Hummingbird Cake is a dense and moist southern cake flavored with bananas, pineapple, and cinnamon and covered in a rich cream cheese frosting topped with toasted pecans.
What Is Hummingbird Cake?
The first Hummingbird Cake recipe was published in Southern Living magazine in 1978 after being submitted by a reader from Greensboro, North Carolina. It became the most requested recipe in the magazine’s history. It’s a classic southern cake that’s perfect for a special occasion like Easter, Mother’s Day, a Graduation or Thanksgiving.
Typically dense and moist and very rich and sweet, this cake is a great dessert for parties and get togethers. It will fill you up in a hurry and should be cut in small slices. It is known to induce tummy aches if eaten in too large a quantity.
What Flavor Does It Have?
Hummingbird Cake almost tastes like banana bread and carrot cake had a baby together. The banana flavor overshadows the pineapple, but the pineapple no doubt helps create a moist cake and the little pieces of pineapple help give Hummingbird Cake its unique texture.
Does Hummingbird Cake Have Coconut?
Occasionally, Hummingbird Cakes will have coconut in them, probably because coconut is such a natural fit with banana and pineapple. The mashed banana, crushed pineapple, and Vegetable oil keep the cake very moist and the pecans provide some crunch and texture contrast.
Cream Cheese Frosting
The technique for making the cream cheese frosting is from America’s Test Kitchen and I love it. Instead of starting the frosting by beating together softened butter and softened cream cheese, you beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar together and then add 1-ounce pieces of CHILLED cream cheese. The end result is a thicker, firmer cream cheese frosting that holds its form better when you spread it between the cake layers, making the cake much easier to frost.
Plus it just seems to taste better right from the get go because the cold cream cheese chills the frosting some. I’ve never found room temperature cream cheese frosting to taste very good.
You would think that the cream cheese would have trouble blending in evenly with the rest of the ingredients, but it magically and instantly gets completely absorbed into the frosting. You will have a hard time not sticking your finger in for a taste or two.
Recipe Tips
- Use a very ripe banana. A very ripe one will add more flavor and moisture to the cake.
- You can use walnuts instead of pecans or leave the nuts out altogether.
How Long Does This Cake Last?
Since there is cream cheese in the frosting, it should be stored in the refrigerator. You can let it sit at room temperature for an hour or two before serving. It will keep in the refrigerator for 5 or 6 days. Be sure to wrap it weel in plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out. It also freezes really well.
Recommended Equipment
- Electric Stand Mixer– I like to use a stand mixer for mixing together cake batters.
- 3 9-inch cake pans– I really love these Wilton cake pans.
Next special occasion, bake up a Hummingbird Cake. Each bite will surely make you and your guests hum with delight 🙂
More Southern Cakes
- Bananas Foster Cake
- Banana Pudding Cake
- Classic Coca Cola Cake
- Classic Southern Pound Cake
- Kentucky Blackberry Jam Cake
- Mississippi Mud Cake
More Hummingbird Recipes
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Watch the short video below to see how to make Hummingbird Cake.
Hummingbird Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour,, sifted
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs,, lightly beaten
- 1 3/4 cups very ripe banana,, mashed
- 2 cups toasted chopped pecans,, divided
- 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple,, undrained
- 1 cup butter,, softened
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese,, cut into 1-ounce pieces and chilled
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 3 9-inch cake pans.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, 2 cups sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and allspice.
- Add vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and eggs and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.
- Stir in banana, 1 cup pecans, and pineapple just until evenly mixed.
- Divide batter evenly between the 3 cake pans. Place in oven and bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
- To make frosting, use and electric mixer to beat together butter and powdered sugar, adding powdered sugar gradually. Add vanilla extract and salt and mix until smooth.
- With mixer on medium, add 1 piece of cream cheese at a time. Turn mixer off once all cream cheese has been incorporated.
- Spread frosting between layers of cake and cover top and sides. Sprinkle remaining chopped pecans on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally published April 5, 2014.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Hi,
This looks amazing! I want to make this for my birthday, but can I bake the cakes in advance? Like 3 days or so? So that I only have to ice the cake on my birthday?
Thanks so much!
Yes, you should be fine to bake the cake 3 days in advance. It is very much like a carrot cake- very moist and you don’t really have to worry about it drying out.
Thank you! Can’t wait to make this.
Simply yummy
This is the second time that I have made this hummingbird cake. Each time I added more ingredients then it calls for… instead of 3 cup of flour little bit more… this amount of sugar a little bit more. Each time it is amazing! I make this cake for my small Assisted Living Center here in Alvin Texas. My residence love it. I talked to them about hummingbirds are a little nutty that’s why it has nuts in it. One resident do not like nuts so I make a second one for her without nuts. she calls it something else hahaha
You are the best! I am sure they enjoy you cooking for them so, so much!
Thank you so much….Do you know what size cake pans 8 or 9″….Thank you again
I just wanted to take a moment to say that this cake is amazing! Followed the cake recipe to a tea (though may have been naughty and used can frosting). Amazingly moist and flavourful cake, probably up there very highly in my favourite cakes.
Does this cake need to be refrigerated?
Yes!!
Can someone plz translate this into uk ingredients and measurements plz. Looks wonderful. And whats all spice
http://www.sweet2eatbaking.com/uk-us-conversion/
Allspice: mix together
2.5 ml ground cinnamon
2.5 ml ground nutmeg
2.5 ml ground clove
could you make this in a 9×13 pan?
Yes, you can make it in a 9×13-inch pan. Not sure off hand what the baking time would be.
I’ve made this cake for years. I often make it in a bunt pan. We love it. I use exactly what you have for ingredients. Tastes wonderful, everybody loves it.
Could you use just “2” 9″ rounds instead of “3”?
Yes, but you will have to adjust the baking time and make sure your 9-inch pans are deep enough that the batter doesn’t overflow.
Looks delicious and can’t wait to make it! But – most HB recipes call for only baking soda. Why does this one call for baking soda and baking powder?
Some older recipes have both soda and powder.
it was a transition period when they wouldn’t trust the powder. Made this for our church bake sale. I asked some ladies if they ever heard of it – first thing that came out was the hum : Hummm, then yes very good – a great hit. I used coconut pecan icing with it. Thanks for the recipe.
I have never actually ate a hummingbird cake before, is it really supposed to taste like banana bread? I made the cake and it tastes like a banana nut cake….just wanted to ensure I didn’t do something wrong. I know it’s a mix between banana nut and carrot cake but this tastes a lot like a banana nut bread. I am thinking maybe I needed to add more pineapples?
It does taste very similar to a banana cake. The bananas do tend to have more flavor than the pineapple.
This is the second hummingbird cake I am trying – last week I tried the recipe from Southern living.. Your recipe has allspice theirs did not – otherwise similar – will see
The comments are hilarious – can I use eggs (eyeroll) can I leave out this, add that- (eyeroll)
NO! The recipe calls for specific ingredients. Use them, nothing more or less. If you want a carrot as cake make on, if you want eggless, make an eggless recipe . . . people amaze me – try a recipe, change it willy-nilly, then say it is a dreadful recipe when the cake is a disaster, But thank you for the comments, read them all while the cake was in the oven …
Love your comments! Someone is kind enough to share a recipe & they get peppered with variation questions. Make it or don’t. Change it if you choose based on your own discretion.
I know!! My eyes roll so much, I get headaches! Lol…. my hummingbird cake is a big hit at my meetings!
I’ve been asked to make it 3-4 times for birthdays . I will at extra vanilla or nuts at times. I could go into a
Hummingbird Cake business!! Lol
Totally agree!!!!
I hate it when people do that, go make your own recipe then. It’s like being rude to the person who shared her recipe here and then saying it’s not good enough that I had to add this, decrease this, omit this etc.
This is such an old recipe, my grandmother made it; its fun to know people still enjoy it. I agree with the comment about all the adjustments from the at home bakers. By the time most of them have finished they aren’t even making the recipe.