Hummingbird Cake

When the Hummingbird Cake was first submitted to Southern Living in 1978 by Mrs. L.H. Wiggins of Greensboro, North Carolina, we had no idea the cake would become our most popular and beloved Southern cake recipe ever. Without a doubt, the cake is a beauty with its three moist layers topped with cream cheese frosting and pecans; but it's the taste that really keeps us coming back.

There are a few rules for success in this recipe that make it truly stand out: First, vegetable oil is used instead of butter to get the moist, quick-bread-like texture of the layers. The original recipe, as printed below, calls for 1 1/2 cups of oil. Over the years we reprinted the recipe several times and, in keeping with cooking trends of the time, altered the amount of oil and sodium called for in the ingredient list. The quality of the finished product was never altered, however.

Second, you need a can of crushed pineapple in its juices, which you will NOT drain. The juices add so much flavor to the cake batter and keep it incredibly moist.

Lastly, always take the time the toast your pecans. It's a game-changer.

Learn how to make hummingbird cake. Forty years may have passed since we discovered this Southern gem, but we keep making it year after year!

Hummingbird Cake Ingredients

To make hummingbird cake, you'll need only ordinary, easily accessible ingredients:

• Flour: All-purpose flour provides the right texture and density.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar provides the right amount of sweetness without overpowering the fruits' sugar and flavor.
• Table salt: Just a bit will balance the cake's overall flavors.
• Baking soda: This gives the cake layers the power to lift and rise until fluffy.
• Ground cinnamon: This warming spice is beautiful with the fruit and other ingredients. Some recipes use allspice, ginger, even nutmeg, but we like to keep things simple with the single spice.
• Eggs: Eggs bring the batter together and give the final cake layers a nice density.
• Vegetable oil: Butter provides a lot of flavor, but it also has a lot of water. Using oil instead of butter means there is more fat in the batter for a richer, more moist cake. Plus, with oil, you don't have to get out your stand mixer to cream butter and sugar; you can mix this cake by hand.
• Vanilla extract: Elevates all of the flavors in the cake.
• Canned crushed pineapple in juice: Don't drain the canned fruit. You want the sweet syrupy juice, too for flavor and sweetness.
• Bananas: Brown and spotty bananas are welcome here. Their extra sweetness and softer texture makes for the best flavor and blends easily into the batter.
• Pecans: Toasted pecans in the batter adds a delicate bite to the cake that balances some of the sweetness.
• Vegetable shortening: For greasing the cake pans. You could also use a cooking spray with flour.

For the cream cheese frosting, you'll need:

• Softened cream cheese: Essential for the tang and texture of the classic frosting.
• Butter: Adds richness and creaminess to the frosting.
• Powdered sugar: Adds body and makes the cream cheese-butter mixture stiff for spreading.
• Vanilla extract: Elevates the frosting's flavors.

For the top, you'll need more pecans. It's important for the best flavor and texture that you toast pecans. The gentle heating makes them crispier and enhances the nutty flavor.

How To Make a Hummingbird Cake

The full recipe for this classic cake is further below, but here's a brief outline:

• Step 1. Make batter: Whisk together dry ingredients—flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon—in a large bowl. Add the eggs and oil, stirring just enough to moisten the dry ingredients. Stir in vanilla, fruits, and pecans.
• Step 2. Add batter to pans: Next, divide the batter into three greased and floured round cake pans. If you want precisely equal layers, use a food scale to measure identical amounts of the batter.
• Step 3. Bake cake: Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely.
• Step 4. Make frosting: To make the frosting, beat softened cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar until blended, and then add vanilla, beating until fluffy.
• Step 5. Assemble: Spread cream cheese frosting between layers, up sides, and on top. Finish with a circle of toasted pecans around the edge of the cake top.

Do You Refrigerate a Hummingbird Cake?

Because of the cream cheese frosting, hummingbird cake is best stored in the fridge, where it retains both its freshness and flavor up to 5 days.

You may also freeze hummingbird cake to make it last even longer (that is, if you can resist eating it first). In the freezer, the cake will last up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before eating.

Why Is My Hummingbird Cake Dry?

Your hummingbird cake can be dry due to common mistakes. These include:

• Draining your pineapple: Don't drain your crushed pineapple before adding it to the recipe; make sure you're using it along with its juice, which imparts not only tons of flavor, but exquisite moistness, too.
• Stick with oil: Also, make sure you're using vegetable oil instead of butter. Oil makes cake and baked goods more moist and tender because it doesn't have any water like butter.
• Pick browning bananas: Further, make your cake with over-ripe bananas, which are always best in baking for results with the best possible flavor and moistness.

What Does a Hummingbird Cake Taste Like?

A hummingbird cake has a sweet, fruity, spicy flavor profile that might be described as carrot cake meets banana bread.

You might say hummingbird cake tastes like a tropical vacation, befitting its Caribbean origins. These same flavors make for delicious variations, such as Hummingbird Bundt Cake and Hummingbird Bread.

Why Is It Called Hummingbird Cake?

When the banana-heavy cake originated in Jamaica, it went by the name "doctor bird cake," so named for the island's national bird, the red-billed streamertail. This type of hummingbird has a long beak that appears to examine flowers the way a doctor might examine a patient; further, the black crest and tails of the bird resemble the top hat and long tailcoats doctors once wore.

By the mid 1970s, the treat made its way to the U.S., where it more popularly took on the nickname hummingbird cake—a fitting name for a cake sweet enough to attract hummingbirds.

Southern Living Community Tips

Feel free to adapt the nuts to your group's tastes or allergies. "My boyfriend doesn't like pecans that much so I didn't include any in the cake, but roasted some with sugar and cinnamon for the top," ​​community member scastrodesigns said. "It was a perfect crunch for a cake that is so moist."

Another Southern Living community member said simply, "I skip the nuts because my family doesn't care for them — but boy do they love the cake!"

Cocgirl616 adds, "Def toast the pecans. It elevates the taste. I add toasted coconut for certain times when I want it. Absolutely a never fail recipe."

Editorial contributions by Alesandra Dubin.