Nanas Italian Holiday Cream Cake Recipes

ITALIAN CHRISTMAS CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper.
• Spread coconut flakes thinly over a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high until lightly browned, stirring every 30 seconds, 2 to 3 minutes total.
• Place coconut in a blender and grind into a fine powder.
• Combine coconut powder, buttermilk, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Combine cake flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl.
• Beat sugar, butter, and shortening until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Add flour mixture alternately with coconut-buttermilk mixture, mixing between additions. Mix in pecans. Divide batter between the pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 28 to 32 minutes. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and cool on wire racks, at least 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, beat powdered sugar and butter until fluffy. Mix in cream of coconut, vanilla extract, and salt. Add cream cheese; beat until well combined. Place 1 cooled cake on a serving platter and spread frosting all over. Place the other cake on top; coat with remaining frosting.
• Press remaining pecans around and on top of the cake to garnish.

NANA'S CRANBERRY KUCHEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch square cake pan.
• Stir sugar, milk, vegetable oil, and egg together until well blended. Add flour, baking powder, and salt; stir until incorporated. Pour into the prepared cake pan and sprinkle chopped cranberries over the top.
• Combine flour, sugar, and butter for the topping in a bowl and mix until crumbly. Sprinkle over cranberries in the cake pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Serve warm.

NANA'S CHRISTMAS POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Cream the cream cheese and the butter together until light and fluffy.
• Gradually add the sugar and cream well.
• Add the vanilla and brandy (or bourbon), mixing well.
• Add the eggs one at a time,beating well after each addition.
• Set aside 1/4 cup flour.
• Sift the remaining 2 cups flour, cornstarch and baking powder together.
• Gradually add the flour mix to the batter, mixing well.
• Dredge the pecans and candied fruit in the 1/4 cup flour, coating all pieces thoroughly.
• (this keeps them from all sinking to the bottom of the cake as it bakes) Fold the pecans, candied fruit and any flour residue into the cake batter.
• Grease a bundt pan very heavily with Crisco, and sprinkle the 3 tablespoons of sugar evenly in the bottom of the cake pan over the Crisco.
• Pour the cake batter into the bundt pan.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.
• Then reduce the oven heat to 300 degrees and bake for another 1 hour and 20 minutes.