The mystery of how the Hummingbird cake got its name may never be solved, but general lore accepts that one of the first appearances it made on the scene was when Southern Living published a recipe in the 1970s. That recipe was submitted by a reader who claimed it had been passed down through generations in her family, but she never gave any information about the origin of the name. Some say it's a nod to the cake's fruity nectar, perhaps sweet enough to catch a hummingbird's attention.
There are many versions of this cake, but the one that follows is most similar to the one that appeared in Southern Living in 1978. The cream cheese frosting that accompanies this cake is perfect and not too sweet.
Hummingbird Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, not drained
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 5 big bananas, chopped or mashed
- 32 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 1 box confectioners sugar
- 3-4 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 9-inch round cake pans
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour the cake pans.
- Sift flour, white and brown sugars, salt, baking soda and cinnamon together in a mixing bowl.
- Add eggs and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until moistened.
- Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla, pineapple and pecans, and then stir in the bananas.
- Divide the batter equally among the three well-greased cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake as the cake should be moist.
- Cool in pans for ten minutes and then turn out the cakes onto a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely (or better yet, freeze them for a day or two which intensifies that flavors) before frosting them with the cream cheese frosting.
- For the cream cheese frosting, combine the cream cheese and the butter until smooth, then add the box of powdered sugar and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in the remaining teaspoon of vanilla.
Frost the tops of all three layers, then stack and frost the sides. Decorate with whole or chopped pecans, if you like.
This cake serves 10-12 people and will keep well in a covered cake dish for one week. For hostesses preparing multiple cakes for an occasion, this Hummingbird cake goes well with Chocolate Chip Cake with Ganache Icing, Irish Caramel Apple Cake and The Ultimate Traditional Southern Red Velvet Cake Recioes.
Janice Fahy - Janice Fahy is a freelance writer who is comfortable researching and writing on just about any topic under the sun.
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