Hummingbird Cake
Thursday, May 9, 2019
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Hummingbird Cake is a dense and moist southern cake flavored with bananas, pineapple, and cinnamon and covered in a rich cream cheese frosting topped with toasted pecans.
The first Hummingbird Cake recipe was published in Southern Living magazine in 1978 after being submitted by a reader from Greensboro, North Carolina. It became the most requested recipe in the magazine’s history
Typically dense and moist and very rich and sweet, Hummingbird Cake is a great dessert for parties and get togethers. It will fill you up in a hurry and should be cut in small slices. It is known to induce tummy aches if eaten in too large a quantity.
Hummingbird Cake almost tastes like banana bread and carrot cake had a baby together. The banana flavor overshadows the pineapple, but the pineapple no doubt helps create a moist cake and the little pieces of pineapple help give Hummingbird Cake its unique texture.
Occasionally, Hummingbird Cakes will have coconut in them, probably because coconut is such a natural fit with banana and pineapple. The mashed banana, crushed pineapple, and Vegetable oil keep the cake very moist and the pecans provide some crunch and texture contrast.
The technique for making the cream cheese frosting is from America’s Test Kitchen and I love it. Instead of starting the frosting by beating together softened butter and softened cream cheese, you beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar together and then add 1-ounce pieces of CHILLED cream cheese. The end result is a thicker, firmer cream cheese frosting that holds its form better when you spread it between the cake layers, making the cake much easier to frost.
Plus it just seems to taste better right from the get go because the cold cream cheese chills the frosting some. I’ve never found room temperature cream cheese frosting to taste very good.
You would think that the cream cheese would have trouble blending in evenly with the rest of the ingredients, but it magically and instantly gets completely absorbed into the frosting. You will have a hard time not sticking your finger in for a taste or two.
Next special occasion, bake up a Hummingbird Cake. Each bite will surely make you and your guests hum with delight 🙂
More Hummingbird Cake Recipes
Hummingbird Cake with Caramel Icing
Hummingbird Poke Cake
Never miss a recipe. Follow Spicy Southern Kitchen on Pinterest and Facebook.
Watch the short video below to see how to make Hummingbird Cake.
A classic southern cake filled with banana, pineapple, and pecans, and topped with a thick cream cheese icing.
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 3/4 cups very ripe banana, mashed
2 cups toasted chopped pecans, divided
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup butter, softened
6 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, cut into 1-ounce pieces and chilled
Reading More At: Hummingbird Cake
The first Hummingbird Cake recipe was published in Southern Living magazine in 1978 after being submitted by a reader from Greensboro, North Carolina. It became the most requested recipe in the magazine’s history
Typically dense and moist and very rich and sweet, Hummingbird Cake is a great dessert for parties and get togethers. It will fill you up in a hurry and should be cut in small slices. It is known to induce tummy aches if eaten in too large a quantity.
Hummingbird Cake almost tastes like banana bread and carrot cake had a baby together. The banana flavor overshadows the pineapple, but the pineapple no doubt helps create a moist cake and the little pieces of pineapple help give Hummingbird Cake its unique texture.
Occasionally, Hummingbird Cakes will have coconut in them, probably because coconut is such a natural fit with banana and pineapple. The mashed banana, crushed pineapple, and Vegetable oil keep the cake very moist and the pecans provide some crunch and texture contrast.
The technique for making the cream cheese frosting is from America’s Test Kitchen and I love it. Instead of starting the frosting by beating together softened butter and softened cream cheese, you beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar together and then add 1-ounce pieces of CHILLED cream cheese. The end result is a thicker, firmer cream cheese frosting that holds its form better when you spread it between the cake layers, making the cake much easier to frost.
Plus it just seems to taste better right from the get go because the cold cream cheese chills the frosting some. I’ve never found room temperature cream cheese frosting to taste very good.
You would think that the cream cheese would have trouble blending in evenly with the rest of the ingredients, but it magically and instantly gets completely absorbed into the frosting. You will have a hard time not sticking your finger in for a taste or two.
Next special occasion, bake up a Hummingbird Cake. Each bite will surely make you and your guests hum with delight 🙂
More Hummingbird Cake Recipes
Hummingbird Cake with Caramel Icing
Hummingbird Poke Cake
Never miss a recipe. Follow Spicy Southern Kitchen on Pinterest and Facebook.
Watch the short video below to see how to make Hummingbird Cake.
A classic southern cake filled with banana, pineapple, and pecans, and topped with a thick cream cheese icing.
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 3/4 cups very ripe banana, mashed
2 cups toasted chopped pecans, divided
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup butter, softened
6 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, cut into 1-ounce pieces and chilled
Reading More At: Hummingbird Cake