Italian Cream Cake

1 stick butter, room temp
1/2 cup crisco
2 cups sugar
4 lg. eggs, room temp
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 t. soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, room temp
` t. vanilla flavoring
1 pkg. frozen coconut, thawed
1 cup finely chopped pecans
     Preheat oven to 350.   Cream buter and crisco thoroughly, add sugar and mix well.   Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each.   Sift flour, salt and soda.   Add flour mixture to butter and sugar alternately with buttermilk beginning and ending with flour.
     Fold in coconut, pecans and flavoring.   Bake in three 9- inch cake pans 25 -30 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 - 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 box powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla flavoring
1 cup finely chopped pecans
     Cream together cream cheese and butter.   Sift powdered sugar and add gradually to cream cheese and butter.  Add vanilla and nuts.   Frost between layers and sides.

Susan Alford & Cherie Gamblin, Sister
Recipe from their Mom, Connie Sampsell
Neshoba Magazine - Supplement to Neshoba Democrat 12/15/10