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–+ servings
slice of 3-layer hummingbird cake on pink dessert plate with fork

Stacy Lyn's Hummingbird Cake Recipe

With its cream cheese icing, hummingbird cake is like a carrot cake but with bananas in place of the carrots. If you’re a fan of banana bread, you will love this cake.
5 from 1 vote
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Course Dessert
Cuisine Southern
Servings 15 people

Ingredients
  

For the cake

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice
  • 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 2 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped divided

For the Icing

  • 1 ½ cups cream cheese
  • ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • 3 cups whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans (2 inches tall) and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper and dust pan with flour, shaking out the excess flour, then set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.
  • In a stand mixer on medium-high speed with the whisk attachment, beat brown sugar, granulated sugar and eggs in a large bowl until creamy and light in color, about three or four minutes.
  • Slowly add the oil and vanilla extract. Using a spatula, fold half of the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until combined. Add the pineapples and mashed bananas and stir until combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and fold until combined. Fold in 1 cup of the pecans.
  • Divide the batter evenly into the two cake pans and bake in the center of the oven, about 35 minutes or until the cakes are risen, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool in the pans for five minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  • While the cakes are cooling, make the icing. In the same stand mixer, or with an electric mixer, whip cream cheese and sugar until completely combined, about 3 minutes. Add the whipping cream and vanilla and whip until the icing is light and fluffy.
  • When the cakes are cool, halve each cake horizontally to get 4 layers.
  • To assemble the cake, put one layer bottom side up on a serving platter and spread about ½ cup of the frosting evenly across the top of the layer. Top with the second cake layer and add more icing. Repeat with the next two layers, and then spread the remaining icing over the entire cake. Decorate the cake with the remaining pecans. Refrigerate for two hours to allow the frosting to set before serving. This cake will keep in the refrigerator for a week, or in the freezer for up to one month.

Notes

Stacy Lyn’s Note: The first time I tasted this recipe, I proclaimed, “this is the best cake I’ve ever tasted.” This may sound like an exaggeration to some, but I stand by this statement!
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