A three-layered chocolate cake with a little something extra--coconut and chopped hazelnuts. While many chocolate cake recipes offer a heavy and intensely rich dessert, this Italian classic brings just enough soft sweetness to enjoy. So take a big piece..
Ingredients:
Cake:
Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 1/4 cups shredded sweetened coconut, 1/4 to top
- 2 cups white sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1 cup chopped hazelnuts
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 3 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
Icing:
- 3/4 cup butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 3 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups cream cheese
- 6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325˚F. Use shortening or butter to grease three 8-inch round cake pans. Use parchment paper, cut into circles, if desired. Flour cake pans.
- In a large bowl, cream 1/2 cup of butter, shortening and sugar together. Separate eggs; be sure to keep both yolks and whites. Set whites aside in a separate bowl. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, to creamed ingredients. Stir in vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda and 1/2 cup of cocoa. Slowly add mixture to creamed ingredients along with buttermilk. Stir in chopped hazelnuts and coconut.
- Beat egg whites well, until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into the batter and pour into lined, cake pans. Bake at 325˚F for approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Cakes must cool before icing.
- Meanwhile, prepare the icing by creaming the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. In another bowl, sift powdered sugar and 1/2 cup cocoa together. Add to cream cheese and butter mixture, slowly. Beat until thoroughly creamed. Mix in vanilla.
- Once cakes have cooled, remove from cake pans and form a three-layered cake, icing in-between each layer. Sprinkle the top with remaining hazelnuts