BLACK WALNUT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING RECIPE

Steps:

• To make the cake Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Grease three 9-inch round cake pans and dust them well with flour. Or line the bottoms of each pan with waxed paper, then grease the waxed paper and dust with flour. Set pans aside. Beat the butter and shortening until creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating well. Add the egg yolks one at a time to the mixture, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk and baking soda and stir until the soda is dissolved. With your mixer on low, add some flour to the butter mixture, add buttermilk mixture, then add the rest of the flour. Stir in the vanilla, walnuts, and coconut. In another bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until foamy, then add the cream of tartar and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the stiff egg whites into the cake batter and pour into the prepared pans. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool 5 minutes in the pans. Remove from the pans, brush rum on the tops of the layers, and finish cooling on wire racks. When completely cool, stack the cakes and spread with the cream cheese frosting in between the layers and on top. Garnish with walnut halves. To make the frosting Using a mixer, completely whip the softened butter and cream cheese. Reduce the mixer speed and slowly incorporate the powdered sugar, the