Tuesday 17 March 2009

Hummingbird Cake

There’s no better way to start a glorious sunny day than in the kitchen baking a cake to celebrate the long-awaited arrival of spring! I had come cross this wonderful recipe for Hummingbird Cake on my recent travels around blogs I regularly love to visit. Happy Cook from My Kitchen Treasures and Rosie from Rosie Bakes a Peace of Cake (but has now moved to Baking Cakes Galore) have both baked this cake with beautiful results, making me want to bake it too. Check out their beautiful blogs and their Hummingbird Cakes! This cake gets its dense richness from mashed bananas, pecans and crushed pineapple, and cream-cheese icing that's smeared top to bottom. Definitely a taste of heaven ready to tantalise your taste buds.


Hummingbird Cake

Ingredients
1½ cups of self-raising flour
1 cup of caster sugar
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp cinnamon
¾ cup of flavourless oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Few drops of vanilla extract
¾ cup pecan nuts, chopped
2 large ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
½ cup of pineapple from a tin, drained and chopped finely

Cream cheese frosting (adapted to cover the whole cake)
1 x 250g cream cheese, at room temperature
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
450g (3 cups) icing sugar mixture
2 tsp milk
A few sprinkles (optional) I used sugarcraft daffodils

You will need a 20cm (8 in) round springform tin, lightly greased with a little butter and based lined with non-stick baking paper or greaseproof paper.

Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C/fan oven 150°C/325°F/Gas mark 3. Sift the flour, cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda and sugar into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs, vanilla extract, oil, nuts, banana and pineapple and stir until just combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour or until firm to the touch in the centre of the cake or a skewer inserted into the centre come out clean.

Leave the cake to stand in its tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Remove the paper from the base of the cake and place onto a cake stand or plate to serve.

To make the cream cheese frosting, use an electric beater to beat the cream cheese and butter in a bowl. Add the icing sugar and beat until well combined. Add milk and beat to combine.

Spread the cream cheese filling over the top of the cake and sides. Decorate with sprinkles etc if you wish.


Thanks Happy Cook for this lovely recipe!

19 comments:

Anne said...

That looks delicious but I can't stand pineapple so will have to stick to drooling over it instead! :)

Finla said...

Yeah you made them too, and yours looks so yummy too.
I love the spreas of the icing around too.
Well i do wish i had a slice from the cake with my cup.

♥Rosie♥ said...

Awe Maria your Hummingbird cake looks just divine - I adore the way you have iced this cake white and little yellow sugar flowers it sings spring!! Thanks to H.C. for such a great recipe and many thanks for the sweet mention too ;0)

Rosie x

Arundathi said...

oh that is pretty! a nice way to bring in spring, indeed!

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

Beautiful cake! It looks so moist and the flavors sound wonderful.

Anna's kitchen table said...

That sounds and looks amazing!

Beth (jamandcream) said...

This sounds utterly delish. Will have to try it

The Caked Crusader said...

I love banana in a cake - it makes it so soft and succulent. Lovely looking cake.

Marcia said...

My Mom ran for political office...back in the day, and used this recipe on her political hand-out papers as something unique. Although, in that part of the country it was called "Mexican Wedding Cake". She had so many requests and thank-you's for it that she still says it helped her stand out in that campaign...and win! Hey, I see that you like cookbooks, too! Please give my blog a look on Friday; that's when I do my "Old Cookbook Review".

The Blonde Duck said...

I love the name of that cake!

Caroline said...

Wow, your cake looks gorgeous Maria. I don't know how you manage to decorate them so beautifully - I can never manage it!

I love the fact that spring is nearly here and this cake looks like a great way to celebrate!

Sweet Treats by Dani said...

omg! what a great combo of flavours :)

Heather said...

A fabulous cake! It is so pretty and I bet it's absolutely delicious.

Reeni said...

It's so pretty! It looks moist and so delicious. I love all the goodies in it and the icing-fabulous!

hungryandfrozen said...

I've always wanted to make this cake...might have to use your recipe. Love that gorgeous pink plate!

Katiecakes said...

Your cake looks delightful!

Katie xox

Nic said...

I've wanted to make this forever, but I'd be the only one to eat it. It looks wonderful.

Maggie said...

What a beautiful cake and as Spring has now come, I couldn't think of a better cake. Beautifully decorated too.

Anonymous said...

I've bookmarked this recipe - it is my fiance's favorite, and I am going to make it for our wedding weekend. Your pictures are gorgeous, also.

PS - so glad you were featured on FFF - that's how I found this!