For Cake:
vegetable cooking spray
1/2 cup light butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 egg yolks
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup low fat buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon butter extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 egg whites
lemon rind strips (optional)

Cream Cheese Icing:
1 tablespoon light butter (do not soften)
1 (8 ounce) package Neufchatel cheese (do not soften)
1 (1 pound) package powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Prepare Cream Cheese Icing; cover and chill.

Cream Cheese Icing:
Beat butter and cheese at high speed of an electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, and beat at low speed until blended. Add vanilla; beat well.

For Cake:
Coat bottoms of 3 (9 inch) round cake pans with cooking spray (do not coat sides of pans); line bottoms of cake pans with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray, and dust with flour; set aside.

Beat butter at medium speed of an electric mixer until butter is creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine 2 cups flour and baking soda; stir well. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in pecans and next 3 ingredients.

Beat egg whites at high speed of mixer until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat). Fold egg whites into batter; pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350°F for 23 minutes. Cool in pans 5 minutes on wire racks.

Loosen cake layers from sides of pans using a narrow metal spatula, and turn out onto wire racks. Peel off wax paper, and cool completely.

Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate, and spread with 2/3 cup cream cheese icing; top with second cake layer. Repeat with 2/3 cup icing and third cake layer. Spread remaining icing over cake. Garnish with lemon rind strips, if desired.

Yield: 20 servings (serving size: 1 slice).

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