If desserts could tell stories, the Hummingbird Cake would surely have more than a few tales to tell. This classic dessert is a beloved Southern favorite and, with three layers of cinnamon and nutmeg-laced cake, chunks of pineapples and banana, and a deliciously savory cream cheese icing, Southern Living touts it as their most popular cake recipe of all time. First submitted to the magazine in February 1978, a woman by the name of Mrs. L.H. Wiggins of Greensboro, NC, has received all the sweet and spiced glory for decades. But her identity, beyond a vague telling that she was a widow originally from Virginia, remains largely a mystery.
The origin of the cake, however, is not.
Hummingbird Cake traversed an ocean to find its way to Southern kitchens, where it’s now a favorite at holidays, birthdays, and potlucks. The cake was originally called the Doctor Bird Cake in its home country of Jamaica, where it was named after the swallow-tailed hummingbird. Legend has it that the cake was deemed sweet enough to appeal to the bird’s sugary tastes.
Fun fact: the swallow-tailed hummingbird, which boasts vibrant, dramatic plumage, is Jamaica’s national bird.
The cake made its way to the United States when the Jamaican tourism board was looking for a way to drum up American travelers’ interest in the Caribbean destination. With more flights and cruises making their way toward the land of reggae and rum, the tourism board sent press kits to the U.S. that included a recipe for a sweet spice cake that embodied the laid-back tropical flavor of the island. It quickly became a hit and, in just a matter of years, iterations of the Hummingbird Cake were winning state fair baking contests and finding their way into home cookbooks across the country.
Made with oil instead of butter, canned pineapple and all of its juices, and spices usually reserved for muffins and bread rather than a cake, the Hummingbird Cake comes together easily and is a unique meeting of both the cozy and the tropical. It’s easy to see why this Jamaican import has maintained its reign in Southern Living’s all-time favorites.
Hummingbird Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 3 eggs lightly beaten
- 1½ cups vegetable oil
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 8-oz. can crushed pineapple with juice
- 4 medium very ripe bananas mashed
- 1 cup chopped pecans lightly roasted
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 8-oz. blocks of cream cheese softened
- 1 cup butter softened
- 6 cups confectioner's sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flour, white and brown sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg in large bowl. Add eggs and oil to moisten mixture. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, bananas, and toasted pecans until ingredients are fully mixed.
- Grease or use baking spray on three 9-inch round cake pans. Lightly flour the pans. Divide cake batter evenly among the three pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let the three sections cool completely before frosting.
- Beat softened cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until smooth. Slowly add in vanilla and confectioner’s sugar. Continue to beat until the consistency is light and fluffy.
- Frost the bottom layer and sides, repeat with two additional layers. Decorate with additional toasted pecans. Get creative! Chop or arrange them in halves across the top and sides. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Photos courtesy of Heather Bien.
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