For the cake

1. Divide the egg yolks and whites while the eggs are cold, then set them aside to come to room temperature. The egg whites need to be at room temperature when whipped later.
2. Prepare three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Be sure to grease the corners and sides of the pan very well, as I find this cake tends to stick a bit. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
3. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
4. Add the butter, shortening, sugar and extracts to a large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
5. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing until mostly combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
6. Add a third of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined. The batter will be thick.
7. Slowly add about half of the buttermilk and mix until well combined. The batter will look a little curdled, but that’s ok.
8. Add another third of the dry ingredients and mix until mostly combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
9. Slowly add the other half of the buttermilk and mix until well combined.
10. Add the remaining third of the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix. Set aside.
11. Add the egg whites to a mixer bowl and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. Do not over whip the egg whites.
12. Add about a third of the egg whites to the cake batter, along with the coconut and toasted pecans, and gently fold into the cake batter until mostly combined, then add the remaining egg whites. Gently fold together until well incorporated.
13. Divide the batter evenly between the cakes pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
14. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 3-4 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.

For the frosting

1. To make the whipped cream cheese frosting, add the cream cheese to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth. Set aside.
2. Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to another large mixing bowl and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
3. Add about 1/3 of the whipped cream to the cream cheese and gently fold together to combine so that you don’t deflate the whipped cream. When mostly combined, add another third of the whipped cream and gently fold together, then add the final third and gently fold together until completely combined.

To assemble

1. To put the cake together, use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes so that they’re flat. These cakes don’t have a large dome, but I like to make sure they’re completely flat.
2. Place the first cake layer on a serving plate or a cardboard cake circle.
3. Spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly on top of the cake.
4. Add the second layer of cake and another cup of frosting.
5. Top the cake with the remaining layer and smooth out any frosting that might be poking out on the sides of the cake. Pop it in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes.
6. Frost the outside of the cake. Refer to my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake, if needed.
7. Press the toasted coconut into the sides of the cake.
8. Use the remaining frosting to pipe shells around the top edge of the cake, the sprinkle with some remaining pecan crumbs from when you chopped up the pecans for the cake.
9. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. I like to let cakes sit out for about an hour or two before serving.
10. Cake is best when stored well covered and eaten within about 3-4 days.