Melillo's Italian cream cake

· ½ cup Crisco shortening
· ½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
· 8 eggs, separated
· 3 cups sugar
· 3 cups all-purpose flour
· 2 teaspoons baking soda
· 2 cups buttermilk
· 2 cups coconut
· 2 cups chopped pecans

Cut parchment paper to fit the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans. Butter the pans well, place the parchment rounds in the bottom, and butter the parchment. Set aside.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together shortening and butter. Separate eggs, reserving whites. Mix yolks into butter mixture. Add sugar and blend well. Add baking soda to flour, and add to yolk mixture alternately with buttermilk. Mix well. Stir coconut and pecans into the batter.

Beat egg whites until stiff, and fold gently into cake mixture. Pour batter equally into the prepared pans, and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and the edges of the cake are lightly browned and pull slightly away from the sides of the pan. Cool before frosting.

Cream cheese frosting

· 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
· 1 stick butter, room temperature
· 2 pounds confectioners' sugar
· Chopped pecans

Beat ingredients together. If frosting seems too thick to spread easily, add milk a tablespoon at a time to get the proper consistency. Ice cake, and top with chopped pecans.

Courier Journal 7 Jan 2009 Melillo's Restaurant of 829 E Market Street recently closed.
Fixed for Sunday's lunch 11 Jan.