Hummingbird cake

Name: Hummingbird cake
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: Serves 20
Ingredients: 150g pecans; 250ml sunflower oil, plus extra to grease; 4 large ripe bananas (about 400g); 500g pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped (see Be A Better Cook); 4 medium eggs; 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract; 1 tsp mixed spice; 150g soft light brown sugar; 120g golden caster sugar; 350g self-raising flour; For the icing; 250g unsalted butter, softened; 300g full-fat cream cheese, chilled; 700g icing sugar; 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract; Specialist kit; 3 x 20cm round sandwich tins; Palette knife; Cake turntable (optional)

Portion size: Serves 20
Prep time 45 min. Cook time 35 min
Difficulty: easy

Emily Gussin

Food producer and sustainability lead, delicious.

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Think of hummingbird cake as carrot cake’s tropical cousin. It originates from Jamaica, where its key ingredients (pineapple and banana) are in abundance. Pecans, mixed spice and brown sugar add complexity to the sponge, while a sharp cream cheese icing balances the sweetness.

Click this way for that retro fave, pineapple upside-down cake.

Before you start

Be a better cook If you have any leftover pineapple, use it to make the flower decorations. Cut away the peel, then slice the pineapple as thinly as possible (leave the core intact). Pat dry with kitchen paper, then arrange on 2 lined baking trays. Bake at 120°C/100°C fan/gas ½ for about 1 hour, flipping every 20 minutes, until the pineapple feels dry to the touch. While still warm, push slices into the holes of a muffin tin to set in flower shapes as they cool.

Know-how If you want to make a two-layered cake rather than three, make three quarters of the mixture and divide it between 2 cake tins. Bake for an extra 5 minutes or so until cooked through. You’ll need only two thirds of the icing, but you can freeze any extra to use another day.

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Ingredients

150g pecans
250ml sunflower oil, plus extra to grease
4 large ripe bananas (about 400g)
500g pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped (see Be A Better Cook)
4 medium eggs
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1 tsp mixed spice
150g soft light brown sugar
120g golden caster sugar
350g self-raising flour

For the icing

250g unsalted butter, softened
300g full-fat cream cheese, chilled
700g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

Specialist kit

3 x 20cm round sandwich tins
Palette knife
Cake turntable (optional)

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Method

Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Roast the pecans on a baking tray for 10 minutes while the oven heats up, then roughly chop. Grease and line 3 x 20cm round cake tins.
Mash the bananas in a large bowl, then stir in the chopped pineapple. Mix the oil, eggs, vanilla, mixed spice and sugars together in another large bowl until incorporated. Fold in the flour, then stir in the fruit and 100g of the roasted pecans. Divide the mixture among the cake tins and level out.
Bake in the centre of the oven for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick pushed into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
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Meanwhile, make the icing. Beat the butter with an electric whisk until soft and fluffy. Mix in the cream cheese until there are no lumps (don’t overmix or it will become runny). Beat in the icing sugar and vanilla until just combined, then cover and chill.
Once the sponges have cooled, layer up the cake on a stand or plate, using about a quarter of the icing between each sponge and on top, then the remainder to cover the sides of the cake in a thin layer. Spread with a palette knife to give a ‘semi-naked’ effect. If the sponges feel like they’re sliding around a bit, chill for 20 minutes to firm things up. Remove from the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving to let the cake come back to room temperature.
Decorate with the remaining toasted pecans, plus some pineapple flowers if you like (see Be A Better Cook).