Old Fashioned Hummingbird Cake Recipe
This old fashioned hummingbird cake recipe is very popular down here in the South. But with two banana and pineapple-flavored moist cake layers topped with a delicious cream cheese icing, what’s not to love?
Hummingbird cake has been a popular dessert in the southern United States since the 1970s. With banana and pineapple flavors, it’s no surprise it originated in the Caribbean – Jamaica to be exact.
While it looks like it takes a lot of ingredients to make this old fashioned hummingbird cake recipe, rest assured a lot of them are pantry and fridge staples you probably already have on hand. What else do you need? Well, just some overripe bananas, a can of crushed pineapple, and chopped pecans. You slowly mix all the ingredients together and in no time at all, you have your hummingbird cake. Thanks to the addition of vegetable oil, this cake is so delightfully moist.
People often say hummingbird cake tastes like a cross between banana bread and carrot cake and they’re not wrong! If this sounds like your kind of cake, let’s get baking!
Recipe Ingredients
Hummingbird Cake
- softened unsalted butter
- vegetable oil
- light or dark brown sugar
- sugar
- large eggs, lightly beaten
- 3-4 overripe bananas
- can of crushed pineapple (don’t drain)
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- ground cinnamon
- salt
- chopped pecans (or any nuts you like)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Powdered sugar
- Softened butter
- Softened cream cheese (check out our easy-peasy homemade cream cheese recipe)
- Vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 350F and lightly grease the sides and bottoms of two 8″ or 9″ pans.
Mix together the butter, oil, and sugar in a large bowl. You can do this by hand but I use an electric mixer. (Now don’t shame me y’all 🙂 Beat that up until well combined.
Add eggs and mix well.
Continue adding the following ingredients: bananas, canned crushed pineapple, and vanilla extract. Stir that up really well.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
Fold the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients. Use a spatula and not the mixer for this step.
Then add the pecans to the . Stir all of it until completely combined. However, make sure you don’t over stir. Just combine the ingredients and that’s it.
Get your lightly greased cake pans ready and pour the cake batter into them.
Put in the preheated oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Use a toothpick to poke the middle and when it comes out clean they are done.
Every oven is different so start checking at 25 to 30 minutes, especially if you are using 8-inch cake pans.
Allow to cool in the baking pan for 5 minutes and while still warm, remove the cakes onto a wire rack.
You can jiggle them a bit to loosen the cakes and flip. I tend to run a knife around the edges and then carefully flip them out onto a cooling rack to cool all the way through.
While the cake is cooling prepare the icing.
Mix cream cheese icing ingredients together until smooth.
How to Assemble the Hummingbird Cake
Place one layer of the cake on a serving dish. Top with cream cheese frosting and spread evenly.
Top with second cake.
Frost top and sides of the cake and serve.
Storage
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- You can freeze tightly-wrapped slices of uniced cake in the freezer for up to 2 months. The frosting doesn’t freeze well, so you’ll want to add it after the frozen slices have thawed overnight in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
- If you like, top your cake with additional chopped pecans, other chopped nuts of your choice, or a sprinkling of coconut flakes.
- For a more spiced cake, add a teaspoon of nutmeg along with the cinnamon.
- You can also make hummingbird cake muffins instead. Divide the batter evenly among paper-lined muffin cups and fill each 3/4 full. Then bake at 350 for 18 to 22 minutes and top with the cream cheese icing.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use fresh pineapple in this old fashioned hummingbird cake recipe?
If you’d prefer to use fresh pineapple instead of canned pineapple, for this recipe you will need 1 cup of fresh crushed pineapple plus 3 tablespoons of water to make up for the .
How do I ripen my bananas more quickly?
To ripen bananas faster for your classic hummingbird cake, store them in a paper bag alongside an apple and place them in a warm place. It sounds weird, but it works!
Why do they call it Hummingbird Cake?
Well Jaime Oliver explains that all right here.
But the quick version is it used to be called “Doctor Bird Cake” and people think it graduated to “Hummingbird” because the cake was sweet enough to attract hummingbirds. I’ll let you decide after you taste it 🙂
More scrumptious cake recipes:
Peach Dump Cake Recipe (3 Ingredients Only)
Pumpkin Praline Cake With Cream Cheese Icing
Vegan Sweet Potato Cake With Maple Cashew Icing
Yellow Cake with Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Icing
Ingredients
Hummingbird Cake
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 3-4 overripe bananas makes about 2 cups of mashed banana
- 1 can crushed pineapple 8 ounces, do not drain
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup chopped pecans or any nuts you like
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces softened cream cheese
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly grease the sides and bottoms of two 8" or 9" pans.
- Mix together the butter, oil, and sugar in a large bowl. If possible use an electric mixer. Beat that up until well combined. Add eggs in and mix well. Continue adding the following ingredients: bananas, crushed pineapple, and vanilla extract. Stir that up really well.3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened, 3/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup light or dark brown sugar, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 large eggs, lightly beaten, 3-4 overripe bananas, 1 can crushed pineapple, 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients. Use a spatula instead of a mixer for this step. Then fold in the pecans. Stir all of it until completely combined. However, make sure you don't over stir, just combine the ingredients and that's it.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp salt, 1 cup chopped pecans
- Get your lightly greased cake pans ready and pour the batter into them. Put them in the preheated oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Use a toothpick to poke the middle and when it comes out clean they are done. Every oven is different so start checking at 25 to 30 minutes, especially if you are using 8-inch cake pans.
- Allow to cool in the baking pans for 5 minutes and then while still warm, remove them onto a wire rack. You can jiggle them a bit to loosen them and flip. I tend to run a knife around the edges and then carefully flip them out onto a cooling rack to cool all the way through.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- While the cake is cooling, prepare the icing. Mix the cream cheese icing ingredients together until smooth.8 ounces softened cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 tsp vanilla extract
Assembling the Hummingbird Cake
- Place one layer of the cake on a serving dish. Top with the cream cheese frosting and spread evenly. Top with the second cake. Frost both the top and sides of the cake and serve.
I never heard of hummingbird cake before. It looks like a dessert that we’ll really like. I think I’ll take your suggestion to add chopped pecans and coconut flakes to the top. Might as well go for it.
Now that Thanksgiving is over. I have been pondering which of my holiday recipes to make for Christmas. I think this Hummingbird Cake will definitely be on my holiday table. This cake looks A-mazing! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Great recipe! I’ve made this one for years, and alternate walnuts and coconuts for the topping. Perfection!
I’m going to try and make this cake. Look simple and sounds delicious. Will definitely use the nutmeg to spice it up, I guessing I could also use carrots as well ? Will probably use walnuts to. Thank you for this recipe
Oh my goodness. My late grandmother used to bake a hummingbird cake for the holiday gatherings and this reminds me of her cooking and love.
This cake is one of my favorites. Can this cake be made in a Bundt pan? I can’t wait to make this recipe.
I’ve always wondered what a hummingbird cake was. It wasn’t until I read the part of the post that describes it as being a little like a combo of carrot cake and banana bread that it started to sound familiar. Someone brought one from a local bakery to a going away party at work and we all kept trying to figure out what it was (the person who ordered the cake was out that day). It was a hit but no one knew what kind of cake we had. Mystery solved and a yummy recipe to add to my collection!