Cream Cheese Icing (see below)
Cooking spray
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light butter
2 large 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
I teaspoon vanilla extract
6 large egg whites (at room temperature)
Lemon rind (optional) | Prepare Cream Cheese Icing (see
below); cover
and chill.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Coat bottoms of 3, (9-inch) round cake pans with
cooking spray
(do not coat sides of pans),
and line bottoms of pans with wax paper.
Coat wax paper with cooking spray.
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, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine 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 on a mixer until
stiff
peaks form (do not overbeat).
Fold egg whites into batter; pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake at 350 degrees 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; turn out onto wire racks.
Peel off wax paper; let cool completely.
Place one cake layer on a plate.
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 layer.
Spread remaining icing over sides and top
of cake.
Garnish with lemon rind, if desired.
Yield: 20 servings |
