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.
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!
Table of Contents:
Ingredients for 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 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 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 US in the late seventies, and Southern bakers embraced this delicious cake with a passion.
How to make Hummingbird Cake
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.
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.
Add the oil and vanilla to 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!
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 the 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 the cakes right side up and allow them to cool completely before frosting.
While the cakes are baking, make the cream cheese frosting.
Frost the 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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- offset spatula (essential for bakers)
- 9-inch USA Pan Bakeware cake pans
- 9-inch parchment cake circles
- silicone spatulas
- wire whisk
- mixing bowls
Emily Flint
I’ve always wanted to make a hummingbird cake and your recipe was sooo good! Thanks!
Audrey
This recipe really was restaurant quality! YUM
Catalina
I need a big slice of this cake with a huge cup of coffee! It looks so inviting!
Sue
Exactly what I have been craving – thanks!
Jessica Formicola
Hummingbird cake is my absolute favorite, and this one is perfection! The combination of banana, pineapple and pecans is out of this world!
katrina m kroeplin
i love baking cakes. and this recipe is a keeper!
Freya
This sounds absolutely delicious! I made hummingbird muffins many years ago and they were so good!
Kita Bryant
I would absolutely love to try some of this cake. it looks really unique and tasty!
Marysa
I haven’t heard of this cake before, but it sounds like a delicious combination of flavors. Thanks for sharing your recipe. I’m sure my family would enjoy this.
Monica Simpson
I’ve actually never heard of hummingbird cake. It looks like carrot cake but I see it has pineapple and banana in it. Sounds so good!
Beth
It was so delicious! I made it for a special treat and everyone loved it!
Kathy
I’m going to have to save this to try later. It looks amazing. I’ve never had this kind of cake before. I can’t wait to see how it tastes.
Gervin Khan
Wow, I love the name! It also looks so delicious! I love this!
MELANIE EDJOURIAN
This cake was amazing. I’ve never tried hummingbird cake before!!!
Nikki Wayne
This cake was so moist and was a big hit
Briana Baker
Saving this one! I’ve heard of this but never made one and I think my daughter will LOVE it!
Heather
This is one of my favorite cakes! I Loved all of the different flavors and texture. So good!
Mitch Chaitin
This sounds and looks delicious. I much prefer a moist cake, if it is too dry, then I might just eat the frosting, so this is perfect!
Amber Myers
This looks like a delicious cake. I have heard of hummingbird cake before but I haven’t tried it yet. So I’ll have to make this!
melissa chapman
Bananas and pineapple were a perfect combination for this cake. I do not bake often but this cake was amazing!