Hummingbird Cake is a fruit-and-nut layer cake with a texture similar to carrot cake and banana bread. Ripe mashed bananas, crushed pineapple, chopped pecans, and cream cheese icing are among the components of hummingbird cake. To honour the moist cake’s namesake bird, you can decorate it with edible flowers. Hummingbird Cake, which is now popular in South America, is thought to have originated in Jamaica. The cake is known as doctor bird cake in Jamaica, after the doctor bird, or swallow-tail hummingbird, a type of hummingbird with extra-long tail feathers. Although it’s unclear how this dessert came to be connected with hummingbirds. Below is the recipe for the famous Hummingbird Cake.
Ingredients:
• 1 and ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp allspice
• 375 gm all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 160 ml vegetable or canola oil
• 4 ripe mashed bananas
• 3 large eggs
• ½ tsp salt
• 150 gm granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 225 gm crushed pineapple
• 250 gm chopped pecans
• 200 gm dark brown sugar
For cream cheese frosting:
• 450 gm block of cream cheese
• 600 gm confectioner’s sugar
• 175 gm unsalted butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp milk
Method:
• Set the oven’s temperature to 300°F (149°C). On a baking sheet with parchment paper, distribute the pecans. For 8 minutes, toast. From the oven, remove. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Three 9-inch cake pans should be greased, followed by parchment paper that has been lined with grease. With the help of parchment paper, the cakes release from the pans more quickly and easily.
• In a big bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and allspice.
• In a bowl, combine the remaining cake ingredients and whisk. After adding the liquid components, mix the dry ingredients together fully. About 1½ cups of roasted pecans are to be folded in. Keep the remainder for garnish. The amount of batter should be around 7 cups.
• Spoon the batter among the 3 prepared cake pans in a uniform layer. Until a toothpick placed in the centre of the cake comes out clean, bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Halfway through baking, turn the pans.
• Cakes should be taken out of the oven and left in the pans on a wire rack to cool entirely. Cakes should be removed from the pan after they have completely cooled, and their tops should be flattened.
• The cream cheese and butter should be combined on high speed in a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer with a paddle or whisk attachment until they are smooth and creamy. Salt, milk, vanilla, and confectioners’ sugar should be added. Beat for 30 seconds at a low pace, then switch to high speed and continue to beat for two minutes. Taste. You can add more salt if needed according to your taste.
• Place one layer of cake on your serving platter or cake stand. Frost the top in an even layer. Add the second layer on top, then spread the frosting across the top evenly. Finish with the third cake layer and cover the top and edges with the remaining frosting. Use the remaining toasted pecans as a garnish. The cake may gradually crumble as you cut if it hasn’t been chilled for at least 30 minutes.
Storage:
Hummingbird Cake is best preserved in the fridge because of the cream cheese frosting, which keeps it fresh and flavorful. If you can avoid eating it first, you can refrigerate Hummingbird Cake to make it last even longer for up to 5 days.
