* Cream Cheese Icing ( see recipe 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
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 6 large egg whites (at room temperature)
* Lemon rind (optional)
Directions
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
1. Prepare Cream Cheese Icing; cover and chill.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. 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.
4. Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Add egg yolks, 1 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.
5. 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 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.
6. Place 1 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.
Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
* 1 1/2 teaspoons chilled light butter
* 1/2 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, chilled
* 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Estimated Total Time: 10 minutes
Beat butter and cheese at high speed of a mixer until fluffy. Add sugar; beat at low speed until well-blended. Add vanilla; beat well.
