Italian Cream Cake

Cream Cheese Icing
Vegetable cooking spray
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light butter
2 egg yolks
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 t. butter extract
1 t. coconut extract
1 t. vanilla extract
6 egg whites (at room temperature)
Sugared kumquats(otional
Orange rind strips(optional
Kumquat leaves(optional

PREPARE cream cheese Icing: cover and chill.
COAT bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with cookig spray(do not coat sides of pans);line bottoms of pans with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray and dust with flour;set aside.
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 2 cups flour and baking soda;stir well. Add flour mixture to creamedmixture 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 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 and turn out onto wire racks. Peel off wax paper, and let cool completely.

PLACE 1 cake layer on a plate, and spread with 2/3 cup Cream Cheese Icing; top with another cake layer. Repeat with 2/3 cup icing and remaining layer,m ending with cake. Spread remaining icing over cake. Garnish with Kumquats, orange rind and leaves.

Yield: 20 servings

Cream Cheese Icing:

1 T. light butter
1 (8-ounce)package Neufchatel cheese
1 (1lb.) package powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla extract

Cream butter and cheese at high speed of a mixer until fluffy. Add sugar;beat at low sped until well blended. Add vanilla.