Indulgent Hummingbird Cake Recipe
Almost as famous as the Jamaican bobsled team, this Hummingbird Cake is a show stopper and must-try for any foodie. The recipe was created in Jamaica and has quickly worked its way into the hearts and bellies of Americans.
Hummingbird cake is a dense cake made with bananas, pineapple, nuts (usually black walnuts), nutmeg, and cinnamon which give it that authentic taste of the tropics. This banana pineapple cake also contains cream cheese frosting which takes it from good to great!
It’s not surprising that the Hummingbird Cake became popular in Jamaica, where bananas and pineapple are two of the major crops. The cake made its way to America after being featured by the Jamaican tourism board as part of a marketing campaign for Americans to visit their country.
This banana pineapple nut frosted cake is like a love child of banana bread and a moist cake and usually makes 12 servings so you can share it with your friends or family members at home without any worries about leftovers.
This Humming Bird Cake recipe is excerpted from the cookbook, Southern Sugar, by Belinda Smith-Sullivan and is great for a special occasion. Let’s take a look at how to make it.
Ingredients
For this delicious cake, you need the following ingredients:
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- kosher salt
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- canola oil
- vanilla extract
- ripe bananas
- pineapple
- black walnuts
- cream cheese
- butter
- confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
- kosher salt
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Spray 3 (8-inch) or 2 (9-inch) cake pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar) in a medium bowl.
Combine eggs, canola oil, vanilla, bananas, pineapple, and 1 cup walnuts in a large mixing bowl.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix by hand until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in pan on wire racks for 10 minutes. Invert cake layers and remove parchment paper; place on a wire rack to cool completely, right side up.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, and salt on low setting until combined. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue mixing for 4-5 minutes until creamy and light. Add vanilla and mix on high speed for an additional minute. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
- Place 1 cake layer on a cake board or cake serving plate and cover the top with frosting; repeat with the second and third layers. Spread the remaining frosting around the sides of the cake. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts on the top of the cake.
If you love baking classic Southern cakes, you’ll want to try a few more favorites next. My Coconut Cake is sweet, soft, and covered in fluffy frosting, while my Easy Strawberry Cake bursts with fruity flavor. For something chocolatey, you can’t go wrong with my Decadent Chocolate Layer Cake or rich Ooey Gooey Butter Cake. Each one is a little slice of Southern comfort.
Hummingbird Cake
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Spray 3 (8-inch) or 2 (9-inch) cake pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. In a large bowl, combine eggs, canola oil, vanilla, bananas, pineapple, and 1 cup walnuts. Add flour mixture and mix by hand until all ingredients are well-combined. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in pan on wire racks for 10 minutes. Invert cake layers and remove parchment paper; place on racks to cool completely, right side up.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt on low setting until combined. Increase speed to medium-high and continue to mix for 4-5 minutes until creamy and light. Add vanilla and mix on high speed an additional minute. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
- Place 1 cake layer on a cake board or cake serving plate and cover top with frosting; repeat with second and third layers. Spread remaining frosting around the sides of the cake. Finish the top with the remaining walnuts.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Tips for Making Hummingbird Cake
- Use room temperature ingredients. For best results, let your eggs (and even your cream cheese, if you’re making frosting) come to room temperature before baking. It helps everything mix more smoothly.
- Mash the bananas well. You’ll need about 2 cups of mashed bananas. Ripe bananas with brown spots on the peel add the best flavor and natural sweetness.
- Coarsely chop the walnuts. A little texture goes a long way in this cake – coarsely chopped nuts add a nice crunch to each bite.
- Don’t overmix. Mix just until the ingredients are combined for a soft, tender crumb.
FAQs
Regular walnuts or chopped pecans make suitable replacements. You can use either fresh pineapple or canned crushed pineapple.
Origins have it that the cake derived its name because it is sweet enough to attract hummingbirds.
The cake can safely be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for a couple of days. It can be stored in the refrigerator to help extend its shelf life by a couple more days.
Southern Sugar
Southern Sugar is author Belinda Smith-Sullivan’s third cookbook. (Her other two are Just Peachy and Let’s Brunch: 100 Recipes for the Best Meal of the Week.)
In Southern Sugar, Belinda shares her recipes for all things sweet: cakes, cheesecakes, pies, cobblers, cookies, brownies, candies, ice cream, and beverages.
There is a little bit of “Southerner” in all of us! You don’t have to be from the South to embrace the food—especially the sweets. These decadent, sweet delights are filled with lots of sugar, butter, nuts, and fruit, or dripping with chocolate, caramel, whipped cream, and bourbon. 100 tempting recipes will transport you back to your “Southern” roots with beloved favorites and fresh takes on Southern classics, including sweet drinks and cocktails.
Southern Sugar was released in September 2021. Order it now at Amazon.com or your preferred bookstore.
Last Bite
If this Hummingbird Cake brought a little sweetness to your table, don’t forget to share it! Pin it for later, send it to a fellow baker, or leave a comment below to tell me how it turned out. I’d love to hear if it became a new favorite in your kitchen.
Yum! Hummingbird cake is such a good option for those who love chocolate cake but can’t have it.