Name: Restaurant-Style Hummingbird Cake - Southern Classic
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 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 tsp vanilla; ¾ cup vegetable oil; 2 large eggs (beaten); 1 cup pecans ( finely chopped ); 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)

5 from 35 votes

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Before moving to Florida I had never heard of a Hummingbird Cake. But after sampling this amazing cake at Art Smith’s Homecomin’ at Disney Springs I was hooked.

slice of hummingbird cake on a plate with a fork

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 a Restaurant Style version of this ah-mazing Cake. You’ll find lots of recipes out there, but trust me, this is the best!

What Ingredients do I need to make a Restaurant Style Hummingbird Cake?

overhead view of ingredients to make a hummingbird cake

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make a Restaurant Style Hummingbird Cake. 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 the up cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

I happened to find Art Smith’s recipe online and found it to work really well, with only one slight tweak to the amount of oil used.

Why is it called a Hummingbird Cake?

According to the Jamaican Tourism Board, it was originally called the “Doctor Bird Cake”, which is a nickname for a Jamaican variety of hummingbird 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 US in the late seventies and Southern bakers embraced this delicious cake with a passion.

How do I make a Restaurant Style Hummingbird Cake?

overhead view of flour mixture in a glass bowl

Sift the flour, sugar, 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.

2 images showing how to mix the eggs into the sugar

In another bowl, combine the granulated and brown sugar, mix until fully combined. Then add the eggs to the sugar mixture, whisking by hand until the mixture is smooth.

two images showing how to add the oil to the sugar mixture

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 or spatula by hand until the mixture fully combined. Do Not Overmix!

two images showing how to add nuts, banana and pineapple to cake batter

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.

*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 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.

While the cakes are baking, make the cream cheese frosting.

Frost the Hummingbird Cake with the cream cheese frosting and decorate the top with pecan halves.

Slice it up, serve it and watch the smiles around your table!

Kitchen tools I use for my cakes

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5 from 35 votes