Hummingbird Layer Cake

Beautiful layers flavored with banana, pineapple, cinnamon, and walnuts are combined with sweet cream cheese frosting. A fantastic classic cake that keeps well and can be frozen!

Why is it called Hummingbird Cake?

Popular in southern baking, this cake has its origins in Jamaica, where the national bird is, you guessed it right, the hummingbird!

For me, the pineapple screams vacation and summer and palm trees, so it's fitting that it comes from the Caribbean.

And I know I'm posting this when for most of you it's freezing outside, but I usually make it with canned pineapple, so it can be made year-round. And it's summer here, btw, southern hemisphere.

Ingredients

This cake is traditional, a classic, and as such, some ingredients must be included.

• Bananas - use very ripe ones, like you would for banana bread.
• Pineapple - you can use fresh or canned. The latter keeps it moister in my opinion. But either is fine.
• Pecans or walnuts - traditionally made with pecans, I don't always find them, so I opt for walnuts which are very popular in this cake also.
• Cinnamon - use ground and a good brand. I love Vietnamese cinnamon.

Baking layer cakes

The way to ensure the best results is to bake each layer separately. That way they bake faster and it's easier to have more even layers than you do when you cut a cake in half (or thirds which is not easy).

But having 2 or 3 similar baking pans may not be your case, or the oven might not hold that amount of pans.

You can bake it in just one pan, I recommend a 9 or 10-inch cake pan with a removable bottom for this recipe. You might have to make it a two-layer instead of three.

Pan sizes

• Rectangular pan: like you would a sheet cake, cut it in half and layer both halves. It will be a square cake. And I suggest an 8x13 inch pan or similar. Or simply make it as a sheet cake, one layer of cake with another of frosting. It's great for barbecues or parties.
• Loaf pan: this is another option and this recipe makes enough for 2 medium loaves, similar to the zucchini pineapple bread.
• Tube pan: it has a hole in the center but it has a flat bottom and smooth sides. I don't recommend bundt cake pans because the cake tends to stick to the nooks and crannies the patterns make. I use a 10-inch tube pan as you can see in the pecan coffee cake.

I bake this recipe in three 8-inch pans or two 9-inch pans (image above). Either size, whether you make it in two or three layers, the result is excellent.

Cream cheese frosting

The traditional filling is this much-loved frosting.

It is extremely easy to make and keeps well for a few weeks in the refrigerator.

I like to keep an eye on the cake/filling ratio. As much as I love this frosting, I like the cake to shine on its own and the flavors to be present. So I use enough to add to the cake but don't overdo it.

That said, it is one of my favorites ever, especially when it is flavored, like the one in the coconut lemon sheet cake or the lemon blueberry cake.

Storing this cake

• Freezing: the layers can be frozen, well wrapped, for a month. Defrost at room temperature but don't let it get to room t° before filling and frosting. The frosting can be frozen also, but it's not the exact same texture afterward.
• Refrigeration: I recommend storing it in the refrigerator after the first day. The pineapple can ferment if left out in a warm environment and completely ruin the cake. It happened to me.

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