Hummingbird Cake Recipe

This classic Southern Hummingbird Cake is the perfect easy dessert, tea time snack, or sweet breakfast treat! The moist spice cake is full of crunchy pecans, juicy pineapple, and fresh mashed banana, and then finished off with a rich homemade cream cheese frosting. Prepare the old fashioned hummingbird cake recipe as a sheet cake, or as a classic layer cake for your next Sunday supper, potluck meal, or holiday celebration!

What is Hummingbird Cake?

Hummingbird cake is a banana-pineapple spice cake popular in the Southern United States. It’s often finished with a cream cheese frosting, and otherwise tastes a lot like banana bread — with a few extra ingredients!

Yoder’s Country Market, a little shop right near our house here in Virginia, sells a homemade Hummingbird Bundt cake that’s absolutely delicious. Southern Living magazine made the old fashioned dessert popular after the recipe was submitted to the magazine in 1978 from a reader in Greensboro, North Carolina named Mrs. L.H. Wiggins. While a Bundt cake or a mile-high multi-layer cake may be more traditional, I typically prefer the ease of a single layer sheet cake.

With this hummingbird cake recipe, you have the choice of either baking the batter in a single 9 x 13-inch baking dish (shown here), or dividing the batter between two 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans to stack in layers. Either way, there’s plenty of decadent cream cheese frosting to finish off the perfect Southern dessert!

Why do they call it a Hummingbird Cake?

The origin of the cake goes all of the way back to Jamaica, but its namesake remains a mystery. That said, many folks speculate that the dessert gets its name because it’s so sweet!

Ingredients

This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a homemade hummingbird cake recipe. As always, specific measurements and complete step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

• Cake flour: this flour has a lighter texture than all-purpose flour, which creates a softer, lighter cake with a tender crumb.
• Baking soda: the leavening agent that helps the cake rise.
• Salt: to enhance the flavors in the cake and balance the sweetness.
• Ground cinnamon: for warm spice.
• Granulated sugar: for just the right amount of sweetness.
• Vegetable oil: keeps the cake incredibly moist.
• Banana: choose very ripe bananas (with some dark spots).
• Eggs: give the cake structure.
• Vanilla extract: for flavor!
• Canned crushed pineapple: adds moisture, flavor, and sweetness to the batter. Drain off most of the juice before adding the pineapple to the batter.
• Pecans: for nutty crunch. Use extra pecans for garnish, if you like.
• Salted butter: for the frosting.
• Cream cheese: for a rich, creamy frosting. Use blocks of cream cheese (not tubs).
• Confectioners’ sugar: to sweeten the frosting.

How to Make a Hummingbird Cake

This classic recipe is slightly adapted from Vera Stewart — the Queen of Southern cakes! I’ve made it a bit easier by scaling down the quantities and making a single layer sheet cake (rather than a stacked 4-layer cake), but the delicious taste and the decadent, moist flavor remains the same!

1. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine the sugar, oil, and bananas in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. This creams together the sugar and oil, and also helps to mash the bananas.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla extract.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat the batter on medium speed for 5-7 minutes, which incorporates a lot of air and yields a light, fluffy cake.
5. Add the crushed pineapple and the chopped pecans.
6. Pour the batter into a greased baking pan (or multiple round pans).
7. Bake in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack before frosting.
9. Mix together the cream cheese frosting.
10. Spread the frosting on the cake. Garnish with chopped pecans, if desired.
11. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.

Make Ahead

Bake the cake ahead of time, cool, and wrap tightly. Store the cake at room temperature overnight, and then frost before serving. You can also freeze the unfrosted cake for up to 2 months.

Make the frosting in advance and store it in the refrigerator overnight. The frosting will need to sit at room temperature to soften slightly before you spread it on the cake.

Storage

Store the cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the frosted cake for up to 2 months. Just make sure that it’s wrapped tightly to prevent freezer burn. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Recipe Variations

• Instead of baking the cake in a single 9 x 13-inch pan, you can make a layer cake by dividing the batter between two 9-inch or 8-inch round cake pans. Stack the layers on top of each other, with frosting in between.
• For a very impressive 4-layer cake, double all of the ingredients and divide the batter between 4 round cake pans.
• For a smaller cake, divide all of the ingredients in half and bake the cake in an 8-inch square pan.
• If you love the stronger flavor of toasted pecans, you can toast the pecans in a dry skillet on the stovetop just until fragrant. Let them cool completely, and then use in the recipe as instructed.
• Make hummingbird muffins or cupcakes by baking the batter in muffin tins. Bake muffins at 350°F for about 20 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean). Frosting is optional!

Tips for the Best Hummingbird Cake Recipe

• Use very ripe bananas (with plenty of black spots on the peels), since they offer the most sweetness and flavor. They also mix smoothly into the batter.
• Make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature. This helps them blend together more easily and smoothly.
• Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving. The cream cheese frosting will be quite soft when first spread, so you’ll have a cleaner cut if you give the cake time to firm up.
• Sift the confectioners sugar to avoid any lumps in your frosting.
• Use full-fat block-style cream cheese for the frosting. The cream cheese frosting will be thin and runny if you substitute with low fat cream cheese or cream cheese spread from a tub.
• This recipe yields enough frosting for a two-layer cake. If you prepare a single layer sheet cake, you will not need all of the frosting. In fact, for a thin layer of frosting, you can cut the frosting ingredients in half.
• Garnish the cake with chopped pecans or sprinkle with shredded coconut.

More Southern Cake Recipes to Try

• Vanilla Pound Cake with Caramel Icing
• Pig Pickin’ Cake
• One Bowl Buttermilk Chocolate Cake
• Strawberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• The Best Coconut Cake
• Red Velvet Cake
• Grandma’s Texas Sheet Cake
• Caramel Cake
• Carrot Cake
• Peach Pound Cake
• Sour Cream Pound Cake
• Chocolate Pound Cake
• 7UP Pound Cake

Hummingbird Cake Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Prep: 20 minutes minutes

Cook: 30 minutes minutes

Cooling Time 3 hours hours

Total: 3 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Servings 18 slices

Calories 317 kcal

This classic Southern Hummingbird Cake recipe is the perfect easy dessert, tea time snack, or sweet breakfast treat!

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Ingredients

  

FOR THE CAKE:

• 2 ¼ cups cake flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 ½ very ripe bananas, chopped
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 8 ounces canned crushed pineapple, drained
• ½ cup pecans, chopped (plus extra for garnish, if desired)

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

• ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened at room temperature
• 16 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Instructions

MAKE THE CAKE:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan (or two 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans).
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
• Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine sugar, oil, and bananas until the bananas are mashed (about 3 minutes).
• Add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla extract; mix to combine.
• Gradually add the flour mixture until blended. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
• Beat the batter on medium speed for about 5-7 minutes.
• Add crushed pineapple and chopped pecans; mix until well blended.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven for 30-35 minutes (for a 9 x 13-inch pan) or 25-30 minutes (for the smaller round pans), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

PREPARE THE FROSTING:

• Use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl.
• Add vanilla and beat for 1 more minute.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar. Scrape the bowl, as necessary, to make sure that all of the ingredients are completely combined. Once you’ve added all of the sugar, beat on low for 3 more minutes.
• Spread the frosting on top of the cake. If you're making a single-layer sheet cake, you will probably not need all of the frosting. Garnish with chopped pecans, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.

Notes

• Use very ripe bananas (with plenty of black spots on the peels), since they offer the most sweetness and flavor. They also mix smoothly into the batter.
• Make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature. This helps them blend together more easily and smoothly.
• Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving. The cream cheese frosting will be quite soft when first spread, so you’ll have a cleaner cut if you give the cake time to firm up.
• Sift the confectioners sugar to avoid any lumps in your frosting.
• Use full-fat block-style cream cheese for the frosting. The cream cheese frosting will be thin and runny if you substitute with low fat cream cheese or cream cheese spread from a tub.
• This recipe yields enough frosting for a two-layer cake. If you prepare a single layer sheet cake, you will not need all of the frosting. In fact, for a thin layer of frosting, you can cut the frosting ingredients in half.
• Garnish the cake with chopped pecans or sprinkle with shredded coconut.
• Recipe adapted from Vera Stewart.

Keyword: Hummingbird Cake, hummingbird cake recipe, old fashioned hummingbird cake recipe

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Southern

Author: Blair Lonergan

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This recipe was originally published in July, 2014. It was updated in March, 2022.