PW Wednesday – Billie’s Italian Creme Cake
Are you sleepy right now? Do you need a jolt to wake up? How’s a massive sugar high sound? Really? Okay, well Julie and the rest of the PW Wednesday group has got something for you. This. Billie’s Italian Creme Cake.
Oh. Man. I have never felt like I should go run a marathon more than I do now. Not that I could run a marathon because my back would inevitably retaliate in excruciating ways, but because I would need to run out all of that sugar slowing down my blood and giving me a wicked case of sugar-tummy.
And did I mention I couldn’t even finish my one piece of this cake? Billie, you can make a crazy cake woman.
In my meager attempts to healthify this cake – I substituted half of the oil in the cake with applesauce. For most cakes, cupcakes and baked goods you can do a switcharoo with half of the oil with sauce of the apple variety. It may not seem like much, but 100 calories for a 1/2 cup of regular applesauce is better than 900 calories in 1/2 cup of oil.
With the whipping of egg whites into submission I thought it would lead to a light and airy cake of sorts but after folding it into the rest of the cake I wasn’t sure if my folding skills failed me or if I hadn’t whipped the eggs into the necessary state of stiff they required. The cake was much denser than I thought’d be, but not necessarily in a bad way – just wasn’t what I’d expected.
When it came to the frosting – it was in all manner of speaking, over the top. A basic cream cheese frosting was apparently not good enough for this, adding to it an extra pound of sugar for good measure. Or that furry slipper feeling we all love so much. Are you seeing where the “run a full marathon and brush my teeth” thing is coming from now?
Instead of incorporating the coconut and nuts into the frosting and leaving it lumpy, I opted instead for toasting the coconut and pressing it to the outsides of the cake and sprinkling the nuts on top. Frosting the cake was  challenge itself with 2 pounds of sugar added it – there was no way to frost a cake with any grace with it that way. Having added about a 1/4 cup of milk to it was the only way to make it thin enough to frost a cake without ripping it to shreds. Heresy in cake decorating! Ripping it to shreds I mean with a frosting too thick. Cream cheese frosting is always a good idea.
All in all, I’m not entirely sure what to make of it. Tasty – as per usual with any Ree-Dee recipe. Fattening, would you expect anything less? Will I be running that marathon? Of course. And is it laden with coconut and heaven? Yup a roo! So, this one may not have knocked it out of the park – but it sure wasn’t a bad way to end my day.
Check out the other lovely ladies of PW Wednesday and see how they faired. Now – to brush my furry slipper teeth.
Julie – Table for Two <— Full Recipe Here!
Gina – Running to the Kitchen
Rachel – Baked by Rachel
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I saw the tweets about this week’s PW Wednesday and I wondered what you guys were making! This definitely sounds like a cake for a special occasion; I’m pretty sure my waistline would not forgive me if I ate it any more regularly. It does sound decadently delicious though…
This was really tasty – actually even better the next day. The first day seemed like it was lack luster, but after it sat in the fridge and melded a bit, it was quite tasty. My waistline is equally unforgiving. It hates me right now.
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Your cake turned out beautiful!!!
Thanks Rachel! I loved everyone’s variations, and kudos for QUARTERING the dang thing. That takes talent – and patience.
your cake is so beautiful!! i love the coconut around the sides of the cake!
Thanks Julie 🙂 I hate lumpy frosting and the frosting was so dang hard to do on this cake. I’ve made a lot of cakes and this was a toughie to frost! haha It was sliding all over the place and the frosting didn’t know what it wanted to do. So I ate it in retaliation.
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Your cake is so gorgeous! Love it! And I really like that you subbed applesauce. Every little bit helps! 🙂
I love doing that applesauce substitution when I can. It might not be much but it’s better than an Additional 800 calories or whatever in a cake that has this much butter, sugar and sin in it haha
Check out those layers! I love coconut, especially coconut cakes. This cake is beautiful.
Thanks Jennifer! I’m a big fan of the coconut on the outside, it just has that great “faux-rustic” thing going on.
Ooooh – so beautiful! I would love a slice of this. And then I’ll go run a marathon with you. 😉
I need a marathon about now! And a partner to go running with, because wooo, all that sugar is slowing me down – and I’ve only had 1 whole piece. Thank goodness I work with a bunch of guys that devour anything I bring in.
dude, yours turned out gorrrrgeous! for real, it looks wonderful. you need to give me layer cake frosting/decorating lessons, please! =)
Thanks Amy! I’m actually planning on doing some more decorating tutorials on the blog – so if there is anything you want to learn, totally let me know!! I want to make sure I can teach you all what you want and need to know 🙂
Great minds think alike with the applesauce thing! Your layers look so much thicker than mine. Definite bakery quality right there 😉
I thought about doing the sides with the coconut flakes too for a prettier appearance but then realized that would take a lot more effort than just dumping it into the frosting like instructed so I took the easy way out instead.
High five on the great minds thinking alike! I can justify a lot of things in my baking – but 2 pounds of flippin’ sugar and a full cup of oil was not one of them.
Looks delish! I hate all the oil recipes use to make a cake or muffins, it’s always way to much! I’m with you adding applesauce!!
Thanks Jennifer! I felt obligated to cut out some of the oil where I could. It might not have made much of a dent in the “healthification” of this dessert, but every little bit helps! haha
Beautiful cake Megan! I love the layers!
Thanks Cassie 🙂
It looks fantastic and delicious!!
My mama used to make Italian Cream Cakes for every dish to pass affair we ever attended. So much so that I’m pretty sure that she would have been barred from entering any potluck without it. I was never a huge fan of the lumpy frosting, so your solution is perfect. And pretty!
Thanks K!! I hated the lumps too, the coconut on the outside was a good middle ground.
wow, this cake looks beautiful. and it sounds incredible
Your cake looks beautiful! I love the coconut flakes! And subbing the applesauce was a good idea, I sometimes have problems when I do that.
I officially must make this cake now…
I’ve been adoring all the creative adaptions I’ve seen today, and really, who needs an excuse for cake this good?
Beautiful. And I am so sleepy, I could use a huge slice of this. With coffee.
Oh my! Your cake looks gorgeous. It sounds amazing too!
Haha! I love your honesty in this post. Furry slipper teeth…classic! The cake does look superb though.
Oh my – there’s all kinds of deliciousness here!
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I always wondered about the applesauce to oil ratio. Good to know!
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I did PW’s Italian Cream Cake for my son’s b’day several weeks ago and wow, what a big, beautiful cake! I love your substitutions and the loaf shape vs. the traditional round. Nice job 🙂
I think the cake looks great but they might want to show a different pic of the beaters, there is a hair on it!
I love that you made the cake into a loaf pan size, can you tell me if that’s what you did or did you make a sheet cake and portion it into three layers? The cake is beautiful, I’m hungry for it now!
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