Hummingbird Cake
Prep Time:
20 mins.
Cook Time:
30 mins.
Yield:
1 (3-layer) 8-inch cake
Here’s our version of a delightfully sweet and nutty cake that, as one story goes, began in the 1960s as a “Doctor Bird Cake” after a kind of hummingbird found in Jamaica. The first published recipe appeared in Southern Living Magazine in 1978.
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 1/2 + 2 tablespoons sifted Swans Down® Cake Flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 to 4 bananas)
- 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
- 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped + whole toasted pecans for garnish
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 (16-ounce) box confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and grease and line 3 (8-inch) cake pans with parchment paper.
- Make Cake: Whisk flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon together in a medium bowl; set aside. Mix granulated sugar, light brown sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla together in a large bowl until smooth. Add mashed bananas and crushed pineapple (with the juice) and chopped pecans; mix to combine. Add flour mixture and mix until incorporated.
- Divide batter evenly into prepared cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely.
- Make Frosting: Cream the cream cheese and butter together until incorporated. Add confectioners’ sugar and continue creaming until smooth and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and salt and mix until incorporated.
- Assemble Cake: Place the first cake layer top side down on a cake plate or cake round. Spread a dollop of frosting evenly over top. Repeat with second layer. Add third layer and frost entire cake with remaining frosting. Garnish with pecans.