Hummingbird Cake

If you’re looking for something a little different this spring, this Hummingbird Cake is the perfect option. Hummingbird Cake is packed full of crushed pineapple, banana, and pecans, and it’s kind of like a twist on a spice cake. This one is topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting that I’m mildly addicted to.

This is the perfect alternative to the classic carrot cake, and this two-layer version is super easy to pull together. Let’s get to it!

How to Make Hummingbird Cake

Let’s start with the cake- this is a simple mixing method, and you can stir the cake batter together entirely by hand. Start by mashing up some browning bananas and then stirring in the remaining wet ingredients. The mixture will look a bit lumpy at this point.

This cake uses mashed bananas, crushed pineapple, eggs, vanilla extract, oil, and both brown and white sugar. Then it’s time to add in the dry ingredients, including lots of chopped pecans. By adding in the pecans with the flour mixture, you avoid the pecans sinking to the bottom of the cake while it bakes.

The batter will be fairly thick, so you’ll want to switch to a spatula when you add in the dry ingredients. Mix everything until there are no dry pockets of flour remaining, and then it’s off to the oven to bake two 8-inch cake layers.

Once the cakes have baked, wrap the layers in plastic wrap while still hot, and allow the cakes to cool completely before making the frosting.

This is a super simple cream cheese frosting, and it includes a little bit of cornstarch which helps provide more structure to the frosting without ruining the flavor we all know and love. I love using vanilla bean paste in the frosting so you can see all the flecks running throughout!

Then it’s time to frost and stack the cake. I like to trim off the tops of each cake layer to make them flat before frosting. Optionally, you can add more chopped pecans to the outside of the cake, though I’ve gone for just simple frosting here. Enjoy!

Tips & Tricks for the Perfect Hummingbird Cake

Here are all my tips and tricks to help along the way for the perfect Hummingbird Cake Recipe.

• Mix the cake batter by hand. This cake is a little bit dense, and it’s best to mix the batter by hand to avoid any over-mixing.
• Why not use the entire can of crushed pineapple? I found that using a little less pineapple created a lighter texture that works perfectly for this cake. You want to use some of the juice as well, simple spoon out the pineapple and juice together as you measure.
• What if my bananas are not soft yet? If you’re bananas are not over-ripe yet, you can bake them on a sheet pan at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. They will become black on the outside- let them cool before peeling and mashing as usual.
• Can I use other spices? You can use any mixture of spices that you prefer here, though it’s classic to include some cinnamon in this recipe!
• How do I trim my cake layers? You can trim your cake layers by using a very sharp serrated knife and slowly slicing the domed top of each layer off. Go slowly, turning the cake as you go to help create a level, even surface to stack the cakes.
• Why does the frosting include cornstarch? This is a bit of an odd ingredient, but it helps give the frosting more stability without losing any of the classic flavors of cream cheese frosting.
• I’m at about 5,000 ft above sea level, and I find that most people who live between about 3,000-7,000 ft. above sea level do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes.

Enjoy!

Print

Hummingbird Cake

Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 4 medium bananas about 1 1/2 cups once mashed
• 1 cup canned crushed pineapple in juice undrained, from 1 [8-oz.] can
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. allspice
• 1 1/2 cup chopped pecans toasted

For the frosting:

• 16 oz softened cream cheese 2 blocks
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tbs. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract or paste
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease two 8-inch cake rounds. Optionally line each pan with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Stir in the crushed pineapple, oil, vanilla extract, eggs, brown sugar, and sugar until everything is well combined. In a separate medium bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, ginger, allspice, and chopped pecans. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until everything is well combined. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-32 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it. Let the cakes cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

1. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar and cornstarch until you have a thick mixture. Stir in the vanilla extract and salt. Optionally, trim the cake layers to create flat layers, and frost the cake as desired.

Dough-Eyed

Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!