Hummingbird Cake
One of my favorite cakes to eat is Hummingbird Cake. A lovely tropical-based cake, the mere mention of it makes me smile deeply, from ear-to-ear. My first taste, as as a teenager, was from one baked by my older cousin, Doris, who had brought it to a family gathering. My immediate love for it brought such joy to her and our exchanges afterward always included that experience.
Images of a slice of Hummingbird Cake (above) and my mother, Rosemary Peters Brame, standing behind a Hummingbird Cake she baked (below) was taken December 6th, 2024 by Karen D. Brame.
Originating in Jamaica, Hummingbird Cake was historically called “Doctor Bird Cake” because it was so sweet, that it attracted the Caribbean country’s national bird, the Red-Billed Streamertail. In her commentary on the beloved dessert, Paula Disbrowe also shares this origin account for Bake from Scratch blog (https://bakefromscratch.com/origin-classic-hummingbird-cake/). This hummingbird’s tail is ebony, long and “split” in two, like the tails of doctor’s coat of yesteryear.
My family members have been making this cake since the 1960s. Doris has since passed, and others, including her daughter, Lisa, and my own mother, Rosemary, make Hummingbird Cake. Though there are numerous variations, this cake’s “must-contain” ingredients include bananas, cinnamon, crushed pineapples and pecans.
The recipe below is inspired by the one my mother shared with me but without her modifications … I am sure you will enjoy this delicious cake as do I and so many others, including our incredibly fast, feathered friends from Jamaica!
Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
- 2 cups chopped bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
- (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. table salt
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- Vegetable shortening
Icing
- 2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
- 2 (16-oz.) packages powdered sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, flour, salt and sugar.
Fold in eggs and oil, stirring until dry ingredients are moist.
Stir in vanilla, pineapple, bananas, pineapple, pecans and vanilla.
Use vegetable shortening to grease and then flour three 9-inch round cake pans.
Pour an even amount of batter into each of the three pans.
Place the three pans on the same rack in oven and bake for about twenty-five to thirty minutes.
Remove from oven and allow them to cool within the pans for ten to fifteen minutes.
Gently remove each cake from its pan and place on wire racks for approximately forty-five minutes to one hour so they may cool completely.
Using a mixer, blend butter and cream cheese and butter on a medium-low speed setting until smooth.
Add powdered sugar slowly, beating at a low speed setting until completely blended.
Finally, stir in vanilla and then increase speed to medium-high setting, beating until fluffy.
Divide the icing into three equal cups.
Cake Assembly
Place first cake layer on a cake plate and spread one cup of icing on its top.
Add a second cake layer and spread one cup of icing on its top.
Place final layer on top of the other two, spreading the remaining icing on it and all sides of the three layers.
Sources
“Origin of a Classic: Hummingbird Cake” by Paula Disbrowe, Bake from Scratch, accessed December 12, 2024.