Italian cream cake is now lectin free, gluten free, sugar free and paleo thanks to a few easy ingredient swaps, but it's just as buttery, nutty and rich as the original.
Italian cream cake is a very special dessert filled with nuts, coconut and frosted with rich cream cheese icing. It's buttery, sweet, decadent and 100% fit for the most special occasions like birthdays, showers, weddings and holidays.
Kim, a member of our Lectin Free Gourmet community, requested this cake for her birthday. She wanted a lectin free version of her favorite cake of all time. I created this very special lectin friendly version of the classic Italian cream cake just for Kim.
Many swaps and adjustments are required for lectin-free baking. We start with a blend of flours to best mimic the amazing wheat flour. We use grassfed butter and cream cheese, and no refined sugar. Just a tablespoon of raw local honey and the rest of the "sweet" flavor comes from pure stevia extract powder and Lakanto's Classic Monk Fruit sweetener. So let's get to the recipe.
The Recipe
LFG Italian Cream Cake
1/4 C French Butter
1/4 C Nutiva Superfood Shortening
1/3 Lakanto's Classic Monk Fruit Sweetener
2 t Pure Stevia Extract Powder
1 T Raw Local Honey
3 Large Omega-3 Egg Yolks
1 C LFG Flour Blend*
1 t Baking Soda
1/2 t Salt
1/2 C Unsweetened Coconut Milk
1/2 T Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 C Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
1/4 C Pecan Pieces
3 Large Egg Whites
1/4 t Cream of Tartar
*2:1:1 cassava, coconut, blanched almond flours
LFG Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 C French Butter
1/2 C Organic Cream Cheese
1/2 C Confectioner's Swerve
1 t Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 C Unsweetened Coconut Milk
Nut Topping
1/4 C Toasted Coconut Shreds
1/4 C Pecan Pieces
Instructions:
Step 1: Cream the Fats and Sweeteners
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a standup mixer, whip together the butter and shortening until very creamy. Add monk fruit, stevia and honey and whip until creamy.
Step 2: Blend in the Yolks
Add 3 egg yolks to the mixture and whip until creamy
Step 3: Mix in the Dry Ingredients
Add flours, salt and baking soda. Mix only until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
Step 4: Add the Milk and Vanilla
While the mixer is on, pour in milk and vanilla. Mix until well incorporated, about 30 seconds.
Step 5: Stir in the Nuts
Remove mixing bowl from mixer for the rest of the steps. Stir in coconut and pecans and until evenly distributed.
Step 6: Fold in the Meringue
In a medium bowl, add 3 egg whites and cream of tartar. Whip to stiff peaks. Sacrifice about 1/3 cup of whipped egg whites to lighten the cake batter. Just stir it in with a spatula. Then carefully fold in the rest of the whites until no pockets remain. To fold, cut through the middle of the batter down to the bottom, then lift the back half of the batter over the front half. Repeat until the batter is light and airy and you don't see any egg whites. Do not stir or over fold. This is what makes the cake fluffy.
Step 7: Bake the Cake
Pour into a well-greased bundt pan and bake for 25 minutes. Turn out onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting.
Step 8: Frost the Cake
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, cream cheese, swerve and vanilla with a hand mixer on high. Slowly add enough coconut milk to get the spreadable consistency you like for your icing. Naked frost the sides of the bundt cake. Heavily frost the top. Decorate the top with coconut and pecans and more dollops of icing.
Happy Everything!