This basic Hummingbird Cake is filled with pineapple, banana, and pecans. Extremely moist cake layers with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg lined in a cream cheese frosting.
I’ve had a Hummingbird Cake on my radar for some time now, ever since I first had one on our journey to Walt Disney World a few years in the past. It saved getting bumped by one thing or different.
A part of me questioned if the world actually wanted one other Hummingbird Cake recipe. However, since just a few of you’ve gotten requested me for one recently who am I to refuse?? I hope this recipe lives as much as your expectations. It has really exceeded mine!
What Taste is Hummingbird Cake?
A hummingbird cake is a dense and moist cake consisting of pineapple, bananas, pecans, and spices paired with a cream cheese frosting. It’s a very fashionable Southern dessert that originated in Jamaica within the 1960’s.
It’s named after the island’s nationwide fowl and is often known as the Physician Fowl Cake (which is one other identify for hummingbird).
The important thing components are quite simple:
- pineapple
- banana
- pecans
- cinnamon
My very first expertise with this cake was at Artwork Smith’s Homecomin‘ restaurant in Disney Springs.
The meal and dessert at Homecomin’ was probably the most memorable and our favourite by far. SO good. Naturally, I needed to pattern his well-known Hummingbird Cake (I’d heard rave critiques) and it was each bit as scrumptious as I had hoped/anticipated.
When you’re ever within the Disney Springs space, do your self a favor and go to Homecomin’. You actually won’t remorse it. There are lots of eating places to select from while you’re in WDW, and we sampled many, however this one really was simply the most effective.
This Hummingbird Cake Recipe I carry you immediately, is my modified model of Chef Artwork Smith’s recipe.
Artwork Smith’s cake is totally scrumptious as is, however I assumed that including brown sugar, some further spices & flavorings, and a few extra chopped pecans would make it even higher (spoiler alert: it did!).
Cake Tip!
Toast the pecans at 350F for 5mins to provide them a bit extra taste.
Find out how to Make Hummingbird Cake
The blending methodology for this cake is totally different than your typical cake recipe. It doesn’t contain creaming butter and sugar. In truth, it’s beneficial that you simply don’t use a mixer in any respect so that you simply don’t overmix the components.
It’s actually an excellent easy recipe that anybody could make:
- Whisk dry components collectively.
- Whisk moist components collectively.
- Fold dry components into moist.
- Gently fold in pecans.
- Bake!
I like to recommend sifting your dry components collectively and whisking them effectively. This can assist ensure that every thing is correctly dispersed.
The batter might be fairly thick and doesn’t rise a ton. The ensuing cake is deliciously dense and moist and really simply heavenly. The added brown sugar and additional spices give this cake a scrumptious taste.
I chopped my banana vs mashing it as I wished some bigger banana items in there, to go along with the pineapple items and the items of pecans. This virtually has the consistency of a fruit cake in that regard (however a superb one) — extraordinarily moist with chunks of fruit and nuts.
When you don’t love you could completely mash the banana and even puree the pineapple a bit, however I really like the feel as is.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream cheese frosting is notoriously tough to work with. Although I really like the flavour pairing with sure cake recipes, I don’t like working with it as I discover it too gentle and tough to embellish with. I don’t prefer it to be overly candy both, so don’t wish to add a ton of powdered sugar in there.
For this frosting recipe, I used softened (however nonetheless cool) butter and cream cheese. Not room temperature as I discover them too gentle. You possibly can add kind of powdered sugar should you like, and kind of salt to chop the sweetness. It’s fairly forgiving in that regard, however won’t be as agency as an American buttercream or Swiss meringue buttercream.
The marginally chilled butter and cream cheese helped (as did the cooler temperatures – lastly!). Additionally, I all the time sift my powdered sugar. This isn’t essential, however mine is all the time tremendous lumpy so I simply sift it.
As with all my cream cheese frosting desserts, I have a tendency to stay to a extra rustic method of adorning. I simply don’t wish to fuss with crisp, easy edges or piping. Plus a country frosting simply goes completely with this Hummingbird Cake I believe.
I attempted to do one thing fairly and fancy with the fruit on the highest however failed miserably. Actually most likely an hour of slicing, putting, shifting, eradicating the fruit till I simply gave up and did a pecan border across the prime and positioned some fruit slices on the highest.
I don’t love the way it appears to be like, however no matter, it tastes like heaven!!
This really is a scrumptious cake. I like to consider it as a Fall cake, though it has summer season fruits in there as a result of it’s simply completely comforting. When you’re a Hummingbird Cake fan, I hope you give my model a attempt!
Continuously Requested Questions
How can I convert this recipe?
- This recipe as-is may also work in two 8″ pans so long as they’re 3″ tall, or two 9″ pans. Baking time could must be adjusted.
- For a 3 layer 6″ cake, change the Servings to 12 and use these quantities. Or, in case your pans are 3″ tall you’ll be able to go away the recipe as is. The layers might be thicker so baking time will must be adjusted.
- To make cupcakes, all that you must do is scale back the baking time — begin checking at 15mins or so. The recipe will make a minimum of 24 cupcakes relying on dimension.
- For different conversions go right here.
Can I make it prematurely?
- The cooled cake layers will be baked forward of time, double wrapped in plastic wrap, and frozen for as much as 3 months. Take out 2-3 hours earlier than meeting.
- The frosting will be positioned in an hermetic container and refrigerated for 1 week for frozen for 3 months. Deliver to room temp and rewhip earlier than utilizing.
- The completed cake (complete or sliced, saved hermetic) will be frozen for as much as 3 months.
Can I get the measurements by weight/grams?
- There’s a Metric choice within the recipe card. When you click on it it can convert every thing to grams.
- This conversion is finished routinely and I can not assure the accuracy however many readers have had success utilizing the metric choice for this recipe.
Ideas for making this Hummingbird Cake Recipe
- Apr 14, 2022 – Cream Cheese Frosting recipe revised to make a extra secure frosting.
- This cake could be very moist and dense. The layers don’t rise loads.
- Be certain that your bananas are overripe for greatest outcomes. Don’t attempt to use underripe bananas for this.
- I barely drained the crushed pineapple. You need a few of that juice in there, however not all of it.
- Toss the chopped pecans in a little bit of flour earlier than folding into the cake batter. This can stop them from sinking.
- Don’t use a mixer — simply combine the batter by hand.
- I like to arrange my cake pans utilizing Do-it-yourself Cake Launch then line with parchment.
- Discover ways to maintain your desserts moist utilizing Easy Syrup.
- To assist guarantee your cake layers bake up good and flat, try my Flat High Muffins put up!
Hummingbird Cake
This basic Hummingbird Cake is filled with pineapple, banana, and pecans. Extremely moist cake layers with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg lined in a cream cheese frosting.
Servings 16
Energy 704kcal
Components
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 6 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups cream cheese 12 oz, chilled, full fats, block (not tub)
- 1/4 tsp salt
Directions
Hummingbird Cake:
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Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 8″ cake rounds and line with parchment.
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In a big bowl, sift flour, baking soda, sugars, spices, and salt. Whisk till effectively mixed. Put aside.
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In a big bowl, mix bananas, pineapple, oil, eggs,vanilla. Whisk till effectively mixed.
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Gently fold dry components into moist. Fold in chopped pecans. Batter might be fairly thick.
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Unfold batter evenly among the many pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or till a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out largely clear and the center of the cake springs again when pressed.
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Take away from oven. Place desserts on wire rack to chill for 10 minutes then end up onto wire rack. Permit desserts to chill utterly.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
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Utilizing a stand mixer or hand mixer beat butter till pale and creamy.
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Cut back pace to low. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and blend on low till effectively blended. Enhance pace to medium and beat for 3 minutes. Add vanilla and salt and proceed to beat on medium for 1 minute.
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Slowly add chilled cream cheese one dice at a time (about 1 tablespoon at a time). Beat effectively till blended and guarantee no lumps of cream cheese stay.
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If wanted, add cornstarch or meringue powder 1 tablespoon at a time to stiffen the frosting (I did not however that is an choice).
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Run mixer on low for a few minutes to take away any air bubbles.
Meeting:
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Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. High with about 1 cup of buttercream, unfold evenly. Repeat with remaining layers and apply a skinny coat of frosting everywhere in the cake to crumb coat. Chill for 20mins.
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Frost the cake with a country sample utilizing the remaining buttercream. Sprinkle chopped pecans across the prime (or alongside the underside) and prime with recent pineapple and banana slices if desired.
Energy: 704kcalCarbohydrates: 100gProtein: 6gFats: 33gSaturated Fats: 16gPolyunsaturated Fats: 3gMonounsaturated Fats: 11gTrans Fats: 1gLdl cholesterol: 90mgSodium: 259mgPotassium: 241mgFiber: 3gSugar: 76gVitamin A: 883IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 2mg
The dietary data and metric conversions are calculated routinely. I can not assure the accuracy of this knowledge. If that is vital to you, please confirm together with your favourite diet calculator and/or metric conversion instrument.