Sure! Here’s a big, beautiful recipe for Italian Cream Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze, filled with rich details, history, methods, and more — just how you like it.
🇮🇹 Italian Cream Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze
🍰 Introduction:
Italian Cream Pound Cake is a rich, decadent Southern favorite with Italian flair. Despite the name, it’s not traditionally Italian but a beloved American creation influenced by Italian ingredients like coconut and pecans. This cake features a moist, buttery pound cake base, subtly tangy from buttermilk, and finished with a silky cream cheese glaze that drips down its golden edges. Perfect for celebrations, romantic dinners, or simply spoiling someone you love.
🛒 Ingredients:
For the Cake:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut (optional but traditional)
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
For the Cream Cheese Glaze:
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons milk (as needed for consistency)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
🧑🍳 Instructions:
🥣 Step 1: Prepare Your Tools
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C).
- Grease and flour a Bundt pan or large pound cake pan generously.
- Toast your nuts in a dry pan for 3–4 minutes until fragrant (if using).
🥄 Step 2: Dry and Wet Ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, mix buttermilk and vanilla extract.
🧈 Step 3: Cream the Butter
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 4–5 minutes).
- Beat in eggs one at a time, making sure each is incorporated before adding the next.
🌀 Step 4: Combine and Fold
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to the creamed butter, starting and ending with flour.
- Gently fold in coconut and chopped nuts, if using.
🍰 Step 5: Bake the Cake
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 75–85 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in pan for 10–15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
🧁 Cream Cheese Glaze Method:
- Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar gradually.
- Mix in vanilla extract and enough milk to reach a smooth, pourable consistency.
- Drizzle over the completely cooled cake.
🕰️ History & Formation:
Though the name may suggest Italian origins, Italian Cream Cake likely originated in the Southern United States during the 20th century. The term “Italian” may reference the use of coconut, a common ingredient in Italian sweets, or the luxurious nature of the dessert. Over time, it evolved into various forms — layer cakes, cupcakes, and this pound cake version that combines dense crumb with the same rich flavor.
The pound cake version simplifies preparation and heightens the buttery texture, offering a longer shelf life and easier slicing. It’s a cross between old-world baking and modern convenience, built for sharing.
💘 Lovers of This Cake:
This cake is for:
- The romantic baker who pours love into every step.
- The Sunday dinner host who wants a showstopper centerpiece.
- The nostalgic soul craving a taste of grandma’s kitchen.
- And of course, the sweet-tooth lover who simply adores a rich, moist slice of indulgence.
📝 Conclusion:
The Italian Cream Pound Cake is a dessert that brings together old-fashioned charm and Southern comfort, layered in every bite with sweetness, texture, and soul. Finished with a luscious cream cheese glaze, it’s the kind of cake that brings people together — at birthdays, holidays, and quiet nights with coffee or wine.
Bake this with love, serve it with pride, and watch it disappear. ❤️
Would you like a printable version, cupcake variation, or a chocolate twist?