Before you start
Hummingbird cake is the American South's answer to carrot cake: banana and crushed pineapple keep an oil-based crumb dense and damp, cinnamon warms it, toasted pecans give it teeth, and cream cheese frosting does the rest. No mixer needed. The pineapple goes in juice and all, which is most of the reason it never dries out.
Everything you need
- 2½ cups (313 g) all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp fine salt
- 1 cup (225 g) mashed ripe banana
- 1 cup crushed pineapple, with its juice
- ⅔ cup (145 g) vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (110 g) pecans, toasted and chopped
- 1¾ cups (406 g) cream cheese, cold (for the frosting)
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, soft (for the frosting)
- 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar, sifted (for the frosting)
Weigh, don't scoop. Measuring flour by cups can overpack it and dry out your bake. Tap any ingredient to open its converter.
Method
-
Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Grease and line two 20 cm round tins. Toast the pecans in a dry pan for 3 minutes until fragrant.
For this step
- 1 cup (110 g) pecans
-
Whisk the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
For this step
- 2½ cups (313 g) all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp fine salt
- 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar
-
In another bowl stir the banana, pineapple with its juice, oil, eggs and vanilla.
For this step
- 1 cup (225 g) mashed ripe banana
- 1 cup crushed pineapple
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
-
Fold the wet into the dry until just combined, then fold in most of the pecans, keeping a handful for the top.
For this step
- 1 cup (110 g) pecans
-
Divide between the tins and bake 30 to 34 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool fully on a rack.
-
Beat the butter pale, add the powdered sugar in stages, then the cold cream cheese briefly until smooth. Stack, frost, and press the reserved pecans around the top edge. Chill 30 minutes before slicing.
For this step
- 1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (110 g) pecans
- 1¾ cups (406 g) cream cheese
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar
Baker's tips
- Blackly ripe bananas and tinned crushed pineapple in juice, not syrup. The fruit is the moisture budget of this cake.
- Toasting the pecans first is five minutes that flavours the entire cake. Raw pecans go soft and silent inside a crumb this damp.
Make it your own
- Bake in a 23 x 33 cm sheet tin for 35 to 40 minutes for the potluck version, frosted in the tin.
- Add ½ cup of shredded coconut to the batter for the full southern table effect.
Storing & freezing
Fridge for 4 days under a dome, served at room temperature. Unfrosted layers freeze for 2 months.
Frequently asked
What is hummingbird cake?
A southern US layer cake of banana, crushed pineapple, cinnamon and pecans with cream cheese frosting. It's like carrot cake with the carrot swapped for fruit.
Do you drain the pineapple for hummingbird cake?
No. The juice goes in with the crushed fruit and is a key part of the liquid. Drain it and the cake loses both moisture and its tang.
Baking in a different unit? Use the cups ↔ grams converter or the recipe scaler to halve or double this recipe.
More to bake
A note on cooking safely. Recipes are provided for informational purposes only and are not medical or nutritional advice. Cooking times, temperatures and quantities are suggestions: use your own judgement, and check that meat, poultry, fish and eggs are properly cooked before serving.
Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making dietary changes, particularly if you have allergies, a medical condition or specific nutritional requirements.