Hummingbird Cake

Hummingbird cake is a lovely alternative to carrot cake for a Fall gathering or birthday. It has all the things we love about carrot cake, it’s moist and rich with cream cheese frosting, but with a fruitier ingredient list. We’ve mixed up hummingbird cake a bit by adding cranberries and white chocolate. Delicious!

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Hummingbird Cake
Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
2 1/2 cups bananas, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries

Instructions:

Prepare two 8-inch cake pans with baking spray, set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and cinnamon in the bowl of a mixer.
Add eggs, oil and vanilla on low, until just combined, do not over mix.
Fold in by hand, pineapple,  1 cup pecans, 2 cups bananas and 1/2 cup cranberries.
Pour into prepared pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until cake tests done.
Cool cake, then fill and frost with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, garnish with remaining nuts and fruit.

 

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:

3 cups white chocolate chips
3 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup butter, softened
7 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Instructions:

Melt chocolate, stirring until smooth.
Beat cream cheese and butter until creamy.
Add chocolate and combine well.
Add sugar in small batches until thick and smooth.

Comments (15)

on

I love carrot cake, but I make an orange carrot cake (the cake and frosting have a whole orange pureed; most is in the cake, about 2 T is in the frosting) that is moist and delicious! Don't recall ever trying a hummingbird cake, but definitely want to try this one. Thanks for sharing!

on

Cake looks wonderful. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I note the pictured cake is three layers but the recipe calls for two 8" pans. The pictured layers look to thick to have been spread between three pans (but maybe I'm wrong!) DId you use three pans or is the pictured cake 1-1/2 times the recipe?

on

The recipe was originally for 9-inch pans, which you could spread between three 8-inch pans, two 9-inch pans, or two 8-inch pans. Baking times will need to be adjusted slightly. If you spread it between three 8-inch pans, begin checking it 10 minutes earlier, just to be sure they don't over-bake.

on

I've just begun baking Hummingbird Cakes in the past 3 months. Each time I've used different recipes. I'm really looking forward to baking this one, especially with the White Chocolate Cream Cheese frosting. One quick question. My grandson is allergic to eggs. Is there anyway that I can bake this without the eggs? Is there something that I can substitute for eggs?

By the way, when I first heard that the cake had crushed canned pineapple and was similar to carrot cake, I almost didn't try it. I'm so glad I did! To me, it isn't like a carrot cake (except for the colors) and it is wonderful. I've always been a chocoholic...this is my new favorite type of cake!

on

If you do some research into baking with egg substitutes you will find many resources, however in my personal experience they don't hold together a traditional layer cake. you would have more success using egg replacers in cupcakes.

Just to clarify, I did not say hummingbird cake was "similar to" carrot cake, I said "it’s moist and rich with cream cheese frosting" which is what I like about carrot cake. Hummingbird cake is much more subtle and less spicy. But I love them both equally! Maybe I'll do a hybrid carrot/hummingbird cake?

on

Can I substitute the sugar with say.. applesauce or something to reduce the amount of sugar? My dad is diabetic but I do believe that he'll love this cake!

on

How do I add this to my favorites? You used to be able to add it and I can't find how to do it? They need to have that option with tutorials too.

on

I didn't have cranberries, so I subbed dried cherries - yum! Next time I will try adding some cherry flavoring (either maraschino cherry juice or extract) - while the cake is DELICIOUS, I want to differentiate it more from banana cake. Has anyone else tried adding other ingredients? I like the idea of subbing in grated apples for some of the bananas too.

on

The quantity of the cranberries and bananas are different in the ingredients to the instructions. Which is correct?

on

I was wondering the same thing. The amounts listed in the ingredients list and what it states in the written instructions are different for the pecans, bananas, and cranberries. I am sure that it won't make much of a difference in how the cake cooks...just in the taste. Less banana will have less banana flavor. The nuts and cranberries can probably be added as one likes for taste.

on

I made this last November for my Sister's wedding and they loved it. It was a big cake. Thank you for sharing.  I saved the recipe.

on



I have a very similar recipe with shredded coconut which I've been baking since the 1960's.  Just like fashion, even recipes make a comeback.  Can't beat the oldies!!  Thanks for sharing your version.