Hummingbird Cake
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 979cal
Equipment
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
Ingredients
- 14.6 ounces all-purpose flour 3 cups
- 15.1 ounces granulated sugar 2 cups
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup canola oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 8 ounces crushed pineapple packed in juice 1 can, undrained
- 1 ½ cups pecans toasted and chopped, plus extra for garnish
- 2 ripe bananas peeled and chopped, about 1 1/4 cup
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 sticks unsalted butter 16 Tablespoons, softened at room temp
- 16 ounces powdered sugar sifted. 4 cups
- 16 ounces cream cheese cut into 8 pieces, softened
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in the bowl of your mixer.14.6 ounces all-purpose flour, 15.1 ounces granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Whisk the oil, eggs, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add to the flour mixture, and beat on low until combined. Batter will be very thick, almost the consistency of taffy.1 cup canola oil, 3 large eggs, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- With mixer on low, add in the pineapple (with the juice), pecans, and bananas. Increase speed to medium until well combined.8 ounces crushed pineapple packed in juice, 1 1/2 cups pecans, 2 ripe bananas
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely.
For the Frosting
- With a mixer at medium-high speed, beat the butter until creamy. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the sifted powdered sugar. Increase speed and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the cream cheese, one piece at a time, and beat until smooth. Beat in the vanilla and salt.2 sticks unsalted butter, 16 ounces powdered sugar, 16 ounces cream cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, Pinch of salt
- Spread about 1 1/2 cups of the frosting on one cake layer. Top with a second cake layer and another 1 1/2 cups frosting. Top with the final cake layer and spread the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.
Notes
- Ripe bananas are essential. Bright yellow with a few brown spots are ideal, green tips on bananas mean they are underripe.
- Don't drain your crushed pineapple! Those juices keep the cake nice and moisture-rich (and of course adds flavor).
- I always, always recommend using a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients. Especially when it comes to measuring flour. Too much flour can leave you with a dry, dense cake instead of a tender, moist one. If you do not own a scale, use the scoop and sweet method. Scoop flour with a spoon into a measuring cup until overflowing. Gently level off the top with the back end of a butter knife. Do not pack your flour in or scoop directly from the bag with the measuring cup to avoid overmeasuring.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 979cal | Carbohydrates: 111g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 58g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 25g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 499mg | Potassium: 258mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 80g | Vitamin A: 1075IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2mg
