Hummingbird Cake

This cake is a delightful treat with a tender and moist texture. It’s generously packed with fresh pineapple, ripe bananas, crunchy pecans, and a hint of spices. To top it all off, it’s adorned with a luxurious cream cheese frosting and a generous sprinkle of coconut.

Servings: 16
Prep: 35minutes
Cook: 40minutes
Ready in: 1hour 15minutes

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 1 cup (198 grams) finely chopped fresh pineapple
• 2 and 1/2 cups (354 grams) all-purpose flour (measure by scooping and leveling)
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) packed light-brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup (235 ml) of vegetable oil or canola oil
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups (366 grams) of mashed overripe bananas
• 1 cup (100 grams) of pecans, toasted and finely chopped, with additional whole or chopped pecans for decoration if desired

For the Frosting and Topping:

• 12 ounces of cream cheese, nearly at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (170 grams) of unsalted butter, nearly at room temperature
• 4 cups (480 grams) of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/4 cups (95 grams) of sweetened shredded coconut, which can be toasted or untoasted

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans (at least 2 inches tall) and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper and lightly dust the pans with flour, shaking out the excess.
2. In a small mixing bowl, stir together finely chopped pineapple with 1/4 cup all-purpose flour. Set this mixture aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 1/4 cups of flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
4. In a separate large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer set to medium-high speed, whip together granulated sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy, which should take about 4 minutes.
5. Slowly blend in the vegetable oil, and then mix in the vanilla extract.
6. Add half of the flour mixture, and using a rubber spatula, fold it in just until combined. Add the mashed bananas and fold to combine, then add the remaining flour mixture and fold until combined. Finally, fold in the pineapple mixture and chopped pecans.
7. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
8. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, which should take about 40 minutes.
9. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Afterward, run a knife around the edge to loosen them and invert the cakes onto wire racks to cool completely.
10. Frost the cakes with cream cheese frosting and gently press coconut onto the sides. If desired, decorate the top with a ring of whole or chopped pecans near the outside edge.

For the cream cheese frosting:

1. In a mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip together the cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy.
2. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and blend again until the mixture becomes whiter and the frosting is fluffy.
3. To firm up the frosting a bit, freeze it in 3-minute increments, mixing between increments until it reaches a slightly stiffer consistency.

Notes:

• The pineapple should be finely chopped into tiny bits, approximately 1/6 inch in size.

 

Pin this delicious Hummingbird Cake recipe on Pinterest to save and share with foodie friends!