Hummingbird Cake

Hummingbird cake is a banana, pineapple, spice cake. It is common in the southern US. Often served with a cream cheese frosting. The hummingbird cake has been a tradition since mid 20th century. The cake first appeared in a publication written by L.H. Wiggin in the 1978 issue of Southern Living magazine. In that same year the cake won the Kentucky State Fair favorite cake award.

Hummingbird Cake
12 servings (calorie estimate: 770/serving)
adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups sunflower oil
1 1/4 cups mashed banana
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus extra to decorate
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped canned pineapple
2/3 cup shelled pecans (or walnuts), chopped, plus extra, chopped and whole, to decorate
Cream cheese frosting
3  8″ cake pans lined with parchment paper

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 325 F.
Put the sugar, eggs, oil, banana, and cinnamon in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or a handheld mixer) and beat until all the ingredients are well incorporated (don’t worry if the mixture looks slightly split).  Slowly add the flour, baking soda, salt, and vanilla and continue to beat until everything is well mixed.
Stir in the chopped pineapple and pecans by hand until evenly dispersed.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and smooth over with a palette knife.  Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and the cake bounces back when touched.  Let the cake layers cool slightly in the pans before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
When the cake layers are cold, put one on a cake stand and spread about one-quarter of the cream cheese frosting over it with a palette knife.  Place a second layer on top and spread another quarter of the frosting over it.  Top with the last layer and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides.  Finish with pecans and a light sprinkling of cinnamon.