Hummingbird Cake

This classic Southern Hummingbird Cake is made with crushed pineapple and bananas with a classic cream cheese frosting that’s topped with pecans and toasted coconut to create the ultimate cake. An incredible cake that’s perfect for any time of the year.

The Best Hummingbird Cake

This cake really is the best of both worlds, because it tastes like a marriage made in heaven between carrot cake and banana bread. That’s why this recipe is one of my favorites and taps in to my love of baking. Serve this with a piping hot cup of tea or coffee and you’ll have everyone singing, not just the birds.

This cake is right up my alley because I love baking whether it’s cakes, breads, muffins, you name it, but I don’t like making fancy cakes. This is why this Southern cake is so perfect! So if you’ve got a sweet tooth like me, you’re going to love this cake! It’s incredibly moist, sweet, loaded with pineapple and bananas and my favorite part is the epic cream cheese frosting that’s topped with toasted coconut and pecans.

Cake

• Flour – You’ll need some plain all-purpose flour for the cake batter.
• Sugar – While I used white granulated sugar for the cake batter, you can use half white sugar and half brown sugar if you wish.
• Salt – Of course, I use salt in almost all baking to bring all the flavors together. If you don’t salt your baked good, they will taste quite bland, trust me.
• Baking Soda And Baking Powder – I used both baking soda and baking powder, so that cake will rise nicely.
• Cinnamon – A little ground cinnamon to make this cake extra delicious.
• Eggs – I used a couple of large lightly beaten eggs. The eggs will bind the cake and also help the cake rise.
• Oil – Any vegetable oil like canola oil will work in this cake, to make this a really moist cake.
• Vanilla – The role of vanilla extract in sweet baked goods is like the role of salt on the savory side. I like to use it to enhance all the other flavors in the recipe.
• Pineapple – I used drained crushed pineapple to create moisture and sweetness. I try to drain it as much as possible but don’t worry if there’s still a little juice left.
• Bananas – You’ll need a couple of mashed overripe bananas. This also gives this Hummingbird cake moistness and flavor.
• Nuts – I finely chopped and toasted some pecans for some nuttiness and crunch similar to a carrot cake.

Frosting

• Cream Cheese – What’s a cream cheese icing without the cream cheese. I always use Philadelphia cream cheese whenever making cream cheese frosting or any cheesecakes.
• Butter – You’ll want to use softened butter to mix with the cream cheese. You can use salted or unsalted butter. If you only have unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt to the frosting.
• Vanilla – A must in this frosting.
• Sugar – Lots of powdered sugar also known as confectioners sugar or icing sugar.

Toppings

• Coconut – You’ll want to toast some sweetened coconut to apply to the sides of the cake.
• Pecans – A little bit of extra chopped pecans to top the cake.

Cake

1. Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Prepare the cake pans: You will need 2 cake pans, each 8 inches in diameter. Cut out 2 parchment paper circles that will fit inside the cake pans. Spray the bottom of the cake pans with cooking spray, this is so the parchment paper sticks to the pans. Place the parchment papers inside and spray more cooking spray over the parchment paper.
3. Combine dry ingredients: In the bowl of your stand mixer combine all the dry ingredients together; flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Alternately, you could use a hand mixer and add the ingredients to a large bowl.
4. Finish the cake batter: To the mixer bowl add the beaten eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, vanilla extract, crushed pineapple and mashed bananas. Mix well until combined. Stir in pecans.
5. Pour batter in pans: Evenly divide the batter between the two prepared pans and transfer to the oven.
6. Bake: Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cake is cooked. Insert a toothpick in the middle of the cake, if it comes out clean, the cake is done.
7. Cool the cakes: Place the cake pans on a wire rack and cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then remove them from the pans and allow the cakes to cool completely on the cooling rack.

Frosting

1. Make the frosting: In the bowl of your mixer, add the cream cheese, butter and beat using the paddle or whisk attachment until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar and beat on low until all combined. Increase the speed and continue beating until the frosting is smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Assemble The Cake

1. Assemble the cake: Once the layers have cooled off completely, cut off the dome part of the cake so that each layer is flat on top. To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a serving platter and spread a layer of frosting evenly. Repeat with remaining cake layer and frost the cake all around.
2. Finish the cake: Using your hands, apply toasted coconut to the sides of the cake all around. Sprinkle the top with chopped pecans.
3. Chill and serve: Chill the cake until ready to serve.

What Is A Hummingbird Cake?

Originally, this cake was called “Doctor Bird Cake” and it originates in Jamaica. It’s a banana and pineapple spice cake that because popular in the southern United Stages in the 1970s.

What Is The Difference Between Carrot Cake And Hummingbird Cake?

Hummingbird Cake is lighter than carrot cake, almost crumbly but still moist and with the flavor of banana. It has a cream cheese frosting then topped with pecans which is the perfect complement to the banana and pineapple flavors in the cake.

How Do I Know When My Cake Is Done Baking?

Use a toothpick and insert it all of the way through the carrot cake. Once it comes out clean, your cake is all done. Let the cake cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, then turn them onto a cooling rack or a cutting board and cool completely.

How To Store Hummingbird Cake

I prefer to keep this cake store in the refrigerator because of the cream cheese. Keep the cake in a closed cake container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Freezer

You can freeze this cake either whole or in slices for up to 4 months.

To freeze whole: Cover and place in the freezer until semi hard and then remove and place plastic wrap around it, and place in an airtight container for up to 4 months.

To freeze individual slices: One of the best things about this hummingbird cake recipe is that you can wrap individual cake slices in plastic wrap and place them in freezer bags. This allows you to thaw slices one at a time, as needed.