Hummingbird Cake
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Hummingbird cake recipe, a classic Southern dessert, fuses traditional Southern ingredients with exotic Caribbean flavors. This cake recipe features ripe bananas, juicy pineapple, and shredded coconut, embodying the warmth of Southern hospitality blended with the vibrant essence of Caribbean islands. Discover how to make hummingbird cake, a popular choice for celebrations and family gatherings, and enjoy a dessert that perfectly balances sweet and fruity flavors.
Why You’ll Love Hummingbird Cake
- Easy to Bake: Don’t be intimidated by fancy cakes! This recipe comes together with minimal fuss, perfect for beginner bakers or busy schedules.
- Flavor Explosion: Every bite is a burst of tropical paradise. Sweet pineapple, creamy banana, and crunchy pecans create a flavor and texture combination that’s simply irresistible.
- Moist and Delicious: The combination of mashed bananas and oil creates a luxuriously moist crumb that stays fresh for days.
- Perfect for Any Occasion: Hummingbird Cake is versatile enough to be enjoyed at casual gatherings or dressed up for a special celebration.
- Customizable: Don’t have pecans? Substitute walnuts or almonds! This recipe is easily adaptable to your preferences.
Ingredients Needed To Make Hummingbird Cake
- 1.1 GF flour or all-purpose flour
- Salt
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Light Brown Sugar
- Granulated Sugar
- Vegetable Oil
- Eggs
- Pineapple (chopped)
- Sweetened Coconut Flakes
- Pecans (chopped)
- Mashed Ripe Bananas
- Vanilla Extract
- Ground Cinnamon
- Cream Cheese (for frosting)
- Butter (for frosting)
- Powdered Sugar (for frosting)
How To Make Hummingbird Cake
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease 2 round cake pans.
- Whisk eggs and sugars in a bowl until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes).
- Mix in oil, mashed bananas, pineapple, and vanilla.
- In another bowl, whisk flour, salt, baking soda, and powder. Slowly add to wet ingredients and mix on low speed (don’t overmix!).
- Fold in chopped pecans and coconut flakes.
- Divide batter between pans and bake 45-60 minutes (golden brown and toothpick comes out clean).
- Let cakes cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
- Frost cakes with your favorite cream cheese frosting (recipe included).
Variations & Substitutions
- Nut-Free Option: Skip the nuts for a nut-free version, focusing solely on the tropical fruit and coconut flavors.
- Pineapple Twist: Enhance the pineapple flavor by adding pineapple juice to the cream cheese frosting for a refreshing twist.
- Coconut Cream Frosting: Elevate the coconut experience by substituting coconut cream for dairy-free cream cheese in the frosting.
Commonly Asked Questions
What kind of nuts can I use instead of pecans?
Walnuts or almonds work great as substitutes for pecans in this recipe. You can even use a mixture of different nuts for a fun flavor twist!
My cake isn’t moist. What went wrong?
There are a couple of possibilities. Overmixing the batter can lead to a dry cake so be sure to follow the instructions and mix just until combined. Another culprit could be forgetting to preheat your oven. An oven that’s not at the right temperature won’t bake the cake evenly and can result in dryness.
How can I store leftover Hummingbird Cake?
This cake stores beautifully at room temperature for up to 3 days, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. For longer storage, you can freeze the unfrosted cake layers for up to 2 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight before frosting and serving.
Can I make this cake ahead of time?
Yes! You can bake the cake layers a day or two in advance and store them at room temperature, tightly wrapped, until you’re ready to frost and assemble. The unfrosted cake layers will also freeze well, as mentioned above.
Hummingbird Cake
Equipment
- 2 9-inch round cake pans
Video
Ingredients
For the Hummingbird Cake:
- 3 eggs (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
- 1 cup chopped pineapple
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (or 1:1 gluten-free flour)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
- 1 cup pecans (chopped; plus whole pecans for optional topping)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 16 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the Hummingbird Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick baking spray.
- In a bowl, add the eggs and sugars. Mix until light and frothy and the sugar is almost all dissolved, 3-5 minutes.
- Add the vegetable oil, bananas, pineapple, and vanilla extract. Mix for a couple of minutes.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Don't overmix!
- Gently fold in the coconut and pecans.
- Divide the batter between the two cake pans.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl. Starting on low speed and then increasing, mix until the frosting is smooth and creamy. Frost your cake. Enjoy!
- Depending on the cream cheese, you may need to add up to 2 cups of powdered sugar additionally.
Assemble the Cake:
- Remove the cakes from the pans, placing the first layer on a cake stand or plate.
- Frost the top of the cake, then stack the second cake on top.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake.
- Spread whole or chopped pecans on top of the cake if desired. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Variations
- Skip the nuts for a nut-free cake.
- Add a little pineapple juice to the frosting for a little more fruity flavor.
- Want more coconut taste? Use coconut cream instead of cream cheese in the frosting.
3 cups gluten gf flour? all my gf recipes measure flour with flour scale rather than measuring in cups .
I use cups and have great success.
love these recipes thanks for sharing
So happy you love them!!!
If not gluten-free, will all purpose flour still work, and would I still add baking soda & baking powder? Thankyou
Yes, All recipes can be full gluten and full dairy with no recipe modifications.
Could you use almond flour and stevia for the sweet?
We typically do not recommend Almond Flour due to the texture. It would affect the overall taste and texture.
Can you use coconut or avocado oil in place of vegetable oil …it just seems like a healthier oil
I would probably try avocado instead of coconut oil. This could alter the taste
This is so simple and one of the best. I love Carrot Cake and this is a run for it’s money.
Fabulous! Happy you love it!
I’ve looked for just the right Hummingbird Cake recipe, for many years.
I hope you love this!
Will almond flour work?
I would not recommend this as a replacement. Almost flour has a different texture and taste. It would yield a different cake taste/style
Is there a dairy free cream cheese brand that you use for the icing? I know you can get plant based butter.
Kite Hill is a great option 🙂
Can I convert this to a 9 x 13 baking dish? will assume there will be cupcakes from the excess?
Yes, you can convert this. There may be some left over for cupcakes
I am excited to try your hummingbird cake!! It truly looks delicious‼️Thanks for sharing❤️
We hope you love it!!
Do you use canned pineapple or fresh?
Either works. If using canned, please drain the juice
absolutely delicious
I think I should have left my cake to cool overnight before icing. Other than, that, the cake was super soft, moist and decadend. I used cake flour and substituted the vanilla essence with pineapple essence.
It calls for 3 cups of gluten free. So if I wanted to use all purpose flour is it the same – 3 cups?
Yes, the same 🙂
Hi! The instruction says to mix eggs and sugar first until frothy. However in the video, it shows that the eggs are directly added into the banana mixture. Which one should I follow?
Either works but preferred sugar and eggs first
C
To make this egg free, could I replace it with flax egg?
Hello- Yes, you can use flax as your egg replacement
Some of these recipes, lovely as they sound are not gluten and diary free – recipe ingredients give butter, cream cheese etc. Quite deceptive, sorry!
Hello,
These are all GF and DF: Danielle uses GF flour and dairy free milk, butter, cream cheese (kite hill is great for cream cheese, I can’t believe it’s not butter sticks, and oat milk)