What You’ll Need To Make Hummingbird Cake
- All-purpose flour, granulated sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon: Dry staples provide the essential structure, sweetness, and spice profile that define the cake base.
- Eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla extract: These wet ingredients bind the batter while ensuring a rich, moist crumb and warm flavor.
- Crushed pineapple, bananas: Delivers the signature tropical sweetness and moist, dense texture.
- Cream cheese, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, salt, confectioners’ sugar: These simple ingredients create a tangy, luscious frosting for the cake.
- Chopped pecans: Add a nutty flavor and crunchy finish. Be sure to toast the pecans first for the best flavor and texture.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1. Mix the batter. Whisk your dry ingredients in a large bowl, then stir in the eggs and oil until just combined. Fold in the vanilla, pineapple, bananas, and pecans until everything is evenly distributed.Pro tip: When you’re mixing the dry and wet ingredients, use a light hand. Since this recipe uses oil rather than creamed butter, it’s easy to overmix. Stop mixing as soon as the flour streaks disappear.
Step 2. Bake and cool. Pour the batter into your pans and bake at 350°F for about 25 to 30 minutes. Let the layers rest in the pans for 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 3. Make the frosting. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt until light and airy. Slowly mix in the confectioners’ sugar, then give it a final high-speed whip until it’s perfectly fluffy.
Pro tip: Ensure your cream cheese and butter are completely softened before mixing. This is the only way to avoid those tiny, stubborn lumps in your frosting.
Step 4. Stack the layers. Place your first layer on a platter and spread a generous cup of frosting over the top. Repeat this with the second and third layers.
Pro tip: If the layers are shifting or the frosting feels too soft while you assemble and frost, chill both the cake and the frosting for 15 minutes. This helps the cake stabilize so you can stack and frost with more control.
Step 5: Finish the top and sides. Use the remaining frosting to create a smooth finish over the top and sides of the entire cake. Press handfuls of toasted pecans into the sides of the cake, reusing any that fall off. If you’d like, you can decorate the top edge of the cake with additional pecans (as shown). Refrigerate the cake until you’re ready to serve, but let it sit at room temperature for about 1 hour beforehand, so the frosting softens, and the flavors come through.
Pro tip: For the best grip, apply the pecans immediately after frosting the cake while the “spackle” is still tacky.
