Hummingbird Cake is a true Southern Classic. This deliciously moist cake is filled with sweet pineapple, ripe bananas, and chopped pecans. Then, it’s topped with an irresistibly rich cream cheese frosting!
This moist, delicious cake is a thing of beauty, and if you’re going to make it, you might as well go for the gusto and make my restaurant-style version of this ah-mazing cake.
You’ll find lots of recipes out there, but trust me, my Hummingbird Cake Recipe is the best you’ll ever make!
Also, if you’re a fan of moist, nutty cakes with fragrant vanilla, you’ll love my vanilla wafer cake recipe. Like tropical flavors? Try this amazing coconut cake.
Ingredients for Hummingbird Cake
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my Hummingbird Cake Recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
How to make Hummingbird Cake
Sift the all-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a large bowl. Set these dry ingredients aside until needed.
Place 1 cup of finely diced fresh pineapple in a food processor and pulse until crushed. Do not over-pulse.
**You can also use a potato masher to crush the pineapple.
In a separate bowl, combine the granulated and brown sugar and mix until fully combined. Then, add the eggs to the sugar mixture, whisking by hand until the mixture is smooth.
Add the vegetable oil and vanilla extract to the egg mixture, blending well with a wire whisk.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix with a spoon or spatula by hand until the mixture is fully combined. Do Not Overmix!
Add the mashed bananas, crushed pineapple (and juice), and chopped pecans to the batter. Mix until just combined.
After mixing the hummingbird cake batter, divide it evenly between three prepared pans. (Alternatively, you can make this into a sheet cake instead of a layer cake by using a large rectangular pan instead of separate round cake pans).
*Tap the pans on the counter to release any air bubbles in the batter.
Place the cake pans on the center rack of a preheated 350-degree oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the center of the cakes springs back when pressed.
Transfer the cakes to wire racks and cool for 10 minutes. After cooling, invert the cakes onto the wire rack (remove the parchment paper) turn the cakes right side up, and allow them to cool completely to room temperature before frosting.
While the cakes are baking, make the cream cheese frosting.
Start by using an offset spatula to frost the top of one of the cake layers and place the second cake layer on top, frosting the top of it as well. Then add the third cake layer and frost the top of it, too.
Then, frost the sides of the cake with the cream cheese frosting.
Decorate the top of the cake with pecan halves.
Slice it up, serve it, and watch the smiles around your table! I know after one bite, you’ll agree this is the Best Hummingbird Cake you’ve ever tasted.
Recipe FAQ’s
According to the Jamaican Tourism Board, it was originally called the “Doctor Bird Cake,” which is a nickname for a Jamaican variety of hummingbirds called the Red-billed Streamertail.
The story is that the cake was named after the bird because it was sweet enough to attract hummingbirds. It made its way to the United States in the late seventies, and Southern bakers embraced this delicious cake with a passion.
Why is my hummingbird cake dense?
Cakes can become dense and dried out if your ingredients aren’t at the right temperature. Make sure that all of your ingredients have time to come to room temperature before you begin to prepare the cake.
More Dessert Recipes You’ll Love!
Hummingbird Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Hummingbird Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups ripe bananas – mashed
- 1 cup fresh pineapple crushed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 cup pecans finely chopped
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 24 oz cream cheese regular not whipped
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks = 8 ounces
- 1 lb powdered sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- pecan halves for decorating the top of the cake optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Make sure you position racks in the center and bottom third of the oven.
- Lightly butter three 9-inch round cake pans, sprinkle evenly with flour and tap out the excess. Then line the bottom of each cake pan with rounds of parchment paper.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl. Set aside until needed.
- Place 1 cup of finely diced fresh pineapple in a food processor and pulse until crushed. Do not over-pulse.**You can also use a potato masher to crush the pineapple.
- In another bowl, combine the granulated and brown sugar, mix until fully combined.
- Add the eggs to the sugar mixture, whisking by hand until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the oil and vanilla into the sugar mixture, blending well with a wire whisk.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix with a spoon by hand until the mixture fully combined. Do Not Overmix!
- Add the mashed bananas, crushed pineapple (and juice), and chopped pecans to the batter. Mix until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between 3 prepared pans.
- *Tap the pans on the counter to release any air bubbles in the batter.
- Place the layers on the center rack of a preheated 350 -degree oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the center of cakes springs back when pressed.
- Transfer the cakes to wire racks and cool for 10 minutes. After cooling invert the cakes onto the racks (remove the parchment paper) and turn cakes right side up and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until combined.
- With the mixer on low speed gradually mix in the confectioner's sugar. Add the vanilla and whip until creamy.
Assembly
- Place the first layer of cake upside down on a cake stand or serving plate. Add about 1 cup of frosting to the layer and spread it evenly on top of the cake.
- Place the second layer of cake right side up with the pan side going onto the frosted cake. Frost this layer the same as you did the first.
- Add the final layer of the cake, again with the pan side down going onto the frosted cake layers. Top with cream cheese frosting, creating a little thicker layer. Use the remaining frosting for the sides of the cake and add a ring of pecan halves around the outside of the top of the cake.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least one hour before serving. The cake will be best if allowed to chill overnight. *Let the cake stand at room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving after being refrigerated.
dots says
i made few small changes to the recipe: cut the sugar by half, reduced oil to 125 ml plus 50 ml rum, reduced bananas by a third. it worked out well.
i also used one large pan, then cut the cake in half to make 2 layer cake. and i cut sugar in cream cheese frosting to 100 gr.
good base for modifications, thanks for the recipe!
Marie says
Hi please ignore last question. I have my answer. Thankyou
Marie says
Hi Dennis. Another question sorry! By baking soda, do you mean bicarbonate of soda . In Australia we usually use baking powder, but I think this might be different to baking soda. I do have bicarb soda. Thankyou
Marie says
Hi Dennis. So sorry, another question! In Australia we have baking powder not baking soda. The only soda we have is bicarb soda. I have baking powder. Can I use that?
Marie says
Hi Dennis
Would it be ok to toast the pecans first? Also, I have quite a small oven, would the cake mix be ok sitting on the bench while I cook the cakes one at a time and can they be frozen? I need to cook them about four days ahead. Thankyou
Chef Dennis Littley says
hi Marie
yes, you can toast the pecans first. As for baking the layers one at a time, I would keep the batter refrigerated while waiting to bake additional layers. If the batter starts to get warm it will negatively affect the batter and the cake won’t come out as good,
Double-wrap each individual layer and they will freeze fine.
Marie says
Great thankyou