Hummingbird cake
A cake from the American South. Its roots are usually traced to Jamaica, and in the States it was popularised by a reader's recipe published in Southern Living magazine in 1978. It is a moist oil-based cake with ripe bananas, canned pineapple, cinnamon and toasted pecans, layered with thick cream cheese frosting. The batter is stirred by hand in two bowls, with no mixer, and thanks to the bananas, pineapple and oil it stays moist for a long time. It is a birthday and holiday cake, very rich — cut it thin.
Your own work in that: 50 min.
- Batter 20 min
- Baking the layers 30 min
- Cooling 60 min
- Cream cheese frosting 10 min
- Assembling 20 min
- Chilling 30 min
Step by step
0 / 8 donePrepare the tins
Heat the oven to 175°C. Line the bases of three 23 cm cake tins with paper and oil the sides. Toast all the pecans (140 g) in a dry pan, stirring, 4–5 minutes, cool and chop — set 40 g aside for decoration. If you have only two tins, bake two thicker layers (35–40 minutes) and fill the cake with a single layer of frosting.
Ingredients: 360 g plain flour · 300 g sugar · 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda · 1 tsp cinnamon · ½ tsp salt · 3 pcs eggs · 240 ml oil · 1 tsp vanilla extract · 3 pcs very ripe bananas, mashed · 230 g canned pineapple, finely chopped, with its juice · 100 g pecans, toasted and chopped
Mix the dry ingredients
In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt.
Ingredients: 360 g plain flour · 300 g sugar · 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda · 1 tsp cinnamon · ½ tsp salt · 3 pcs eggs · 240 ml oil · 1 tsp vanilla extract · 3 pcs very ripe bananas, mashed · 230 g canned pineapple, finely chopped, with its juice · 100 g pecans, toasted and chopped
Make the batter
In another bowl whisk the eggs with the oil and vanilla. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon just until combined. Fold in the bananas, pineapple with its juice and the pecans.
Ingredients: 360 g plain flour · 300 g sugar · 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda · 1 tsp cinnamon · ½ tsp salt · 3 pcs eggs · 240 ml oil · 1 tsp vanilla extract · 3 pcs very ripe bananas, mashed · 230 g canned pineapple, finely chopped, with its juice · 100 g pecans, toasted and chopped
With a spoon, just until combined — the cake stays tender.Bake the layers
Divide the batter evenly between the tins (about 570 g each) and bake 25–30 minutes, until a skewer comes out dry. If the tins do not fit on one shelf, bake on two levels with the fan on and swap them round after 20 minutes.
Ingredients: 360 g plain flour · 300 g sugar · 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda · 1 tsp cinnamon · ½ tsp salt · 3 pcs eggs · 240 ml oil · 1 tsp vanilla extract · 3 pcs very ripe bananas, mashed · 230 g canned pineapple, finely chopped, with its juice · 100 g pecans, toasted and chopped
Cool
Cool the layers in the tins 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely, about an hour in all. Warm layers melt the frosting.
Ingredients: 360 g plain flour · 300 g sugar · 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda · 1 tsp cinnamon · ½ tsp salt · 3 pcs eggs · 240 ml oil · 1 tsp vanilla extract · 3 pcs very ripe bananas, mashed · 230 g canned pineapple, finely chopped, with its juice · 100 g pecans, toasted and chopped
Completely cold — or the frosting slides off.Make the frosting
Beat the soft butter with the icing sugar until smooth. Add the cold cream cheese and beat just until combined. Overbeating thins cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients: 230 g full-fat cream cheese (Philadelphia type), cold · 120 g butter, softened · 300 g icing sugar · 40 g pecans for decoration, toasted and chopped
Assemble the cake
Set the first layer on a plate, spread with a third of the frosting, top with the second layer, another third of the frosting and the third layer. Spread the rest of the frosting on top and scatter with the reserved pecans. The sides stay bare.
Ingredients: 230 g full-fat cream cheese (Philadelphia type), cold · 120 g butter, softened · 300 g icing sugar · 40 g pecans for decoration, toasted and chopped
Frosting between the layers and on top.Chill
Refrigerate the cake 30 minutes for the frosting to set, then slice with a sharp knife.
Ingredients: 230 g full-fat cream cheese (Philadelphia type), cold · 120 g butter, softened · 300 g icing sugar · 40 g pecans for decoration, toasted and chopped
Before you start
Less sweet
The Southern Living recipe has more sugar in the cake and much more frosting, which also covers the sides. This version is less sweet and the frosting goes only between the layers and on top. To frost the sides as well, make one and a half times the frosting.
Bananas
The darker the banana skins, the better: very ripe fruit is sweeter and more aromatic.
Storage
Keep the cream cheese cake in the fridge up to 4 days. Take it out 30 minutes before serving, but do not leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
