This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our privacy policy for additional information.
Why You’ll Love My Recipe
A great Southern classic, Hummingbird cake is a sweet, moist, and fruit-filled treat. By using just a few simple ingredients and some delicious cream cheese frosting, you can make a fantastic cake every time with very little effort!
Originally a Jamaican dessert that was popularized in the late ’60s by the Jamaica Tourist Board, Hummingbird cake is all about pairing bananas and pineapples into a sponge cake enhanced with warm spices like vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Food writers of the American South got hold of the recipe and popularized it, leading to it becoming a classic!
Make sure to make your own Best Cream Cheese Icing for this recipe to make sure that it’s extra delicious! Or, if you want a different cake recipe, why not try making my Classic Chiffon Cake instead?
Reader Review
I was asked to make this by a friend for their daughter’s birthday dinner. What an absolutely wonderful recipe, easy to follow all measurements & instructions were accurate. They were very happy and said that it was delicious. I have since made it again for myself and totally agree and look forward to making it fir my family.
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: This cake is easy to make and perfect for your next get together or birthday!
- Total Time: You can have this beautiful cake ready in just 1 hour!
- Variations: Not a fan of pecans? Feel free to use walnuts as an alternative to keep that delicious crunch and crackle that the cake needs! You can also feel free to make this recipe into a sheet cake, or even muffins, depending on your serving preferences!
- Tools For This Recipe: You will need three 8-inch cake pans, a whisk, a can opener, mixing bowls, and a cake tester to make this recipe.
What You’ll Need For Ingredients
Canned Crushed Pineapple: This recipe calls for crushed pineapple with the juice, so don’t drain the can!
Bananas: Just like a good banana bread, this cake is fantastic for using up some bananas that may be coming out! Use very ripe bananas so they’re easy to mash and will mix into your batter well!
Chopped Nuts: The traditional recipe for this cake calls for pecans, but walnuts will also work if pecans don’t do it for you! To keep your nuts tasting their best, store them in airtight containers in a cool, dry place—or even in the fridge.
Cream Cheese Icing: When you’re getting ready to make this cake, make sure to have a batch of cream cheese icing ready to go! I suggest making your own at home—though you can get the pre-made stuff, it always tastes best to make it yourself!
How To Make Hummingbird Cake
This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients & complete step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour 3 8-inch cake pans. In a mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients and whisk together.
- Combine oil, eggs, pineapple and pineapple juice, mashed bananas, vanilla, and nuts in a separate bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mix and stir to combine. Pour batter into three prepared cake pans and bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick/cake tester inserted into the centre of each pan comes out clean.
- Frost with cream cheese frosting between layers, then frost the sides and top of the cake. To decorate the cake, press halved pecans along the base and top of the cake to create a ring. Sprinkle the top surface with chopped pecans. Slice and serve.
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Hummingbird Cake
- Keep It Fresh: Since you’ll be using pecans in the cake and as decorations, make sure that you store them properly to preserve their flavor! Pecans are best kept in airtight containers in the refrigerator or, for longer-term freshness, in the freezer—frozen pecans can keep for up to two years when properly sealed up!
- Make It Pretty: The cake itself is simple, but you can make it shine with a little decoration! Halve pecans lengthwise and place them along the base of the cake and the top to form rings, then chop up a few extra pecans to sprinkle on top to make it look special! You could even add a sprinkling of chopped candied pineapple for decoration!
- No Nuts, No Problem: If you or your loved ones have a nut allergy, you could try substituting chopped apples in the cake batter and sliced apples on top. Just make sure that you’re keeping an eye on your overall moisture content, as apple slices will increase the batter’s overall moisture content.
Storage Instructions
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a day, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freezer: You can store this cake after tightly wrapping it up for up to 3 months!
More Delicious Cake Recipes
- Looking for something delightful and simple to have for an afternoon snack? Try my Sour Cream Coffee Cake!
- For a ridiculously simple, low effort dessert, why not give my Apple Dump Cake a try?
- Try my Sweet Potato Cheesecake for a delicious twist on a classic holiday dessert!
- Light, airy, and delicious, there’s nothing like a delicious Angel Cake! Give mine a try today!
I love Hummingbird cake! It has all the vibes of a carrot cake, but a little something special from the crushed pineapple and mashed banana. It shows that some recipes are classics for a reason; even though they’re simple, their flavors are timeless!
Give this Hummingbird cake a try and let me know how it went for you in the comments below!
Happy Baking!
Karlynn
Hummingbird Cake
Ingredients
Icing
- 1 ½ batch The Best Cream Cheese Icing
Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, (One cup – level measured but not packed)
- 2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 cups vegetable oil
- 2 cups mashed bananas
- 1 cup pecans, (chopped)
- 1 cup crushed pineapple, (with juice)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup pecans, (halves and chopped) for decoration
Instructions
Icing
- Prepare one and a half batch of The Best Cream Cheese Icing and set aside
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 ° Grease and lightly flour three 8-inch cake pans.
- Stir together the flour, sugars, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt with a whisk. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the oil, eggs, pineapple and juice, mashed bananas, vanilla and nuts.
- Add flour mixture to the wet mix , and stir to combine.
- Pour batter into three prepared pans.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of each pan comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on racks. Remove the cakes from the pans once the pans are cool to the touch.
- Frost with the cream cheese frosting between the layers , then frost the sides and the top of the cake.
- To decorate the cake: Press the pecan halves along the base of the cake and around the top of the cake to create a ring. Sprinkle the inner top surface with chopped pecans. Slice and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tamboura Sayles says
I was asked to make this cake. It was a big hit. Everyone loved it!!!
Claus Wagner says
I was asked to make this by a friend for their daughter’s birthday dinner. What an absolutely wonderful recipe, easy to follow all measurements & instructions were accurate. They were very happy and said that it was delicious. I have since made it again for myself and totally agree and look forward to making it fir my family.
Mr. Kitchen Magpie says
Aw that’s awesome! I’m glad you folks enjoyed it and thanks for letting us know!
Robyn Sanchez says
do I need to store this in the fridge?
RBBaker says
Wish you had included “The Best Cream Cheese Icing” recipe that was mentioned more than 5 times.
Mary says
“The Best Cream Chees Icing” recipe is included at the very top of the post; before the “jump to recipe” button.