Creamy Celebration Cake Recipe

How to make it

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• Prepare Cream Cheese Icing, 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 and set to one side.
• Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl and beat at medium speed 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 of 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 for 5 minutes on a wire rack.
• Loosen cake layers from sides of pans using a thin metal spatula and turn out onto wire racks.
• Peel off wax paper and allow to cool completely.
• Place 1 cake layer on a plate.
• Spread with 2/3 cup cream cheese icing and 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.
• Serves 8 - 10
• Cream Cheese Icing:
• Ingredients:
• 1-1/2 teaspoons chilled butter
• 1/2 (8-ounce) block less-fat cream cheese, chilled
• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Directions:
• Beat butter and cheese at high speed of a mixer until fluffy.
• Add sugar and beat at low speed until well-blended.
• Add vanilla and beat well.