Italian Wedding Cakes Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cream butter in a bowl. Gradually add confectioners sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Add almonds and vanilla. Blend in flour gradually and mix well. Shape into crescents using about 1 teaspoon for each cookie. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Do not brown. Cool slightly, then roll in the extra confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• Combine flour and shortening as if for pie crust. Add baking powder and combine.
• In a separate bowl, beat eggs and then add sugar and vanilla.
• Add flour mixture to egg mixture.
• To shape cookies, you can simply roll them into 1-inch balls or you can roll them into logs and fold them into pretzel shapes. They will puff up some but will mostly retain whatever shape you form them into.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes. They will not brown much.
• Cool and frost with your favorite glaze and add sprinkles. For convenience, you can melt store-bought frosting.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Lightly coat 2 (8-inch) cake pans with cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, butter, buttermilk, egg whites, and extracts. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in crushed pineapple, coconut, and 1 cup pecans. Divide batter into 2 prepared cake pans. Bake in preheated oven for 31 to 36 minutes or until tester inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes then turn out on to wire racks to cool completely.
• In a small bowl, stir together remaining 1 cup pecans and frosting. With a serrated knife, cut both cakes horizontally to make 4 layers. Frost the top of each layer with 1/2 cup of frosting and stack on top of the next layer. Use remaining frosting to frost the entire outside of cake. Slice and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C).
• Cream butter or margarine in a bowl, gradually add confectioners' sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy.
• Add almonds and vanilla.
• Blend in flour gradually and mix well.
• Shape into balls (or crescents) using about 1 teaspoon for each cookie.
• Place on ungreased cookie sheets, and bake for 15-20 minutes. Do not brown.
• Cool slightly, then roll in the extra confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 8 inch pans. Combine the buttermilk, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and almond extract. Beat in the buttermilk mixture alternately with the flour, mixing just until incorporated. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Stir in pineapple, coconut and 1 cup pecans.
• Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cake layers to cool 10 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
• To make the frosting: Cream together the butter, cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until blended. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1 cup pecans. If frosting is too stiff to spread, stir in milk a teaspoon at a time until it reaches desired consistency.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs and 1 cup milk. Add baking powder, 3 1/2 cups flour, and salt. Then add warmed, melted shortening and almond flavoring.
• Flour a cookie sheet (no grease) and drop cookie batter from a teaspoon onto sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Cookies will be cake-like. Be sure to bake them on center rack.
• To Make Frosting: Mix together confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon almond flavoring, water and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Stir and frost cooled cookies.