Hummingbird Cake

Although it's a classic Southern dessert, most people on the Delish team had never heard of this cake until it came time to develop a recipe. Now everyone is seriously OBSESSED. If you've never had it, it's kinda like a cross between carrot cake and banana bread.

Fun fact: Hummingbird cake is actually from Jamaica! It was originally called "Doctor Bird Cake," which is a nickname for a type of Jamaican hummingbird. People say the cake earned its name because it was sweet enough to attract hummingbirds. The recipe made its way to the States somewhere in the 1960s, when the Jamaican tourist board sent over press kits to promote tourism.

How To Make Hummingbird Cake

INGREDIENTS

• All-Purpose Flour & Baking Soda: This classic combination is perfect for hummingbird cake as we are not looking for the cake to rise too much, but do want a soft sponge with a moist, airy texture.
• Cinnamon: As this dish has so many tropical, sweet elements, a warm spice like cinnamon goes a long way to balance the flavors. While I am just using cinnamon here, nutmeg would also be a welcome addition.
• Canola Oil, Eggs & Sugar: These three ingredients are important for creating the base of the batter. We cream them together to evenly distribute the sugar, but also to add air into the batter, which will help create the light, wet crumb that we are looking for.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Vanilla will add extra moisture but also its classic, slightly fruity, sweet flavor. This further enhances the tropical feel of the dish that harkens to its origins.
• Ripe Bananas: Much like in banana bread, I am using very ripe (brown) bananas for both their stronger flavor and softer texture. Banana is one of the predominant flavors of the cake, so it is important to use well-ripened fruit.
• Crushed Pineapple: I prefer crushed pineapple canned in its own juices for this cake because of the extra moisture it provides. Pineapple is super sweet and tangy, and turns this cake from an average Southern banana bread to something more tropical, but just as comforting.
• Shredded Coconut: Shredded coconut adds a really nice texture to this cake. Similar to the pecans, having textural differences helps to make sure any dish doesn’t feel monotonous. Coconut is also another classic tropical fruit and so further adds to the cake’s origins.
• Toasted Pecans: Pecans are traditionally used for hummingbird cake, so that is what I am using here, but walnuts would be delicious, too. If you're allergic to nuts, you can skip them all together, or sub in chopped, dried fruit like raisins instead.
• Cream Cheese Frosting: Cream cheese frosting is so easy to make at home, and makes all the difference. It is slightly sweet without being overbearing, which is important considering how sweet this cake already is. It is also creamier and a little thicker than other frostings, and has that extra slightly tangy flavor that gives the finished cake so much depth.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat an oven to 350° and, as it warms, grease 3 (8") cake pans with cooking spray and parchment paper. The paper doesn’t have to be perfect, but circles will be easier to fit to the pans than squares. Then, in a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.

In another bowl, cream sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla until the mixture is very well combined and is noticeably fluffier. Then stir in the mashed bananas, pineapple, and shredded coconut to combine evenly. This batter isn’t going to be perfectly smooth, so don’t worry about trying to break down the fruits by mixing aggressively.

Then lightly fold in the dry ingredients until just combined, and there are no wet or dry streaks left. Don't overmix! Once combined, stir in chopped pecans or other nuts if using.

Pour the finished batter in equal parts into each of the 3 prepared cake pans, using a spatula to even out the tops, then place each pan into the heated oven and let them cook for 30 to 35 minutes. You’ll know the cakes are done when the crust is a nice golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean but moist.

Transfer the finished cakes out of the oven and set them aside to cool for at least 30 minutes—frosting the cakes before they have cooled will result in the frosting melting and not holding the cakes together as well, so be patient. This would be a good time to make the cream cheese frosting if you have not already. Otherwise, once the cakes have cooled completely, remove the cakes from the pans and place 1 cake onto a large plate. Spread 1 cup of frosting evenly across the top of the first layer, then top it with the second layer. Repeat the process again with the remaining layer.

When all the layers are stacked, spread the remaining frosting on the top and sides of the cake so that it is evenly covered. Feel free to have fun here! If you have piping tips, any design you can think of will look beautiful adorned with chopped and whole pecans as garnish. For myself, I am rimming the top of the cake with whole pecans, and coating the sides in chopped pieces. The extra pecans will add even more textual difference to the dish and the nutty flavor pairs beautifully with the sweet, creamy frosting.

Full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• Get creative with your toppings: Pecans are the obvious choice to top with, but other nuts, dried fruit, banana slices, and more would look just as nice against the white frosting. Have fun with it!
• Make a loaf instead: If you have a classic loaf pan, and don’t want to go through the hassle of making a whole cake, hummingbird cake works just as well baked into a few loaf pans.

Storage

If you're assembling the cake ahead of time, loosely wrap the cake in plastic wrap before refrigerating. The cake is nice and moist, so it should last for 2 to 3 days in the fridge when well covered. If you'd like to make it more in advance, you can bake the cake layers, wrap them in plastic wrap, and freeze them for up to 2 months before frosting.

Similarly, the cream cheese frosting can be made ahead of time and stored, airtight, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.