Hummingbird Cake

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I’m not sure that you’ll ever taste another cake as brilliantly flavorful as my hummingbird cake. The perfect springtime cake, this recipe is flavored with overripe bananas, crushed pineapple, ground cinnamon, butter, vanilla, and pecans, then iced with a thick layer of silky cream cheese frosting. Sure to be a showstopper!

Slice of cream cheese frosted hummingbird cake on a white plate

The Perfect Springtime Cake

Hummingbird cake is said to have originated in Jamaica and was first published in the US in an issue of Southern Living during the late 70’s. Since then, it’s become a popular cake across the United States, but remains particularly popular in the south. It’s also particularly popular in my house around Easter, or anytime I find myself with a few overripe bananas.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

A proven 5-star recipe ⭐️. Since this recipe was first published several years ago, it’s garnered dozens of 5-star reviews with readers raving about how moist, flavorful, simple, and just overall delicious it is!
Elegantly simple. A simple two layer cake, this one is cloaked with my cream cheese frosting, which is the perfect, subtly tangy counterpart to the sweet cake layers.
Perfect for beginner and experienced bakers alike. While there are quite a few ingredients that go into a hummingbird cake, the actual prep is simple and straightforward. The batter comes together quickly, and the frosting is essentially foolproof, too.
Jaw-droppingly flavorful. Ultimately this is like a moist spice cake, well-flavored with bananas and crushed pineapple. The flavor is rich but refreshing, something of a hybrid between carrot cake, banana cake, and pineapple upside-down cake. A lot of flavors, yes, but they work beautifully together.

What You Need

It might look like a lot of ingredients at first glance, but most are basic and each is carefully chosen to add flavor, moisture, and texture to this 2-layer cake. Ingredients for both the cake layers and the frosting are shown.

Ingredients needed to make hummingbird cake

Bananas. Reach for the same sort of bananas you’d choose if making banana bread: the browner and spottier the better! These over-ripe bananas contain more sugar and moisture (and, in turn, more flavor) than their more yellow counterparts. This means a more moist and flavorful hummingbird cake.
Crushed Pineapple. You’ll need an 8 oz can. Don’t drain it, the juices will add flavor and moisture to the cake.
Butter & oil. At the risk of sounding like a broken record (because I’ve talked about this in so many cake recipes, like my chocolate cake and vanilla cake!), this blend is the best choice for best flavor and texture. When it comes to the oil, any neutral oil will work. I currently use avocado oil, but this recipe has been tested and works with canola oil and vegetable oil, too.
Sugar. A blend of granulated and brown sugar gives us a nice balance of flavor. Light or dark brown sugar will work, but dark is my preference. It makes the flavor slightly richer and the cake a tad more moist.
Eggs. They should be at room temperature, in fact all of your ingredients should be.
Vanilla Extract. You’ll need a full tablespoon, I like a heavy-handed pour here. Bonus points if you use homemade vanilla extract 😉
Flour. Since this is designed to be a heavier cake that must handle the weight of all the add-ins, I prefer all-purpose flour to lighter, more delicate cake flour. Save the cake flour for angel food cake, instead.
Pecans. Feel free to substitute your favorite nut, but pecans are the classic choice and walnuts would be my second option. While it’s not mandatory, I recommend that you toast your pecans for best flavor.

SAM’S TIP: For the frosting, make sure you opt for “brick-style”, full-fat cream cheese. Avoid low-fat or the spreadable kind sold in tubs, as it typically results in a frosting that’s too runny and messy and could slide right off your cake.

This is just an overview of the ingredients I’ve used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

How to Make a Show-stopping Hummingbird Cake

Make the Cake Batter

Lumpy cake batter in a glass bowl with pecans added on top, just before stirring

Combine your wet ingredients. Butter, oil, and sugars go first, then we’ll add in the crushed pineapple, eggs, and vanilla extract. You’ll need an electric or stand mixer since we’re using softened butter here; make sure it’s well blended with the sugar before proceeding.
Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk these together in a separate bowl.
Gently combine wet & dry ingredients. Use a spatula for this part and not an electric mixer. You want to take care not to accidentally over-mix the batter or the cake could end up dense and dry, or even rubbery (like over-mixed banana pancakes).
Bake. Make sure to thoroughly grease and flour your cake tins or use a baking spray (make sure it’s one that contains flour). For best results, place a round cut-out of parchment paper in the bottom of each cake pan. This will guarantee your cake won’t stick when you go to invert it. When finished baking, the cakes will be a beautiful golden brown color.

SAM’S TIP: Due to all the add-ins, the cake batter will appear quite lumpy and bumpy. This is normal! So long as you don’t have any dry streaks of flour remaining, your cakes will bake just fine. Don’t over-mix trying to make things smooth or your cake could end up dense, rubbery, and dry.

Cool & Decorate

Frosting two layers of hummingbird cake with cream cheese frosting

Cool the cakes in their pans for 10 minutes, then turn onto a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.
If needed, level the cakes, though mine usually bake up pretty flat.
Prepare your cream cheese frosting and apply an even layer between the layers and around the cake. I like to use a closed-star piping tip to decorate the top, then sprinkle with crushed nuts for a little extra decoration.

SAM’S TIP: Be patient and let the cake layers cool completely before frosting. If you’re impatient (been there), you’ll end up with a soupy mess of frosting that melts right off your cake. If you can feel any warmth radiating from the hummingbird cake layers, give them more time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it called hummingbird cake?

As with my whoopie Pies, it seems the origins of the name of this cake are murky and contested. According to Jamie Oliver, it was so named because it was “sweet enough to attract hummingbirds”. If you don’t have a mouth full of sweet teeth, don’t let that deter you, though! My take on this cake is well balanced with the spices and fresh flavor of the fruit; it’s not hard to quickly eat your way through a large slice!

Can I leave out the nuts (or use a different kind)?

Absolutely. You can leave the nuts out entirely without making any other changes to the recipe. You could also substitute them with walnuts or even shredded coconut for a texture change-up (think like my Italian cream cake).

Do I need to refrigerate this cake?

Because of the cream cheese based frosting and the moist, fruit-heavy nature of this cake, I’m only comfortable leaving it out at room temperature for a day before enjoying it (and less than that if it’s quite warm in my house, as the frosting might melt!). Hummingbird cake is best stored in the refrigerator and will keep for up to 5 days there, just make sure to keep it tightly covered in an airtight container. It’s such a moist cake the cool refrigerator doesn’t do much damage to its tender crumb.

Slice of moist hummingbird cake on white plate, showcasing all the add-ins in the crumb

I hope you try this one, and that you love it just as much as my family does! I have a feeling this just might become a springtime must-make for you, too.

Enjoy!

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I originally published my hummingbird cake recipe in March of 2019. I’ve updated the post to include more tips and helpful information, but the recipe remains the same (no changes were needed).