Hummingbird Cake Recipe (2024)

January 18, 2017 by Nicole Crocker 5 Comments

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Put some South in your mouth with this moist and delicious Hummingbird Cake Recipe!

Hummingbird Cake is a unique flavoredSouthern cake. Bananas, crushed pineapple and chopped pecans are combined together to create this classic cake.

I’m a Northern girl but I think I must have been a Southerner in another life. Paul and I took a trip down South for a wedding a couple of years ago and I fell in love with so many traditional Southern dishes. One of my favorites…Crawfish! His Aunt and Uncle had a Crawfish Boil while we were there and I still find myself dreaming aboutthose spicy little mudbugs!

We made our way down to New Orleans and spent some time in the French Quarter. The food was amazing and I found myself trying so many new different foods that I had never had before. Gumbo, Jambalaya and some yummy Beignets for dessert. I think I definitely have a little Cajun running through my veins!

Hummingbird Cake is one Southern dessert that I have enjoyed for years though. It’s one of Mom’s favorite cakes so she’s made it many times.

Hummingbird Cake is said to have originated in Jamaica in the late 1960’s but eventually made its way north to the Southern U.S. The first written copy Hummingbird Cake Recipe was submitted to Southern Living Magazine by Mrs. L H Wiggin. It was printed in the February 1978 edition of the magazine. I’m not sure where Mom got her first Hummingbird Cake Recipe but I’ll take a guess that it may have been from Southern Living Magazine. She’s been an avid Southern Living Magazine reader for years!

I searched through many different recipes and then put my own recipe together. It was super moist and delicious and had just the right balance of banana and pineapple. The warmth from the cinnamon and crunch of the pecans brought it all together. Itwas difficult to settle for just one slice!

Ingredients

For the cake

3 Cups All-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Packed, light brown sugar
3 Large Eggs
1 Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 ,8 ounce can Crushed Pineapple, with juice
2 Cups Mashed bananas, about 3-4 large bananas
1 Cup Pecans ,chopped

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

1 ,8 ounce package Cream Cheese ,softened
2 Sticks Unsalted butter ,softened
5 Cups Confectioner sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Line the bottom of 3, 8 inch round cake pans with wax paper or parchment and grease and flour pans. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt and whisk together.
In a large mixing bowl mix sugar, brown sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs together by hand until combined.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until combined.
Mix in the pineapple and mashed bananas. Then fold in the chopped pecans.
Pour batter evenly between your 3 cake pans. Bake on center rack of your preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool in pans for about 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and let cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and fluffy. About 3 minutes. Gradually add sugar and mix until smooth; about 3-5 minutes. Add vanilla and mix for another minute.
Place one cake on cake plate and frost top of cake. Add next cake on top and frost the top of that cake. Add final cake and frost the top and sides of cake. Decorate with chopped pecans or Dried Pineapple Flowers.

Nutrition

Bring the Southerner out in you with this delicious Hummingbird Cake Recipe!

I decided to decorate my Hummingbird Cake with some pretty Dried Pineapple Flowers! They were so simple to make and gave my cake just what it needed to make it even more irresistible!

Here are some more of my favorite cake recipes for you to try. Just click on the picture for the recipe.