Hummingbird Cake

This is a perfect “Coffee Morning” cake: light, pretty and easier to make than it looks.

Hummingbird Cake comes from the southern US and is very similar to carrot cake except it contains banana, pineapple and pecan nuts instead of carrots and walnuts. This recipe is from the Hummingbird Bakery; I still haven’t made it to a Hummingbird Bakery so in the meantime I have to bake their cakes myself.

I made the 3 layer cake as per the recipe but this is an easy recipe to scale down and just make enough for two layers. Alternatively you can make the full recipe quantity and put one of the layers in the freezer. The next time you make it put the third layer in the freezer again and suddenly you have a hummingbird cake waiting in the wings. I also only use one recipe quantity of icing – the original recipe calls for two – and leave the sides frosting-free.

This is a lovely moist cake that is just as delicious on day two and three – if it lasts that long!

Recipe

Ingredients

300g caster sugar

3 eggs

300ml sunflower oil

270g mashed banana

300g plain flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

100g tinned pineapple, chopped

100g pecan nuts, chopped plus extra to decorate

300g icing sugar

50g butter

125g cream cheese

Method

Set the oven to 170°C. Grease and line three 8″ cake tins.

Put the sugar, eggs, oil and banana in a mixer and beat until well mixed. Fold in the flour, cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda and vanilla extract and make sure it is all well mixed. Stir in the pineapple and pecan nuts.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tins and gently level if necessary: you can weigh them if you want to be sure of even layers. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and springy to the touch. Leave for a few minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Make the icing. Beat the butter in the mixer and then added the sieved icing sugar. Beat the sugar and butter until the mixture comes together. Add the cream cheese and beat again until light and fluffy.

When the cakes have cooled completely, sandwich together with the icing and finish with a layer on top. Scatter chopped pecan nuts or arrange pecan halves as a decoration.

Enjoy with coffee and friends.

Categories: Baking, Cakes, Fruit, Recipes

Tags: baking, bananas, cake, coffee morning, frosting, hummingbird bakery, hummingbird cake, icing, pecans, pineapple