Hummingbird Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
The best and easiest Hummingbird Cake! A tender, flavorful cake packed with pineapple, bananas, pecans, and cinnamon. What’s even better? The cake is finished with a luscious and decadent cream cheese frosting. It’s the perfect cake for any holiday, occasion, or for when you’re just craving something sweet!
A version of this recipe has been in family for generations! I think the original recipe belonged to my grandmother.
Funnily enough, I had never tried the cake before last year.
But I’ll admit, I was very skeptical.
Bananas, pineapple, pecans, and cream cheese? I just couldn’t make sense of the combination in my head. I thought I was going to hate it.
That’s what I get for thinking, huh? I tried one bite and fell in love! This cake is so tender, sweet, nutty, creamy, and just the perfect cake. I love everything about it. I could just sit there and eat the whole cake.
Well, if I thought I could eat the whole cake without getting sick to my stomach because… that’s a lot of cake and it’s really not the healthiest thing in the world.
But a girl can dream!
Do you know what’s the best part about this cake? Yes, there’s something even better than the flavor.
It’s the fact that this cake doesn’t even require a mixer. All you need is a few bowls, some measuring cups, and a spatula to mix the ingredients together. Talk about easy! It only takes about ten minutes to get the batter mixed and ready.
How to make a hummingbird cake
Start by preheating the oven and gathering the ingredients!
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Do not over mix!
Gently stir in bananas, pineapple, and pecans.
Pour equal amounts of cake batter into greased and floured pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cakes test done.
does hummingbird cake need to be refrigerated
Actually, yes! While the cake can sit out on the counter for a day or so, I would definitely recommend putting it in the fridge. It’ll last so much longer and, if you’re worried about losing flavor, have no fear! This cake tastes just as great a few days later as it does the day you made it!
can you freeze hummingbird cake
Sure! Bake the cake layers in advance and freeze them individually. Just make sure to wrap them tightly to avoid freezer burn!
You can also make and frost the whole cake, and then freeze it. Just put your cake in the freezer for a few hours first. This is to make sure the frosting doesn’t stick to the the plastic wrap.
Oh! And whenever you want the cake, unwrap it before you get it out to thaw; otherwise, you’ll have a huge mess when the frosting comes off with the plastic wrap!
expert tips:
- Make sure the bananas are overripe. This will provide the best flavor.
- When measuring out the layers, use a scale for the best results.
- Make sure to grease and flour your cake pans.
- Don’t over bake the cake. Use a cake tester or a toothpick to see if the cake is done. If it comes away clean, the cake is done.
- Chop a few extra pecans to decorate the cake with.
When you make this Hummingbird Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #MSDHospitality.
Hummingbird Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup crushed pineapple
- 4 bananas, chopped
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 16 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray 3 9-inch round pans with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
- Mix only until moistened. Do not beat!
- Gently stir in bananas, pineapple, and pecans.
- Pour into prepared pans.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until it tests done.
- Remove from oven and let cool in pans for about 10 minutes.
- Turn out onto cooling rack and allow to finish cooling.
Frosting:
- Beat butter and cream cheese at high speed until light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes).
- Add powdered sugar in small amounts, beating well after each addition.
- Stir in vanilla.
Notes + Tips!
- Make sure the bananas are overripe. This will provide the best flavor.
- When measuring out the layers, use a scale for the best results.
- Make sure to grease and flour your cake pans.
- Don't over bake the cake. Use a cake tester or a toothpick to see if the cake is done. If it comes away clean, the cake is done.
- Chop a few extra pecans to decorate the cake with.
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
This cake is very moist and flavorful. I make 1 at least twice a year.
Hi Diane! We’re so happy to hear that! This cake has been a favorite of ours for so long 🥰 Hope you find more recipes to love on our blog! x, Caylie