Y’all I’m bringing straight up fire with my homemade Hummingbird Cake recipe. It’s next level moist and and tender while being filled with ripe bananas, sweet pineapple and crunchy pecans. And of course, I went all out topping the whole thing with rich pineapple hinted cream cheese frosting. It’s literally the icing on the cake. One bite will knock your socks off boos.
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They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:
“Made this for my coworkers. It was divine!! Was insanely good! 100% recommended”
—BROOKE R.
Hummingbird cake is one of those off the grid Southern faves that doesn’t get the amount of shine it deserves. It’s hitting with so many delish flavors and textures with bananas, pineapple and the crunch of pecans. I also believe in a bomb frosting, and this pineapple cream cheese frosting is the ultimate finisher. This cake was a huge hit when I shipped it through my partnership with Williams Sonoma, so I know you will absolutely love it! Let’s get into it.
The Lowdown of The Best Hummingbird Cake Recipe
Cuisine Inspiration: Southern vibes
Primary Cooking Method: Baking
Dietary Info: Can be made Gluten-Free with ingredient swaps
Key Flavor: Tropical vibes with a mix of warm spices, banana and pineapple notes throughout.
Skill Level: Intermediate (bring on those baking skillz)
Super Moist and Flavorful
No dry texture around these parts! This cake is incredibly moist, thanks to the perfect balance of ingredients like crushed pineapple and mashed bananas. And that smooth, tangy cream cheese frosting perfectly balances the sweetness of the cake.
Full of Southern Charm
This cake carries the essence of the South in every bite, promising a cozy, comforting experience reminiscent of grand family gatherings. Just like this Hummingbird Bread, you will get a full dose of the South boo.
Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
This cake is ideal for birthdays, holidays, or just a weekend treat! For reals, it’s always ready to make an occasion special and sweet.
Ingredients To Make Southern Hummingbird Cake
- All-purpose flour: This versatile staple gives structure and a tender crumb to the cake, plus its probably already in your pantry.
- Granulated sugar: This gives the ultimate sweetness to this cake and helps to bring out the natural flavors of the fruits and spices.
- Ground cinnamon: Cinnamon has a warm, woodsy, and spiced essence that creates the perfect aromatic vibe.
- Baking soda: Just a little of this leavening agent makes this cake rise to fluffy perfection!
- Salt: This enhances all the flavors in the cake, balancing out the sweetness and adding depth to each bite.
- Eggs: This helps bind our cake, giving cake structure, stability and richness.
- Vegetable oil: This is one of our keys to a moist and tender cake.
- Vanilla extract: A few drops of this fragrant essence add a heavenly floral aroma and enhance the overall flavor.
- Crushed pineapple with juice: The pineapple adds a balance between sweet and tart as well as extra pops of moisture.
- Ripe mashed bananas: Just like in banana bread, bananas layer in moisture and caramelized sweetness.
- Chopped pecans (optional): These give us a crunchy yet smooth textural element.
How To Make Hummingbird Cake
How to Serve this Easy Hummingbird Cake
- Dollop it Up: If you’re looking for a simple light and airy pairing, a dollop of fresh whipped cream is the way to go.
- A La Mode: You can always go classic with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or go with something more fun like a scoop of banana pudding ice cream or pineapple whip.
- Southern Comfort Dinner: Make some fried pork chops, candied sweet potatoes, turnip greens and Jiffy cornbread to serve along with this cake.
- Spring Sunday Supper: Serve up some delish ambrosia salad, sheet pan salmon with tomato cucumber salad on top along with braised cabbage and corn fritters.
Recipe Substitutions
- Coconut: If you’re allergic to nuts or just don’t like them, go with shredded coconut instead of chopped pecans. Toast the coconut for a few minutes until golden brown for an extra burst of flavor.
- Granulated Sugar: Add more depth by replacing the sugar with homemade brown sugar instead.
- Cinnamon: Replace with ground nutmeg or swap in more intensity with an apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice blend.
- All Purpose Flour: Make your cake even more tender by swapping in homemade cake flour.
- Confectioner’s Sugar: You can make your own homemade powdered sugar with granulated sugar and a blender boo! Get to it!
Recipe Variations and Additions
- Carrot it Up: Love carrot cake? Combine the best of both worlds boos! Add some shredded carrots to the batter to add a splash of vibrant color and bomb sweetness.
- Get Fruity: Intensify the fruity experience by spreading a layer of mango preserves, lemon curd or strawberry preserves between the cake layers.
- Dried Fruit: Sprinkle some chopped dried fruit (such as apricots, pineapple, or mango) on top of the cream cheese frosting for a colorful and chewy topping.
- Gluten-Free: Replace the flour with your fave 1:1 ratio gluten-free baking flour. The texture may change slightly but it will still be delish.
- Drizzle It Up: Add a drizzle of an easy caramel sauce over the top of your cake for some depth.
Expert Tips and Tricks For Making The Best Old Fashioned Hummingbird Cake Recipe
- Measure Properly: When using measuring cups, use the “spoon & level” method. Simply use a spoon to scoop the ingredients into the measuring cup. Do not pack down or tap the measuring cup, and use the back of a knife to level off the excess.
- Don’t Over-Mix, Don’t Under-Mix: Make sure you’re mixing any cake batter just until the ingredients are combined. Over-mixing will knock out the air and replace it with gluten. That means tough, dense Hummingbird Cake.
- Go Ripe: I would suggest using overripe bananas (ones with a brown-spotted exterior) for a deeper flavor in this cake.
- Pineapple Moisture Trick: After draining the crushed pineapple, reserve a tablespoon or two of the juice. Sprinkle this pineapple juice over each layer of the cake before frosting. It’ll infuse the layers with extra pineapple goodness and keep everything beautifully moist.
How To Store Hummingbird Cake
Add any leftovers in a cake carrier or covered. It should stay moist and tender at room temp for up to 3 days.
How Long Will Hummingbird Cake Last In The Fridge?
This cake can stay fresh for up to 5 days. Bring layers back to room temp before you serve them up.
Can I Freeze Hummingbird Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting?
Absolutely boos! This hummingbird cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Place individual slices on a baking sheet to freeze for about an hour, then wrap slices tightly in plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. When you wanna enjoy again, let slices thaw in the fridge overnight and bring it to room temp before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
For sure boos! You can bake it a day or two in advance, store it in a cake container at room temp, and it will still be fresh and delish.
Absolutely boos! If you’re not a fan of pecans or have nut allergies, you can easily omit them from the recipe.
If your frosting seems too thin, pop it in the fridge to let it stiffen more before frosting the cake. If it still seems too thin, add more powdered sugar to stiffen it up until it reaches the consistency you like.
Y’all, this hummingbird cake is a true Southern masterpiece that deserves a spot in your recipe collection! With its tropical flavors, moist crumb, and creamy frosting, it’s a cake that brings a burst of joy to any occasion you serve it at. So, don’t be shy – grab a fork and get ready to savor the sweet blend of ripe bananas, juicy pineapple, and nutty goodness in every slice!
More Southern Cake Recipes
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe
- Carrot Cake Recipe
- Banana Cake
- Pineapple Coconut Cake Recipe
- Cream Cheese Pound Cake Recipe
Hummingbird Cake Recipe
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Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 oz crushed pineapple with juice
- 1 3/4 cup ripe mashed bananas about 4-5 bananas
- 1 cup chopped pecans if desired
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar up to 4 cups if you want it stiffer
- pinch of salt
- 2 tsp pineapple juice
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans for garnish if desired
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 2 9” inch round cake pans by spraying with non stick baking spray then lining each pan with parchment paper then lastly spraying the top of the parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt then whisk together until combined.
- Next whisk in eggs, oil, vanilla, pineapple with juice, mashed bananas and pecans if using until completely combined. The final batter will be thick.
- Evenly divide the batter into prepared cake pans and bake for 24-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- After cooling for 10-15 minutes, remove cakes and allow them to cool to room temperature before frosting.
For the Frosting
- Add butter and cream cheese to the bowl of your mixer and beat on high speed until it begins to thicken and fluff.
- Next, slow down the mixer and carefully add in the confectioner's sugar. Once all sugar has incorporated, turn mixer back to high to continue whipping.
- Add in pineapple juice and vanilla and continue whipping until it is smooth, light and a fluffy frosting.
To Assemble
- Level the cakes, if necessary, and slice each cake into two layers making a total of four layers of cake (if desired or you can leave as two layers).
- Add frosting between layers then frost entire cake with remaining frosting. Garnish with additional pecans if desired. Serve at room temperature.
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I made this last year with great reviews. planning again this turkey day. was wondering why you didn’t use baking powder b/c I’ve seen other recipes that use it and coconut. I’m also going to try your carrot cake. How fine do you grate your carrots? That makes a difference when measuring 3 cups. My first carrot cake was not good but then it wasn’t your recipe.
Hi Pamela, my cake requires baking soda which is a leavening just like baking powder. Each recipe will be different, and I don’t try to do what everyone else is doing. I try to make the best version of Southern recipes most will ever taste haha. So I hope that helps. Grate the carrots fine.
This cake is really moist and flavorful.
The down side is the icing. There are times ive added over four cups of powdered sugar and its just too thin to use for a stacked cake. The PROBLEM is the procedure. Try beating the cream cheese cold when remove from your mixer temporarily. Then beat cold butter in with the sugar until mixed well thennn add the cream chese back its thicker because the fat in the butter is coated in sugar and doesnt pull out water and make the icing too thin.
Hi Julie,
So sorry you struggled with this. Thanks for sharing your method.
Made this cake for w bunch of texans who grew up eating it. i toasted the pecans, and they all said it was the best hummingbiRd cake THEY’D had. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for making it and sharing with your friends!
Made this for Father’s Day last year & it was a hit!! My dad kept telling me how delicious it was every couple minutes lol. Making it again this year. Thank you for sharing!
You’re so welcome! Thanks for making it, boo!
Thank you for sharing this recipe Jocelyn! It was absolutely delicious!!!
I omitted the nuts for a work celebration and the flavors still held its own! I will definitely be making this again with the pecans! The cake was moist and held together well both for stacking and for serving!
I used three nine inch cake pans and evenly divided the batter for slightly taller cake. (I use cake strips for even flat layers), using the bounce test to check for doneness (brilliant tip -Thanks!)
I decided on a semi-sheer thicker crumb coat exterior for frosting design using the same amount of frosting listed. Because I opted out of the nuts, I decorated with thinly sliced oven baked Pineapple sliced shaped into “flowers”.
Thank you for making my recipes! Love the pineapple flower addition!
Made this for my coworkers. It was divine!! I didn’t put pecans in the cake but on the outside and I didn’t use cream cheese for the filling but a homemade pineapple curd. Was insanely good! 100% recommended
Love the idea of a pineapple curd!
Can I substitute gluten free flour?
Yes, you can use just make sure it’s a gluten free flour that can be used at a 1:1 ratio for flour.
All I can say is deeelicious! Moist, tasty and nutty… mmmm