Hummingbird Cake, with its moist texture and flavoring from pecans, pineapple, and banana, is one of my favorite southern cakes. Usually I make a traditional-style Hummingbird Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Icing, but I was in the mood to make a poke cake, Hummingbird style.
I had never eaten a Hummingbird Poke Cake before, but I thought it would be a fun and unique dessert. Poke cakes are so wonderfully moist and I love that they can be made a day or two in advance.
To start, I added 1 cup of ripe mashed banana, an 8-ounce can of crushed pineapple, and 1 cup of chopped pecans to a box of yellow cake mix. I then added the water and oil that the cake mix called for but cut down on their amounts since I was adding liquid and moistness with the pineapple and banana.
To bake the batter, I used a 9×13-inch pan and I let the cake cool slightly before I poked holes in it using the back of a wooden spoon.
Next I mixed together vanilla pudding mix (you could use banana flavor if you want a stronger banana taste), milk, and sweetened condensed milk and slowly poured it over the cake so that it seeped down into the holes. After the cake had been in the refrigerator for about 6 hours, I made a delicious, creamy but light frosting using cream cheese, whipped topping, and powdered sugar.
After spreading the frosting on the cake, I did a sprinkling of pecans and it was ready to be devoured. The texture was wonderfully moist and sweet, almost like a tres leches cake. It’s an easy and fun make-ahead cake that will feed a crowd.
Are you a huge fan of Hummingbird Cake? Try this Hummingbird Cake with Caramel Icing.
Watch the short video below to see how easy this cake is to make.
Hummingbird Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
- 1 cup ripe, mashed banana
- 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1 (3.4-ounce) box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 (8-ounce) container whipped topping, thawed
- 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- Using an electric mixer, beat together cake mix, banana, crushed pineapple, oil, water, eggs, and cinnamon until smooth. Stir in 1 cup pecans.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake 25-30 minutes, or until firm to the touch on top.
- Let cool 10 minutes and then poke holes in cake, spaced about 1 inch apart, using the end of a wooden spoon.
- Using an electric mixer, beat pudding mix, milk, and sweetened condensed milk together at medium-speed until smooth and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Slowly and evenly pour over cake. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
- To make frosting, use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup of whipped topping together. Add sugar and remaining topping and beat just until combined.
- Spread frosting over cake and sprinkle with pecans.
Notes
Nutrition
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Post originally published July 20, 2014.
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I am so glad you reminded me of hummingbird cake! I had never had it here in California, but when visiting family in Kansas I had a slice at a dinner party. It is so good! Such great flavors. Your version looks delicious. Can’t wait to make it!
I’ve actually never made a poke cake but this hummingbird cake looks like to perfect way to start!
That looks so pretty and so good. I have been wanting to bake a hummingbird cake and seeing your post, I am going to do it asap.
I LOVE hummingbird cake. Like even more than chocolate cake. (gasp) This poke cake looks FABULOUS, Christin! What an awesome idea! Love how moist and gooey the inside looks and OMG all those crunchy pecans. 😀
I had never heard of a hummingbird cake either until I tasted weddings cake options last year, and I was sold. So delicious!
I’ve never had hummingbird cake before but it surely does look delicious. I’m thinking of making it for a party I’m having on Sunday.
I’d never heard of hummingbird cake until another blogger featured a recipe. Now, I keep finding amazing looking recipes for it. I think it is a sign I need to make this ASAP. I looks delicious!
This looks amazing!!! I have never made a poke cake… But ought to sometime! Especially by how this looks… yum…!!
I have yet to enjoy hummingbird cake! I keep meaning to make it and it just never happens! This looks delicious! And I also have never made a poke cake so maybe it’s time to kill two birds with one stone…. 🙂
This looks awesome! I don’t think I’ve ever actually had a hummingbird cake (and I even lived in the South for a couple years!) but I always see them and they sound awesome. Yours looks especially amazing with the pudding seeping through!! yum!!
Wow, this is one amazing looking cake, Christin! I love all the flavors of a hummingbird cake but still haven’t made one yet. A poke cake is such a fantastic idea! I love that I don’t have to worry about layering and decorating the cake so this one sounds perfect! Pinning 🙂
You have so many amazing good, tried and true recipes on your blog. I’ve just been pinning them up like crazy on Pinterest today. 🙂
This one is no different. Looks like a delish dessert!
A co-worker once made me the most delightful hummingbird cake – so I can imagine how good yours is with that pudding mix, milk, and sweetened condensed milk poking through – wow!
Holy moly that looks amazing girl. I bet this is so moist since it is a poke cake, not to mention delish!
The cake looks incredible!! so moist and so delicious.. Bananas, pineapples, pecans and cream cheese 😀 all my favourite ingredients… Yumm!! I have never heart of poke cake before. I definitely need to try this hummingbird poke cake.
i’ve surprisingly never had hummingbird cake before.. definitely something i need to try. thanks for sharing the recipe!
At first I was worried there would be coconut in this! So glad there isn’t – this looks great.
LOL! I used to hate coconut, but love it now. Even still, I don’t like it in Hummingbird Cake or Carrot Cake 🙂
Can you believe I’ve never tried a poke cake before? I think I’ve pinned about a million recipes from pinterest, but never attempted one myself. This one looks amazing! I love the banana and pineapple combo, sounds perfect!
Yum! I looks so moist and decadent! I love it!
This sounds so good! I love the addition of the banana