Italian wedding cake

Ingredients:

• 1 package (500 g) of dry white sponge cake mix
• 110 g softened butter
• 1 and 1/4 cups of sour milk or kefir
• 3 egg whites
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 1 can (220 g) canned pineapple chunks, drained
• 0.5 cup sweet coconut flakes
• 2 cups chopped pecans, divided in half
• 2 x 450g jars of store-bought cream cheese frosting

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C.
2. Lightly spray two 8-inch cake pans with cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, butter, buttermilk, egg whites, and extracts. Mix with a mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the pineapple, coconut, and 1 cup of pecans.
3. Divide the batter into 2 prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 31–36 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack and let them cool completely.
4. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup nuts with the frosting. Using a serrated knife, cut both cake layers in half horizontally to make 4 layers. Assemble the cake, spreading 1/2 cup frosting over the top of each layer. Cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Slice and serve.