Hummingbird Cake

When Marc and I went to Disney World over the Holidays, we ate the most incredible meal at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’. I even wrote all about it here on the blog. It was the first time I ever had hummingbird cake and I fell instantly in love. I’ve also mentioned before that Marc does a lot of work on his own time with the elderly. He is an amazing human with a heart of gold. When he told one of them about the cake, they said how much they missed having it. So he came home one day and asked if I would make it for him. A LOT of my baking and cooking goes to the people he visits, so this was not an unusual or unwelcome request at all. I went right to the source and looked up Chef Art’s recipe for the job.

The batter for the hummingbird cake didn’t even require any special equipment. It worked like a muffin batter because I just stirred the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. I couldn’t believe how simple it was.
It took about 30-35 minutes for the layers of the hummingbird cake to bake perfectly. I used the most trusted test in baking to make sure it was done. If my toothpick came out of the center pretty cleanly, the cake was good to go. I say pretty cleanly because the crushed pineapple and banana do make it sticky no matter what. It just should not be wet at all.
I did need special equipment for the frosting. It was great that I did not have to clean it in between though! The frosting was a simple, gorgeous cream cheese frosting that came together in minutes. It was so luscious and easy to spread.
Frosting any cake is so fun to me, and this hummingbird cake was no exception. For extra crunch, I sprinkled extra chopped pecans on top, which was not in Chef Art’s recipe. Then I just set the cake in the refrigerator until Marc came home.

We kept half of the cake for ourselves and packed the other half for his elderly friend to enjoy. Oh my goodness, we were right back at Disney enjoying our meal at Homecomin’. His friend really enjoyed it too, which was the best feeling in the world. I love baking for people! I hope you all love this recipe too. xoxo

Hummingbird Cake
Hummingbird Cake
Hummingbird Cake
Hummingbird Cake
5 from 1 vote
Hummingbird Cake
Hummingbird Cake
Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
 

Hummingbird cake is such an amazing southern dessert staple. I tried it for the first time in Disney at Chef Art Smith's Homecomin' and had to try his incredible recipe at home! 

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cake, Hummingbird Cake
Servings: 1 cake
Calories: 898 kcal
Author: Jeanie and Lulu's Kitchen
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups finely chopped banana from about 4 bananas
  • 1 cup crushed pineapple drained
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chopped pecans plus additional for topping
FOR THE FROSTING
  • 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
  • 1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 and get out two 9 inch round cake pans. Line the cake pans with parchment paper and spray them very liberally with non-flavored cooking spray. Then whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Stir the banana, pineapple, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract together in another bowl thoroughly, then pour it into the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir the whole thing together really well until you have a thick, uniform batter.
  2. Divide the batter evenly among the two cake pans and bake them for 30-35 minutes. They should be golden and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out pretty cleanly. Let them cool for about 10 minutes, then carefully turn them out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling completely. While the cake bakes and cools, make the frosting. Set up a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and combine the cream cheese and butter in its bowl. Beat them together thoroughly, then turn the speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar and vanilla until you have a rich, smooth frosting.
  3. Now it's time to assemble the cake! Transfer one of the layers onto a cake plate or stand upside down and spread a thick layer of frosting on it. Then place the second layer on top right side up and frost the top and sides. Sprinkle more chopped pecans on top. Cover the cake plate or stand with a dome and store the cake in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve!
Nutrition Facts
Hummingbird Cake
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 898 Calories from Fat 380
% Daily Value*
Fat 42.2g65%
Saturated Fat 12.9g81%
Cholesterol 82mg27%
Sodium 388mg17%
Potassium 244mg7%
Carbohydrates 127g42%
Fiber 3.1g13%
Sugar 93g103%
Protein 7.5g15%
Calcium 30mg3%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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10 thoughts on “Hummingbird Cake”

  1. Oh this looks like the perfect cake to go with hot tea! What a scrumptious recipe that is sure to delight guests!

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