Hummingbird Cake Recipe (2024)

Hummingbird Cake is a delicious classic Southern cake recipe. Made with bananas, pineapple, and pecans and topped with a cream cheese frosting!

Are you looking for more delicious cake recipes? I think you’ll love my Cream Cheese Pound Cake, Best Chocolate Cake, Coconut Cake, and Best White Cake.

Hummingbird Cake Recipe (1)

Hummingbird Cake is a favorite cake recipe of my family. My grandmother would make it for special occasions, especially around Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, or spring birthdays. It was always front and center at any family gatherings or church socials. Topped with delicious Cream Cheese Frosting and full of banana, pineapple, and roasted pecans, Hummingbird Cake is a Southern classic cake recipe.

Table of Contents

  • Hummingbird Cake Recipe
  • How to Make Hummingbird Cake
  • Role of Oil in Cakes
  • How Long Does Hummingbird Cake Last?
  • Hummingbird Cake Recipe

Hummingbird Cake Recipe

Hummingbird Cake Recipe (2)

How to Make Hummingbird Cake

Ingredients for Hummingbird Cake

To make this favorite cake, you’ll need these ingredients:

  • All-purpose flour – Use a light all-purpose flour. You can also substitute it with cake flour.
  • Granulated sugar – I use granulated white or raw cane sugar. Use your favorite sugar replacement for baking.
  • Baking soda and Baking powder – both are used in this cake recipe.
  • Salt – I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. If you substitute with Morton’s Kosher salt, fine sea salt, or table salt, you will only need half the amount of the salt called for in the recipe.
  • Ground cinnamon – adds a warm cozy flavor to the cake.
  • Eggs – Use room temperature eggs as they incorporate the best into the cake batter.
  • Vegetable oil – makes for a moist, tender cake. You can substitute with melted coconut oil, avocado oil, or even melted and cooled butter.
  • Vanilla extract – Use your favorite store-bought pure vanilla extract or homemade.
  • Bananas – Fresh bananas are mashed and incorporated into the cake batter. They add richness and moisture to the cake.
  • Crushed pineapple – The pineapple adds so much fresh flavor to the cake.
  • Roasted pecans – the toasted pecans add texture and flavor to the cake. However, I generally omit if serving where there could be a nut allergy or sensitivity.

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Prep. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare three 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
  2. Whisk Dry Ingredients. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon in a large bowl and set aside.
  3. Mix Wet Ingredients. Cream the eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, pineapple, mashed bananas, and finely chopped roasted pecans in another large bowl.
  4. Stir. Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture until just combined.
  5. Bake. Then, divide the batter evenly between the three prepared cake pans and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. You can follow my tips forhow to tell when your cake is done.
  6. Cool the cake layers. Remove from oven once done and cool in the cake pans for about 10 minutes. Then, turn the cakes onto a wire rack to allow the cakes to cool completely.
  7. Frost and serve. Once the cakes are completely cool, frost them with Cream Cheese Frosting. I usually make my frosting while my cake is in the oven. Then serve and enjoy!

Origins of Hummingbird Cake

As far as the original maker of the hummingbird cake, it was submitted to Southern Living magazine for the February 1978 issue by Mrs. L.H. Wiggins of Greensboro, North Carolina. Even though she provided her lovely recipe, she did not include the story behind it or its name. Some would say that is a loss, but I think Mrs. Wiggins did us a great favor by allowing our imaginations to conjure up stories as sweet as her delicious cake.

Hummingbird Cake Recipe (3)

Be sure to add this cake recipe to your must-make list for your next get together. It is sure to delight as well as quickly disappear. Remember to cut the slices thinly as it is rich and as sweet as southern sweet tea.

Role of Oil in Cakes

Cakes using oil in the recipe tend to bake higher, stay moist and tender longer, and result in a cake with an even, open crumb and a coarser texture than those using butter.

How Long Does Hummingbird Cake Last?

I prefer to store this cake in the refrigerator since it contains fruit and is topped with cream cheese frosting. In the fridge, it will last up to a week.

Hummingbird Cake Recipe (4)

Here’s the Hummingbird Cake recipe my family has used for years. It differs slightly from Mrs. Wiggins’ original, but I love the changes.

Hummingbird Cake Recipe (5)

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Hummingbird Cake Recipe

Robyn Stone

4.94 from 30 votes

Hummingbird Cake is a classic, Southern cake recipe. Made with bananas, pineapple, and pecans and topped with a cream cheese frosting!

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 24

Ingredients

  • 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups (396 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon (6 g) baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon (2.8 g) kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (3.9 g) ground cinnamon
  • 3 large (150 g) eggs
  • 1 cup (198 g) vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons (9.4 g) vanilla extract
  • 1 (8-ounce) can (249 g) crushed pineapple,, undrained
  • 3 (454 g) bananas, ripe, mashed (about 2 cups)
  • 1 cup (114 g) roasted pecans, finely chopped
  • Cream Cheese Frosting

Instructions

  • Prep. Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare three 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.

  • Whisk Dry Ingredients. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside.

  • Cream Wet Ingredients. Cream together the eggs, oil, vanilla extract, pineapple, mashed bananas, and finely chopped pecans in another large bowl. Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture until just combined.

  • Bake and cool. Evenly divide the batter between the three prepared pans and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Turn cakes onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

  • Frost. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

  • Store. Store in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap or a cake dome for up to a week.

Notes

Nutritional information is for cake only without frosting.

Nutrition

Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 152mg | Potassium: 125mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 46IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Enjoy!
Robyn xo

From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published in 2011.

Categorized as:All Recipes, Cake, Cooking, Dessert Recipes, Easter Recipes, Holiday and Occasion Recipes, Mother’s Day Recipes, Recipes, Shower Recipes, Southern Favorites, Valentine’s Day Recipes

Welcome to Add A Pinch

About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

Read more about Robyn

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Hummingbird Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a hummingbird cake made of? ›

What Is Hummingbird Cake? If you're not familiar, hummingbird cake is a spiced pineapple-banana cake topped with cream cheese frosting and pecans. Maybe it's the pecans that lure me in, or the way the taste fools me into thinking I might just be eating a fancy piece of banana bread with a little cream cheese.

Why is my hummingbird cake dry? ›

You want to take care not to accidentally over-mix the batter or the cake could end up dense and dry, or even rubbery (like over-mixed banana pancakes). Bake. Make sure to thoroughly grease and flour your cake tins or use a baking spray (make sure it's one that contains flour).

Why is my hummingbird cake crumbly? ›

Pro tips for making this recipe. Weigh the flour. Using too much flour is a surefire way to end up with dry, crumbly hummingbird cake.

What's the difference between carrot cake and hummingbird cake? ›

Take out the carrots and add pineapple and banana, and you'll get the idea. In theory, using fruits and vegetables to sweeten the crumb of a cake is a wonderful thing. In practice, sometimes the vegetables people use are carrots.

Why do they call it a hummingbird cake? ›

Created in Jamaica where the dessert is called the doctor bird cake (or Dr. Bird cake), it is named after the island's national bird, the scissors-tail hummingbird (locally known as the doctor bird).

What is Elvis Presley cake? ›

An Elvis Presley cake is a single-layer classic yellow cake that's topped with a pineapple glaze. Much like a poke cake, the syrup and juices of the pineapple will seep into the cake through fork holes, resulting in a decadent, ultra-moist cake.

Why is my cake not moist enough? ›

A dry cake is usually the result of one of the following pitfalls: using the wrong ingredients, making mistakes while measuring or mixing the batter, or baking the cake too long or at too high a temperature. Once you understand which common cake-baking blunders to avoid, you'll know how to bake a moist cake every time.

What does a hummingbird cake taste like? ›

What does hummingbird cake taste like? Hummingbird cake tastes like the best banana bread ever, crossed with a carrot cake that some absent-minded baker forgot to bake with the carrots and raisins.

How do you make a cake fluffier? ›

The most crucial tip? Instead of buying an entire box of cake flour, simply incorporate two tablespoons of cornstarch into 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. This blocks the formation of gluten in the flour, which produces a lighter, fluffier cake.

Should I refrigerate cake layers before frosting? ›

"Prepare, bake, and cool the cake completely. Then, wrap each cake layer in cling film, nice and tight, and place in the fridge for at least two hours," he says. That's right, you won't be frosting your cake at room temperature; a chilled cake is essential before applying any frosting. "This step is the most important.

What happens if you overmix cake batter? ›

Overmixing is exactly what it sounds like: the process by which a dough or batter gets mixed too much, typically yielding dense, tough, or deflated baked goods. Overmixed doughs and batters may have an unappealing look or feel, which remain just as unappealing when they're baked.

How long to beat butter and sugar until fluffy? ›

Place softened butter and sugar into large mixing bowl. Mix, using hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed 1-2 minutes, or until butter mixture is pale yellow, light and fluffy.

Why is it called Princess cake? ›

The cake was originally called grön tårta (green cake), but was given the name prinsesstårta or "princess cake" because the Swedish princesses were said to have been especially fond of the cake.

What is a Queen Emma cake? ›

The Queen's Cake, our modern take on the Queen Emma Cake features seven luscious layers: guava cake, guava curd, lilikoi cake, lilikoi curd, coconut cake, coconut haupia, and more coconut cake, all enveloped in our signature vanilla Italian meringue buttercream.

When was hummingbird cake invented? ›

Dense, moist, and packed with flavor from the riot of ingredients, there's nothing diminutive about it. Most credit Southern Living magazine with the cake's widespread fame, when their original recipe came from a reader—Mrs. L.H. Wiggins of Greensboro, North Carolina—and was first published in 1978.

What is hummingbird food made of? ›

Directions for making safe hummingbird food:

Mix 1 part sugar with 4 parts water (for example, 1 cup of sugar with 4 cups of water) until the sugar is dissolved. Do not add red dye. Fill your hummingbird feeders with the sugar water and place outside. Extra sugar water can be stored in a refrigerator.

Does hummingbird cake contain coconut? ›

It's packed full of flavor and texture with pecans, coconut, and pineapple! With 3 layers, it's a dessert made to impress!!

What is Honeybell cake made of? ›

Each slice is 100% vegetarian and yet carries with it each feature of the cake. What Flour, Sugar, Oil, Protein Concentrate, Wheat Starch, Modified Starch, Milk Solids, Stabilizers(E202. E282) &Salt. Contain Permitted Naturals Food Colors & Added Artificial Flavors.

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