Gluten-Free Italian Cream Cake

Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 325 degrees (F). Generously grease two 8″ or 9″ cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper or wax. Grease again, set aside.

To make the cake:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy and smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar until smooth. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Set aside.

Mix the sorghum blend ingredients in a separate bowl. You won’t use all of it for today’s recipe so just store the extra in an airtight container for another day!

In another bowl, sift together the 1-1/2 cups sorghum blend, and the xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, vanilla and coconut extract.

With the mixer on low speed, beat the sorghum blend mixture into the egg mixture, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, and ending with the sorghum mixture. Add the pecans, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat just until smooth.

In a clean large bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter and then spread the batter evenly in the pans.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the tops of the cake are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10-15 minutes on a wire rack. Remove the cakes from the pan, discard the paper and cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the frosting:
Beat the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar on low speed. Add the vanilla and beat well. Taste and adjust according to desired sweetness, adding more sifted powdered sugar if needed.

Place 1 cake layer, top side down, on a serving plate; spread with one-third of the frosting. Top with the other cake layer, top side up. Spread remaining frosting evenly over the top and sides of the cake. Garnish with coconut and pecans as desired.

*Carol’s Sorghum Blend is my favorite blend

**For the toasted coconut:
While the oven is preheating for the cake, throw the coconut in an even layer on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper or foil. Bake coconut for 5-10 minutes until lightly golden. Check the coconut after a 5 minutes and give it a stir since the edges like to brown quicker than the middle.