Hummingbird Cake
Wowzers! This was amazing and super moist with strong banana and a little pineapple flavors. My only recommendation is that if you make it, plan to have a lot of people to help share it. It is pretty heavy duty.
It was somewhat of a surprise today. I thought about making it and Jess started cleaning out the pantry. She gave me an opened bag of pecans that expired 6 months ago. I tasted one. It was fine. And then I made the connection.... "hey, that hummingbird cake has pecans!" I was surprised I found all the necessary ingredients at home. No grocery visit. So, with the Colts on tv, a beer in my hand, and a mixer in the other I started in on what was a really great Sunday treat.
And the birthday girl, Tabi, seemed to enjoy it even though it wasn't an ice cream cake.
Ingredients
Cake Layers
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained (such as Publix Crushed Pineapple in Pineapple Juice)
- 2 cups chopped bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
- 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
- Vegetable shortening
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 (16-oz.) packages powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Additional Ingredient
- 1 cup pecan halves, toasted
Directions
- Prepare the Cake Layers: Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl; add eggs and oil, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, bananas, and toasted pecans.
- Divide batter evenly among 3 well-greased (with shortening) and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
- Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely, about 1 hour.
- Prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Increase speed to medium-high, and beat until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Assemble Cake: Place first cake layer on a serving platter; spread top with 1 cup of the frosting. Top with second layer, and spread with 1 cup frosting. Top with third layer, and spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Arrange pecan halves on top of cake in a circular pattern.