern Hummingbird Cake.

 

[PieSusan]

Or this with almonds:
Delice Desserts: Italian Cream Cake

 

[PieSusan]

For those interested, there are chocolate and orange versions, too.

 

[PieSusan]

Here, it is also called Delmonico Cake but it doesn't say why:
Italian Cream Cake (also known as Delmonico Cake) | ajc.com

 

[Uncle Bob]

Uncle Bob, this link told me two things:
Cooks Illustrated Bulletin Board: ITALIAN CREAM CAKE - View Post

It is either a recipe from from the Alps (almost Austrian) near where Italy and the Alps share similarities

or

A food writer said that it is probably an American invention and noted that it was first found in Dallas, Texas post-WWII. However, she was not sure.

The plot thickens. I love learning this kind of history!

Well, I am an amateur sleuth --- However there is a reference in the link of a Cream Cake maybe of Italian origin in the thread. I don't doubt the existence of Italian Cream Cake(s), and I don't think the poster is referring to the cake in question here in that post -- Later in the thread there is a recipe that is "classic" internet, cookbook fair for the ICC - It is this cake that I question being Italian in origin.

As far the "food writer's comment...I think she/he has the cake in question (ICC) confused with the German's Chocolate Cake that is widely reported, and accepted, to have come out of a Texas (Dallas?) newspaper around 1957.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Miss Susan...I am familiar with most of the links you provided, but unless I'm mistaken none of them can categorically state with any degree of certainty the Origin of the cake as being Italian. Delmonico Cake? --- I'm familiar with that one too!

 

[PieSusan]

I know!!!! I searched through 25 pages of links and still have not found a definitive answer. I think that I am done for now.

I was hoping that one of the pastry chefs here would know. It is striking how it is similar to the Hummingbird Cake which I do know.

How is a Delmonico cake similar, Uncle Bob?

 

[Maverick2272]

Are you sure?? LOL. I can relate, sometimes you get into investigating something and the more you learn the more you wonder....
Who knows, maybe originally it was just a Italian Butter cream Frosting Cake with Pecans and later got shortened to an Italian Butter Cream Cake and then later to an Italian Cream Cake and then snazzed up to Italian Creme Cake....
Now, if you solve this one... I have some questions about what happened to the dinosaurs!!

 

[Uncle Bob]

I know!!!! I searched through 25 pages of links and still have not found a definitive answer. I think that I am done for now.

I was hoping that one of the pastry chefs here would know. It is striking how it is similar to the Hummingbird Cake which I do know.

How is a Delmonico cake similar, Uncle Bob?

I'm hoping Miss Queen-Guinevere will chime back in with her definitive information, as well as an "authentic" recipe.

The Delmonico has the same ingredients as the ICC. Same cake -- different moniker

 

[PieSusan]

Are you sure?? LOL. I can relate, sometimes you get into investigating something and the more you learn the more you wonder....
Who knows, maybe originally it was just a Italian Butter cream Frosting Cake with Pecans and later got shortened to an Italian Butter Cream Cake and then later to an Italian Cream Cake and then snazzed up to Italian Creme Cake....
Now, if you solve this one... I have some questions about what happened to the dinosaurs!!

lol, I was trained in law school how to research issues and I guess that I have internalized it so much that I use the same techniques whenever I have a question. I was always good at research and writing; I use to be a legal editor. I also have an insatiable curiosity about these sorts of dessert issues. I was hoping that one of the professional chefs might know the answer but it seems to be a mystery yet unsolved on the Internet.

Edited to add:
Now you can imagine how I am when I am searching for an odd ingredient or piece of bakeware. It becomes my quest for the latest grail.

My friend, Andy use to play this game with another chef. They would try to stump each other with what were the ingredients in obscure dishes from centuries ago. Often I would join in the fun when it was a dessert question.

 

[AllenOK]

PieSusan, got any cookie recipes that call for "Baking Ammonium"?

Back when I first started collecting recipes, before "Allrecipes.com" really congealed into one website, I was hitting the "cookierecipes.com" part of that site. I found many OLD recipes that called for that leavening ingredient.

 

[PieSusan]

AllenOk, actually, the only one that I can think of is a Maida Heatter cookie. I think it is a rusk of some kind. When one bakes with baking ammonium, there is a smell of ammonia in your kitchen which is why I think people moved away from it. (For those that don't know, you do not taste ammonia in your baked good)

 

[Maverick2272]

Yea, but the smell alone would have made me move away... far away! LOL.

 

[backybay]

WOW!! your menu's so fine. I would do it at Chinese New Year day!!.
thank U!!

 

[glendel]

you can substute 1 cup of canola oil instead of the butter and shortening

Ok, I got into a baking mood today. This is something I've been wanting to make for a long time. This recipe is from the club I currently work at, but from 6 years ago. From what I remember, this recipe is supposed to taste EXACTLY like the commercially-prepared Italian Crème Cake served in many restaurants.

Italian Crème Cake
Yields:
From: TCC Files

½ c (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1/3 c shortening
1 ¾ c sugar
4 egg yolks
1 t vanilla
1 ¾ c flour
1 ½ t baking powder
¼ t baking soda
¾ c buttermilk
¾ c finely chopped pecans
¾ c toasted coconut
4 egg whites
Simple syrup
For the frosting:
12 oz cream cheese
6 T butter or margarine
1 ½ t vanilla
6 - 7 c (?) powdered sugar

Grease and flour three 8 x 1 ½” or 9 x 1 ½” round baking pans. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat the butter and shortening with an electric mixer until combined. Add the sugar, beat on medium speed until mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and vanilla; beat well. In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and soda. Add dry mixture and buttermilk alternately to the beaten mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Stir in the pecans and coconut. Thoroughly wash the beaters.
In a medium mixing bowl beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight up). Stir about 1/3 of the egg whites into the cake batter. Fold in the remaining whites. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake in a 350°F for 25 - 30 minutes for 8” pans (or 18 - 22 minutes for 9” pans), or until cakes test done. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Soak evenly with the simple syrup. Cool completely on wire racks. Frost top of one cake layer with cream cheese frosting. Top with another layer, frost, and then top with the last layer. Frost top and side of cake with remaining frosting.
In a medium bowl beat together the cream cheese, butter or margarine, and the vanilla until smooth. Gradually add enough powdered sugar to make of spreading consistency, beating until smooth.

Now, as some of you all know, I don't usually follow a recipe verbatim, and this one was no exception. Also, I'm not really a baker, so anytime I bake, it's hit-or-miss as to whether or not it will turn out.

The changes I made:
-I don't know why, but I have always thought this had almonds in it. When I bought the nuts (I knew it needed nuts, just not sure what kind), I picked up almonds, then found out I needed pecans.
-I think I actually had about 1/4 c of shortening, instead of the 1/3 c listed.
-When I separated the eggs, I broke two of the yolks, and got some of the yolk into the egg whites. I knew the whites wouldn't whip up that well, but went with it anyway. There is chemical leavening, so I was pretty sure that meringue leavening wasn't critical.
-I don't own any round cake pans. I figured I'd bake this in a 9 x 13" pan.
-Simple Syrup was 3/4 c water and 3/4 c sugar.
-I bought some cream cheese frosting (I know, I know, I usually make stuff from scratch).

Well, I made the cake batter as best I could. I baked it, keeping an eye on the cake as I wasn't sure of the cooking time. I timed it for 33 minutes, as I seem to remember using that time figure for a box-mix cake in the same size pan. I tested the cake with a toothpick. I remember reading on another thread about the difficulties of getting a syrupy mixture to soak into a cake. I poked that cake a couple of hundred times with a toothpick, then started brushing the simple syrup over the cake as directed. I frosted the cake about 30 minutes ago, cut it, and served it up to the kids.

Results: Well, honestly, it's been so long since I've tasted the commercial product, I kind of FORGOT what it tasted like! The cake had a great texture, even with the meringue not whipping like it should have. It also had a great, buttery taste, but that could have come from the frosting.

 

[glendel]

just a little less calories

I love Italian cream cake. I have found that if you substitute 1 cup of canola oil instead of the butter and shortening, it is just as good if not better. It makes a very moist cake. And the icing could be used with the 1/3 less fat cream cheese.

 

[littlechefassisstant]

it sound good