Grandma's Hummingbird Cake

Old fashioned hummingbird cake with a fork topped with a bite next to the slice.

Grandma's Hummingbird Cake

Indulge in the most incredibly moist, delicate, and crunchy Grandma’s old-fashioned Hummingbird cake. Try this easy and fail-proof recipe that you'll love.

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Cooling2 20

Total Time3 35

Servings:

Calories: 360kcal

Author: Karin and Ken

Ingredients

Cake

2 cans (8 oz) crushed pineapple in juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups large bananas very ripe, peeled and mashed with fork, usually 4-5 bananas
1 ½ cups pecans toasted and chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting

20 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
5 cups confectioners' or powdered sugar
2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
20 ounces cream cheese, chilled and cut into 20 equal pieces
½ cup pecans or walnuts chopped
orange rind (optional)

Instructions

Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch cake pan, line with parchment paper, grease parchment, and flour pan.
Drain pineapple in fine-mesh strainer set over bowl, pressing to remove juice.
Pour juice into small saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced to ⅓ cup, about 5 minutes; set aside.
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in bowl.
Whisk sugar and eggs together in separate large bowl. Once combined, whisk in oil.
Stir in bananas, pecans, vanilla, drained pineapple, and reduced pineapple juice.
Stir in flour mixture until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top with rubber spatula. Bake until dark golden brown on top and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
Allow cake to cool in pan on wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove cake from pan, discarding parchment, allow to cool completely on rack, about 2 hours.

Frosting

Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, or hand mixer, beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt together on low speed until smooth. Continue to mix for 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed.
Increase speed to medium-low, add cream cheese 1 piece at a time, and mix until smooth.. Continue to mix for 2 minutes.
Place cooled cake on plate or platter. My grandma always used to sprinkle a bit or granulated sugar on platter before placing cake.
Spread 2 cups frosting evenly over top, right to edge of cake and down the sides. Smooth frosting as best you can.
Sprinkle top of cake with pecans or walnuts. My grandma used to put a little orange rind but it's not necessary.
Refrigerate cake for at least 1 hour before serving.

Video

Notes

Mix well: The key to getting the perfect moist and fluffy texture is to make sure everything is incorporated well into the mixture and there are no lumps whatsoever.

Use full-fat cream cheese: To get the frosting to the perfect consistency, use full-fat cream cheese. Low-fat cream cheese can have a higher water content and can cause the frosting to get runny.

Use the whisk: When making cream cheese, use the whisk attachment as opposed to the paddle one to get the perfect soft texture.

Use fresh leavening agents: Good quality leavening agents will ensure that your cake is perfectly fluffy, and not dense and dry.

Nutrition