Greetings, foodies! Anne Carter here, the face behind “Beyond The Bayou Blog,” serving up scrumptious delights. Today, I’ve whipped together a timeless classic: Hummingbird Cake.
This delightful dessert is a true crowd-pleaser, boasting a perfect blend of flavors and textures that will leave you craving for more. Don’t let its fancy name intimidate you – making this cake is easier than you think, and the results are absolutely worth it!
Each bite is a heavenly combination of sweetness and tanginess, creating a dessert experience like no other.
Whether you’re a baking enthusiast or a beginner in the kitchen, this recipe is sure to impress everyone at your table. So, grab your mixing bowls, and let’s get started on this mouthwatering adventure!
Why You Will Love This Recipe?
- This recipe has a 5-star rating from many people who love how tasty, moist, and easy it is.
- It’s a simple two-layer cake with cream cheese frosting that complements the sweet cake layers perfectly.
- Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced baker, this recipe is easy to follow.
- Despite having several ingredients, the preparation is straightforward and quick.
- The cake is packed with flavors like bananas and crushed pineapple, resembling a mix of carrot cake, banana cake, and pineapple upside-down cake.
- The combination of flavors works beautifully together, creating a rich yet refreshing taste.
Overview: How To Make Hummingbird Cake?
Get ready to bake up something truly special with our Amazing Hummingbird Cake Recipe! This delightful treat is sure to impress your friends and family. And don’t worry, despite its fancy name, it’s actually quite simple to make.
First things first, gather your ingredients and equipment. You’ll need mixing bowls, a hand mixer or stand mixer, and of course, all the yummy ingredients listed below.
To whip up the cake layers, start by preheating your oven and preparing your cake pans. Then, it’s just a matter of mixing together your dry ingredients and your wet ingredients separately before combining them all together. Don’t forget to add in those mashed bananas, crushed pineapple, and toasted pecans for that extra flavor punch!
Once your cake layers are baked to perfection and cooled, it’s time to make the cream cheese frosting. Simply beat together the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until it’s smooth and fluffy.
Now comes the fun part – assembling your cake! Stack those delicious layers on top of each other, spreading frosting in between each one. If you’re feeling extra fancy, save some frosting to pipe decorations or sprinkle on some toasted pecans for an added touch.
Once assembled, chill your cake for a bit to let the frosting set, then slice and serve! Any leftovers can be kept covered and refrigerated for up to a week. Enjoy!
Try More Cake Recipe!
Hummingbird Cake Recipe
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Electric Hand Mixer
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1½ cups vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups mashed very ripe bananas
- 1 can crushed pineapple undrained
- 1 cup chopped pecans toasted
For the Frosting:
- 1½ cups unsalted butter softened
- 2 blocks cream cheese room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 to 8 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Grease and line cake pans.
- Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Combine wet ingredients in another bowl.
- Mix wet and dry ingredients, add pecans, divide into pans.
- Bake until done, cool and remove from pans.
- Beat butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla.
- Layer cake with frosting. Chill before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.
Nutrition
What to Serve with Hummingbird Cake?
Time for The Tips!
- Get precise with flour: Too much flour can make your cake dry and crumbly. For accuracy, weigh your flour using a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, fluff up the flour in its container and spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling off the top with a knife. Avoid scooping directly from the flour container.
- Warm up your ingredients: Let refrigerated ingredients sit on your kitchen counter for about 30 minutes before baking to bring them to room temperature. This helps the eggs blend better with other ingredients in the cake batter and makes the butter and cream cheese smoother for frosting.
- Speed up banana ripening: If your bananas aren’t very ripe, you can soften and sweeten them by baking them at 300°F for 10 to 15 minutes until they turn black and very soft. Let them cool completely before using.
- Don’t overmix the batter: Mix wet and dry ingredients until just combined. It’s okay if you see a few streaks of flour; overmixing can make the cake tough. The remaining flour will blend in when you add the pecans.
- Customize your frosting: The recipe suggests 6 to 8 cups of powdered sugar for the cream cheese frosting. More sugar makes it firmer and sweeter, while less sugar results in a runnier frosting. Adjust according to your preference.
- Try a different frosting: Not a fan of cream cheese frosting? You can make vanilla buttercream frosting instead for a different flavor.
- Use baking strips for even layers: Fabric baking strips help your cake layers bake evenly and come out extra tender. Soak them in cold water, wring them out, and wrap them around the outside of your cake pans before baking. This ensures a smooth rise and softer exterior.
- Adjust for smaller pans: If you want to bake an 8-inch layer cake, divide the batter among three 8-inch round cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes. Smaller pans will give you taller layers.