Hummingbird Cake combines bananas and pineapple for delicious beauty | Sweet Basil and the Bee - Chico Enterprise-Record

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Don’t think for a minute this cake is named for its dainty lightness. Unlike the hummingbird, this cake is a dense, voluptuous beauty — the origins of its name still a mystery. A darling of the Southern baker, Hummingbird cake seems to appear in spring with the flowering of quince, plum and daffodils — the early spring bloomers. As we throw off the mantle of winter, stretch our little muscles, frolic in the sunlight and breathe in the fresh air, celebrate the glory of spring with a cake worthy of the moment.

British chef Jamie Oliver, equally intrigued with the idea of Hummingbird Cake says it will cause endless excitement among Americans and complete bafflement for everyone else. “The Hummingbird cake is a very unusual one. For a start, it’s made with oil rather than butter, and contains more fruit than flour. The mix doesn’t need beating, goes dynamite with a cream cheese icing and often involves spices and nuts. Contrary to the name, there are no birds in this particular recipe.”

Oliver has added a few new twists to the popular deep-south Hummingbird recipe including lime-zest in the cream-cheese frosting and a brilliant pecan brittle topping “achieved by melting sugar and mixing it with broken pecan pieces, then smashing it into crumbs.” The result is an incredible crunch on top of the cake that makes it even more tempting.

The best clue to the Hummingbird’s origins lie in its key ingredients — bananas and pineapple. If you’re thinking Caribbean, you’re on the right track — it’s thought to have been invented in Jamaica in the late 1960s under the name the “Doctor Bird Cake.” The Doctor Bird was a nickname for a Jamaican variety of hummingbird called the Red Billed Streamertail. In the late ’60s the Jamaican tourist board in an attempt to attract tourists sent out press kits to the United States including a few recipes from the island, like one for the Doctor Bird Cake.

The first American printed recipe for the cake was by Mrs. L.H. Wiggin who supplied the recipe to Southern Living Magazine in February 1978, but by then the cake was winning baking competitions across the south and was called the “cake that doesn’t last.”

As the cake is based on two essential flavors, it’s important to get them right. Sally McKenney, who modified the Southern Living recipe to use less oil, less sugar and more bananas advises:

Bananas — brown and spotty. The uglier your bananas, the better the flavor. Odd, but true.

Pineapple — crushed and canned. You may want to use fresh pineapple that you crush yourself and yes, that’s absolutely fine! But one 8 ounce can of crushed pineapple in *most* of its juices is what I reached for in my testing. Convenient and oh my goodness … the flavor.

You would think overripe bananas would be easy to come by, but on my baking day there were none to be had. I’ll share an internet tip discovered by Carole from Raley’s pharmacy: to ripen bananas, lay them unpeeled on a parchment-covered baking sheet and put in a 300 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. You’ll know when they are ready because the peels turn a uniform black and the bananas inside are just the right mooshiness.

Hummingbird Cake

Homemade hummingbird cake is exceptionally moist and flavorful with three delicious layers and silky cream cheese frosting. Adapted from Southern Living by Sally McKenney with interesting additions by Jamie Oliver. Recipe serves 12 to 14.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped pecans
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups mashed banana (4 over-ripe bananas)
• one 8 ounce can crushed pineapple with most of its juice
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup vegetable or canola oil (or melted coconut oil)
• 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Cream cheese frosting:

• two 8-ounce block cream cheeses, softened room temperature (16 ounces)
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 5 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
• Lime zest and a squeeze of juice from one lime

Brittle topping:

• 1 ½ cups pecans
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• Splash of water

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread pecans onto a lined baking pan. Toast for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven. Turn oven up to 350 degrees, then grease and lightly flour three 9-inch cake pans. Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk the rest of the cake ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and whisk until completely combined. Fold in 1 and 1/2 cups toasted pecans and save the rest for garnish.

Spread batter evenly between the three prepared cake pans. Bake for 26-29 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Rotate pans halfway through baking.

Remove cakes from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. Once completely cooled, remove cakes from pan and level the tops off so they are flat. I simply use a serrated knife. Discard the tops or eat. Yum.

Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, milk, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. Add lime zest and juice. Taste. Add more salt if needed.

Assemble and frost: Place one cake layer on your cake stand or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with second layer and evenly cover the top with frosting. Finish with the third cake layer and spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides. Garnish with leftover toasted pecans or make the brittle topping.

Brittle Topping: Place the sugar and a splash of water in a non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Shake flat and don’t stir it, just swirl the pan occasionally until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture turns golden. Add the pecans and a pinch of salt, stir to coat, and when nicely golden, pour onto a sheet of parchment to set. Once cool, smash into a dust to sprinkle on top of the Hummingbird and garnish with a few fresh spring blossoms.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before slicing or else the cake may gently fall apart as you cut.

Leftover cake is delicious covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Notes

Make Ahead: Prepare cakes and frosting one day in advance. Keep cakes at room temperature, covered tightly. Refrigerate prepared frosting in an airtight container, then bring to room temperature when ready to use. Frosted or unfrosted cakes may be frozen up to two months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, if desired, before serving.

Pecans: I’ve gotten several questions about leaving out the pecans due to allergy. You can leave them out without replacing with anything. Stirring in 1 cup of sweetened shredded coconut would be wonderful though.

Pineapple: Slightly drain the crushed pineapple. You want a little juice, but not all of it!

Cupcakes: This recipe will make at least 32-35 cupcakes. Fill liners 2/3 full and bake 20-22 minutes or until cooked through. You can halve the recipe for less cupcakes, but things get tricky with the eggs. I recommend using one egg plus this: crack a second egg in a separate bowl, whisk it, and use about half.

Non-Layer Cake: This recipe also fits into a Bundt pan, though the bake time will be long — 55-65 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Too much batter for a 9-by-13 inch pan, but a 12-by-17 sheet pan would be perfect. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, keep a close eye to not overbake.

Celebrating a spring birthday? The hummingbird just may become your new family favorite.

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Hummingbird Cake combines bananas and pineapple for delicious beauty | Sweet Basil and the Bee - Chico Enterprise-Record
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