In case you love carrot cake and banana bread, hummingbird cake may simply grow to be your new favourite dessert. This basic Southern layer cake is unbelievably moist, full of ripe bananas, crushed pineapple, heat spices, and toasted pecans, and completed with tangy cream cheese frosting.
I initially revealed this recipe in 2017, and I’ve since up to date it with new pictures and further success suggestions for constantly glorious outcomes.
A buddy from Savannah served hummingbird cake at her bridal bathe, and after 1 chunk, I knew this cake was one thing particular. Overlook mingling, as a result of I wanted a second alone with my cake! 😉
In case you’ve by no means had the pleasure of tasting it earlier than, hummingbird cake is an ultra-moist, spiced cake made with banana and pineapple, layered with tangy cream cheese frosting and pecans. After I first started making this cake from scratch, I used to be interested by its title and origins. I discovered that it grew to become wildly widespread after showing in Southern Residing journal in 1978, the place it shortly grew to become one of many journal’s most requested recipes. I additionally discovered that its roots hint again to Jamaica, the place an identical “Physician Chook Cake” impressed it!
Consider hummingbird cake as a cross between:
…and sure, it’s as scrumptious as that sounds!
It’s an unforgettable layer cake that’s surprisingly simple to make—no mixer required for the cake batter! Whether or not you’re baking it for Easter dessert, a spring gathering, or just because you’ve got overripe bananas on the counter, hummingbird cake all the time will get rave evaluations.
One reader, Marcy, commented: “Made this for the primary time yesterday and shared with my colleagues at present (I had by no means had hummingbird cake earlier than). Scrumptious!!!! And my colleagues LOVED it. Recipe was simple to comply with and never sophisticated. ★★★★★“
Why You’ll Love Hummingbird Cake
This recipe is a longtime favourite as a result of it checks each field for a very fabulous home made layer cake:
- Extremely moist crumb: Crushed pineapple and mashed bananas add pure sweetness and tons of moisture.
- No mixer wanted for the cake batter: Simply whisk, stir, and pour into pans.
- Heat cozy spices: Cinnamon and allspice give the cake a refined spice cake taste.
- Cream cheese frosting: The tangy frosting balances the sweetness of the fruit-filled cake layers.
- Good for making forward: Like carrot cake, the flavour really improves after a day!
Key Elements in Hummingbird Cake
- Pecans: Chopped pecans add texture. You’ll use some within the batter and the remaining as garnish. Toast them first—it solely takes 8 minutes and it makes a world of distinction, belief me!
- Baking Soda + Baking Powder: We’re utilizing each leaveners right here, for double-duty to elevate up this naturally heavy cake.
- Cinnamon + Allspice: These heat spices pair superbly with the banana and pineapple.
- Vegetable Oil: Oil helps create a tender, plush crumb that stays moist for days. For hummingbird cake, you desire a neutral-flavored oil that received’t overpower the banana and pineapple. Vegetable oil is my best choice, although avocado oil additionally works properly right here.
- Bananas: You need the super-ripe, brown and spotty ones such as you use for banana cake. You can too use thawed, beforehand frozen bananas. See Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking.
- Pineapple + Juice: Crushed and canned—remember to embrace the juice, too. Pineapple doesn’t see almost sufficient motion within the baking/dessert world, and that’s a disgrace! If you would like much more pineapple taste in your hummingbird cake, attempt layering in some pineapple curd like we do on this pineapple coconut cake.
You additionally want flour, salt, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla.
This cake comes collectively in just some easy steps. Begin by whisking the dry substances collectively, then combine the moist substances in a separate bowl. Mix the 2 and gently fold within the pecans. Divide the batter between your spherical cake pans.
I like to recommend utilizing 8-inch spherical cake pans, which produce thick, lofty cake layers. 9-inch pans can work in a pinch, however anticipate thinner layers.
Let the desserts cool utterly earlier than frosting with cream cheese frosting and ending with the leftover toasted pecans.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Hummingbird cake wouldn’t be the identical with out silky cream cheese frosting! It’s tangy, creamy, and completely enhances the candy banana-pineapple cake layers.
I elevated my favourite cream cheese frosting recipe to make sure I had sufficient for the 3-layer cake. You solely want a couple of substances: full-fat brick-style cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt.
Beat till clean, fluffy, and spreadable. Cream cheese frosting may be gloppy (technical time period), so if yours is further creamy and skinny, it will probably profit from a short chill within the fridge earlier than utilizing.
It’s gentle and creamy, so it glides onto the cake fairly effortlessly. I take advantage of a massive flat icing spatula to frost the layers and exterior of the cake.
Crumb coat? When you can definitely add one, there’s no want for a crumb coat; the cake isn’t tremendous crumbly and the frosting is extremely tender and creamy. If wanted, use this publish and video tutorial on find out how to assemble a layer cake as your information!
The cake is even higher after a couple of hours as a result of the flavors have had an opportunity to settle, mingle, and marry. For that motive, it’s a beautiful cake to make forward of time… even the day earlier than! Truthfully, I loved the chilly leftover slices greater than something.
In case you can’t get sufficient of those flavors collectively, attempt my hummingbird Bundt cake subsequent.
Ideas for Success
After testing this recipe many occasions, right here’s what my group and I discovered:
- Don’t drain the crushed pineapple: The juice is crucial for moisture.
- Toast the pecans first: Toasting makes for deeper nutty taste.
- Measure flour appropriately: Weigh or spoon and degree it to keep away from a dense cake.
- Use room-temperature eggs: They combine extra evenly into the batter.
- Chill the cream cheese frosting & the cake: Let it agency up a bit earlier than you assemble the cake, then chill the entire cake after assembling/frosting, to make sure it’s steady earlier than you narrow into it.
Description
This hummingbird cake is an ultra-moist Southern layer cake made with bananas, pineapple, heat spices, and toasted pecans, all topped with tangy cream cheese frosting. I tailored this recipe from Southern Residing journal; although it was scrumptious as-is, we liked the cake with rather less oil and banana, plus just a little extra leavening and vanilla. We additionally lowered the full quantity of sugar, and included brown sugar and allspice into the combo.
- Toast the nuts: Preheat the oven to 300°F (149°C). Line a big baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Unfold the chopped pecans (or walnuts) on the ready baking sheet and bake for six–8 minutes, or till aromatic. Give the pan a shake midway by way of baking. Take away from the oven and permit to chill for 10–quarter-hour.
- Flip the oven temperature as much as 350°F (177°C). Grease three 8-inch spherical cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the desserts seamlessly launch from the pans. (If it’s useful, see this parchment paper rounds for desserts video & publish.)
- Make the cake: In a big bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt collectively. In a separate massive bowl, whisk the eggs and oil collectively. Whisk within the sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Lastly, whisk within the mashed banana and crushed pineapple.
- Pour the banana/pineapple combination into dry substances and whisk till utterly mixed. Fold in 1 and 1/2 cups toasted pecans. (Save the remaining for garnish.) It’s best to have round 6 to 7 cups of batter.
- Unfold batter evenly between the three ready cake pans. Bake for about 26–29 minutes or till a toothpick inserted within the heart comes out clear.
- Take away desserts from the oven. Cool the desserts within the pans set on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Run a knife across the edges to assist loosen the edges, take away the desserts from the pans, peel off the parchment, and place on the rack to complete cooling. The desserts have to be utterly cool earlier than frosting and assembling.
- Make the frosting: In a big bowl utilizing a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter collectively on medium-high pace till clean, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the edges of the bowl as wanted. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Beat on low pace for 30 seconds, then enhance to excessive pace and beat for 3 minutes till utterly mixed and creamy. If the frosting appears a bit skinny and runny, refrigerate it for half-hour earlier than utilizing.
- Assemble the cake: (For further assist with this step, see this video & publish on find out how to assemble a layer cake.) First, utilizing a big serrated knife or cake leveler, slice a skinny layer off the highest of every cake to create a flat floor. Place a cake layer in your cake turntable, cake stand, or serving plate. Evenly cowl the highest with 3/4 to 1 cup (180–240g) of the frosting. High with the second cake layer, the other way up, and unfold the identical quantity of frosting as on the primary layer. High with the third layer, proper facet up, and unfold the highest and sides with the remaining frosting. Garnish with the remaining toasted nuts (I utilized them across the backside of the cake and some on prime). Refrigerate the cake for at the very least 20 minutes and as much as 4 hours earlier than slicing. This helps the cake maintain its form when chopping.
- Cowl leftover cake tightly and retailer within the fridge for as much as 5 days. I like to make use of a cake service for storing and transporting.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: The cake layers may be baked, cooled, coated, and saved at room temperature in a single day. Likewise, the frosting may be ready, then coated and refrigerated in a single day. When prepared to embellish, let the frosting sit at room temperature to barely soften for quarter-hour, then give it yet one more combine with the mixer on medium pace for about 1 minute earlier than frosting cake. Frosted cake or unfrosted cake layers may be frozen as much as 2–3 months. Thaw in a single day within the fridge and produce to room temperature earlier than adorning/serving. See this publish on find out how to freeze desserts.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Baking Sheet | 8-inch Cake Pans | Parchment Paper | Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cooling Rack | Cake Turntable | Icing Spatula | Cake Provider (for storage)
- Nuts: Be happy to omit the pecans. No different adjustments to the recipe required.
- Frozen Bananas: You should use thawed frozen bananas on this recipe. Thawed bananas are further moist, so drain off as a lot of the surplus liquid as you possibly can earlier than mashing. See Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking.
- Cupcakes: This recipe will yield round 3 dozen cupcakes. Fill liners 2/3 full and bake 20-22 minutes or till cooked by way of.
- Non-Layer Cake: This recipe additionally matches right into a bundt pan, although the bake time can be lengthy—55-65 minutes. Use a toothpick to check for doneness, or use my recipe for Hummingbird Bundt Cake. There’s an excessive amount of batter for a 9×13-inch pan, however a 12×17-inch sheet pan can be excellent. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, preserve a detailed eye to not over-bake.
- Replace in 2024: After steady recipe testing, and in an effort to loosen up the crumb, I made a couple of adjustments to the recipe together with including baking powder, utilizing a contact extra granulated sugar than brown sugar, growing the oil, and reducing the banana (so it tastes much less like dense banana bread and extra like a moist cake). In case you choose the previous model, omit the baking powder, scale back the oil down to three/4 cup (180ml), use 3/4 cup (150g) every brown sugar and granulated sugar, and enhance the mashed banana to 2 cups.
- Tailored from Southern Residing
