Italian Cream Cake Sourdough

This rich and flavorful Italian Cream Cake sourdough loaf combines the tang of sourdough with toasted pecans, coconut, and pockets of cream cheese. Made with a touch of yeast for a same-day bake, it’s a unique twist on a Southern classic!

Let’s Turn Cake into Bread! 

If you’ve been following me for a while you’re probably curious about my recent recipes. I’ve always been an out of the box sort of baker (meaning, I start with a box of doctored cake mix and doctor is up with my homemade frostings and decor). Lately, though, I’ve been on a roll, making homemade goodies. High on my list. . .sourdough. 

I started with the basics: a traditional sourdough. Then I did a same-day (slightly yeasted) sourdough. I also did a French Country bread, which is a somewhat traditional loaf. 

But, I Had This Idea. . .

And it wouldn’t leave me alone. I wanted to take the flavors of the cakes I’ve been baking all of these years and do the sourdough. 

So, off I went. 

• I started with Lemon-Berry, (much like my Luscious Lemon Berry Muffins). 
• I did a yummy cinnamon apple (much like my Homemade Applesauce cake).  
• I tackled a delicious version: Black Forest, similar to my Black Forest Bundt cake. 
• I did a yummy Lemon Poppyseed, as well. 
• Oh, and a Cranberry Pecan, much like my Cranberry Pecan Breakfast cake. 
• Then, just for kicks, I did a Carrot Cake sourdough. (I know. . .delicious!) 

Today, though? I finally found myself baking up the one loaf I’d been scheming from day one: Italian Cream cake. 

Now, I have to confess. . .I have a special relationship with Italian cream cake. My kids know all about it. It’s not only my favorite cake, it’s the one I hope folks will serve up at my funeral. (Kids, if you’re reading this, that’s an order! Ha!) 

I have a lot to say about how this loaf turned out, but before I share all of that, let’s take a look at what you’ll need to make this load. 

Italian Cream Cake Sourdough Ingredients

You will find a fun printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick look at what you’ll need. These are simple ingredients you might already have on hand. Just be sure you start with active starter. I usually feed mine the night before. 

• 350 grams tepid water (1 ½ cups)
• 100 grams active starter (½ cup)
• 1 teaspoon rapid rise yeast
• 500 grams bread flour (4 cups scooped and leveled, lightly packed)
• 10 grams salt (1 ¾ teaspoons)
• ⅔ cup sweetened coconut
• ⅔ cup chopped pecans
• 4 ounces room temperature cream cheese (½ cup)
• 50 grams honey, (divided) (3 tablespoons)

Disclaimer: This recipe was originally developed using weight measurements for accuracy. Flour can vary greatly depending on how it’s scooped (packed vs. loose), and sourdough starter densities can differ. For best results, use a digital kitchen scale. Cup conversions are provided for convenience but may affect texture and hydration.

How to Make Italian Cream Cake Sourdough

Start by toasting your pecans and coconut. I do mine in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until they begin to put off a toasty scent. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely. 

Now let’s make the dough. Make sure you start with an active starter. 

Place water in a bowl and add starter. Stir well with bread whisk. 

Add rapid rise yeast (1 teaspoon) and 25 grams of honey. Mix until fully incorporated. 

Set aside for five minutes. 

Add flour and salt. Work it in (initially) with the bread whisk. When that gets too difficult you can use your hands or a bowl scraper. I tend to use the bowl scraper because the dough is pretty sticky and messy at this point. I scrape the edges of the bowl and pull the dough to the center, then pivot the bowl and keep going until all of the flour is worked in. 

Cover and set aside at room temperature (72 - 75 degrees) for half an hour. 

After the 30 minutes is up it’s time for your stretch and folds. 

To do a stretch and fold make sure you hand is wet. Reach down and grab the dough. Stretch it up as far as you can and plop it into the center of the bowl. Pivot the bowl and keep stretching and folding until you’ve done all of the dough. 

Cover and rest for twenty minutes. 

Now it’s time for the second stretch and fold. You can add half of your coconut and pecans at this point. Just dump them in before you start stretching and folding. Be sure to work them fully into the dough. 

Cover and rest for 20 minutes. 

Do your third/final round of stretch and folds. 

Rest the dough for 30 minutes. 

While it’s resting, combine the remaining 25 grams of honey with the cream cheese. Mix together with a stand mixer or food processor until light and fluffy. 

Flour your workspace. 

Flour a banneton and set aside. 

Stretch the dough into a large, thin rectangle like you see in the picture. 

Use a spoon or an offset spatula to apply about 90% of the cream cheese/honey mixture. 

Now sprinkle about 90% of the toasted coconut and pecans on top. 

Do a loose roll-up of the dough, bottom to top. 

Cover the top with the rest of the cream cheese mixture, then sprinkle the rest of the coconut and pecans on top. 

Now roll in the other direction as you see in the picture. 

Gently push and pull the dough while cupping it to form a boule (ball). 

Flip the dough into the prepared banneton. 

Use your fingertips to pinch the dough together. 

Cover and set on counter for an hour to ferment. 

While it’s fermenting, set the oven on 425 degrees and place dutch oven inside to heat up. 

Once the hour is up, crinkle a piece of parchment paper and set it over the boule.

Flip the boule out onto the paper.

Use a razor or sharp knife to score the bread. 

(Note: same day bread that hasn’t been chilled isn’t as easy to score because it’s not firm. If you prefer, you can use scissors to snip your scoring.) 

Use a hot pad to gently lift the lid from your dutch oven. 

Set the boule (and parchment paper) down inside. 

Add four ice cubes under the edges of the parchment paper to create steam. 

Put the lid back on and bake for 20 minutes. 

After 20 minutes, remove the lid and check the loaf. It should have risen quite a bit.

Continue to bake for another 20 minutes. 

Check the temperature of the bread if you have a thermometer. It should register between 200 and 210 degrees. 

Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. 

The loaf has to cool completely before slicing. This can take up to two hours.

Slice in half to check the crumb. (Look at that! So soft and luscious!)

Now cut into pieces to serve. 

How to Store Sourdough with Cream Cheese, Pecans, and Coconut:

• Cool the loaf completely after baking (2–3 hours).
• Once cool, wrap it in foil or plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate within 6–8 hours of baking to prevent spoilage.
• Store in the refrigerator up to 4–5 days.
• Bring to room temp or lightly toast before serving for best texture and flavor.

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⚠️ Why?

Even though it’s baked, pockets of cream cheese in the bread can retain enough moisture to turn sour if left out too long. Cream cheese is high in moisture and protein — ideal for bacterial growth at room temp.

What to Expect from this Bread

Friends, I’ve been waiting for weeks to bake this recipe. I came up with the idea awhile back but ran out of cream cheese. (I know, right? Who runs out of cream cheese?) I knew that I would have to have the right balance of sweetness and crunch. Let's start with the flavor: It's just perfect! You don't want sourdough to be sweet like cake. This is a lightly sweetened bread. Next, let's talk about the texture. I chose my same-day (yeasted) sourdough recipe for this particular bread because I thought it would be a better pairing than a traditional chewy sourdough. I was so right! This has a softer/tighter crumb and (deliberately) lacks the tang that you get with an overnight refrigerated ferment. That said, it's perfect.

But the best part? Oh, friends. . .it's that toasted coconut! It's crisp. It's sweet. It's like a little surprise in every bite. And paired with the crunch of the pecans, it's sheer perfection!

I highly recommend this recipe. If you want it slightly chewier, use my non-yeasted same day sourdough recipe as a base. If you want more tang (which would be nice with the cream cheese), use my two-day sourdough recipe, which my friend Dianie was kind enough to share with me.

No matter which recipe you choose, you're going to be very happy with this one.

Variations to this Recipe: 

If you love a good Italian Cream Cake you’re probably wishing you had some cream cheese frosting to go with this. No problem! If you started with an 8-ounce block of cream cheese, just use the remaining four ounces to make a loose frosting. Add about a cup of powdered sugar and a bit of cream to get the consistency you like. 

Chocolate Italian Cream Cake: Add a quarter cup of dutch cocoa powder when you add the flour. (Delicious!) 

Orange zest: I know, I know. . .sounds crazy. But orange, coconut, and pecans go together brilliantly! 

Sugar in place of honey: You can use a half cup of sugar in place of the 50 grams of honey, if you prefer. Add half in the mixing and half in the cream cheese mixture. 

Other Italian Cream Cake Recipes to Enjoy

• Italian Cream Cake Cookies
• Doctored Cake Mix: Italian Cream Cake
• “From Scratch” Italian Cream cake from My Cake School (looks delicious!)

Other Cake Flavors I’m Thinking of Turning into Sourdough: 

• German Chocolate Cake: Can you even imagine???
• Christmas Spice Cake: Oh, yum!
• Butter Pecan: This is a personal favorite!
• Pineapple Upside-Down Cake: I can’t even imagine how I will put this off, but I want to try!
• Hummingbird Cake: This is a loaded cake so it’s going to be a challenge in bread form, but I’m determined!
• White Wedding Cake: My typical wedding cake has almond flavoring, buttercream with cream cheese, and lots of strawberry preserves between the layers.
• Red Velvet: Red Velvet cake is basically a cocoa cake with red food coloring. I think I can pull that off in cake form. But it contains a special ingredient: vinegar. That one might be tricky!
• Funfetti: I think it’s possible to make a sweet loaf with sprinkles!
• Oreo: Yum. I’m already imagining how delicious this will be!

That’s it for this post, friends! I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe. 

If you make this recipe and love it, don’t forget to leave a review and a comment below. And while you're at it, go ahead and pin some photos to your Pinterest boards!

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 165 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.