Description
Jamaican-inspired Easter hummingbird cake blends tropical banana and pineapple flavors with warm spices. Moist layers crowned with cream cheese frosting invite sweet celebration for spring gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 8 oz/226 g cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 bananas)
- 1 (8 oz/226 g) can crushed pineapple in juice (do not drain)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 12 tbsps milk or cream, if needed for spreading consistency
- Chopped or whole pecans (optional garnish)
- Dried pineapple flowers or fresh edible flowers (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Oven Prepping: Position oven rack in center and preheat to 350F (175C). Meticulously grease and flour cake pans to prevent potential adhesion.
- Dry Ingredient Fusion: Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk thoroughly until ingredients are uniformly distributed.
- Wet Ingredient Amalgamation: Vigorously blend eggs, oil, and vanilla until seamless. Fold in crushed pineapple with its juice, then integrate mashed bananas and chopped pecans, creating a complex flavor profile.
- Batter Integration: Pour wet ingredients into dry mixture, stirring gently until just incorporated. Maintain a slightly textured consistency to ensure optimal cake tenderness.
- Baking Process: Evenly distribute batter across prepared pans, smoothing surfaces with a spatula. Bake for 25-30 minutes, testing doneness by inserting a toothpick that emerges clean.
- Cooling and Frosting Preparation: Remove cakes from oven and let rest in pans for 10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely. Simultaneously, whip cream cheese and butter until luxuriously smooth, gradually adding powdered sugar, vanilla, and adjusting consistency with milk.
- Cake Assembly: Carefully layer cakes, spreading frosting between each tier. Generously coat entire cake with cream cheese frosting, creating a polished and appetizing final presentation.
Notes
- Optimize Moisture: Avoid overmixing batter to maintain the cake’s tender, delicate crumb and prevent a tough, dense texture.
- Enhance Nut Flavor: Lightly toast pecans before adding to the batter to intensify their nutty richness and add depth to the cake’s overall taste.
- Control Baking Time: Check cake doneness early to prevent overbaking, which can lead to dryness; look for golden edges and a clean toothpick test.
- Adapt for Dietary Needs: Substitute vegetable oil with applesauce or mashed banana for a lower-fat version, or use gluten-free flour blend for a celiac-friendly option.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Southern American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 490
- Sugar: 54 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 69 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg