Hummingbird Cake
Total Time
1 hour
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
5 out of 5 stars
(6)
Ingredients
12 servings
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom*
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups well-mashed ripe bananas
- 1 1/4 cups finely-chopped fresh pineapple*
- 1 cup finely-chopped pecans, lightly toasted (plus extra for topping the cake, if desired)
- 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
- 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
How would you rate this recipe?
Preparation
Step 1
Prep the oven and cake pans.
Step 2
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 8-inch* cake pans, tapping out any excess flour.
Step 3
Mix the cake batter
Step 4
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, cardamom, and ginger until combined. Add the eggs, oil and vanilla extract, stirring until the ingredients just combined and no dry streaks remain. (Try to avoid over-mixing.) Add the bananas, pineapple and pecans and stir until evenly combined.
Step 5
Bake.
Step 6
Portion the batter evenly between the three cake pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and let them cool completely to room temperature before frosting.
Step 7
Mix the frosting
Step 8
In a large mixing bowl (or see stand mixer option below), whisk together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract and salt until evenly combined. Gradually add in the powdered sugar until incorporated, then whisk the frosting vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy. If the frosting seems too thin, add extra powdered sugar. If it seems too thick, add in a tablespoon or two of water.
Step 9
Assemble the cake.
Step 10
Place one cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly on top of the cake, extending over the edges. Repeat with a second layer of cake, followed by an additional 1 cup of frosting. Repeat with the third layer of cake, then spread the remaining frosting evenly over the top and sides of the cake until smooth. Sprinkle extra chopped pecans on the cake as decoration, if desired.
Step 11
Serve.
Step 12
Slice, serve and enjoy!
Step 13
Save recipe for the next time?
