Italian Cream Cake

This was huge and marvelous Italian Cream Cake that J's mother made for my and J's birthdays. The three-layered moist sponge cake with sweet coconut/pecan cream cheese frosting everywhere.

Based on what people are saying online, Italian cream cake apparently is more of a American Southern creation than Italian. But that makes sense to me because J's mother is from South. Although I am curious about a story behind the origin of the cake, any literature study is not necessary to enjoy a slice(s) of this wonderful cake. 

The cake brightened up our birthdays indeed. Thank you, J's mother!