There are lots of fantastic recipes out there for hummingbird cake, and they’re all pretty similar. I adapted this Bundt cake variation from Southern Living‘s ever-popular recipe. It has all the main components of the classic hummingbird layer cake: One reader, Sophia, commented: “This Bundt cake is amazing! The recipe is easy to follow and, as always, Sally’s extra hints are very helpful! We followed it as written and it baked up beautifully. The frosting and toasted pecans make it stand out! Perfect texture and the flavor combination makes you slow down and just savor every bite! ★★★★★”
Banana Pineapple Toasted pecans A little spice Cream cheese icing
…but in Bundt form. This is a super plush cake with tons of textures and flavors to love (and minimal decorating required). Here is my hummingbird layer cake if you ever want to try it, too! When I first began making this cake from scratch, I was curious about its name and origins. The cake flavor originated in Jamaica. A version of the recipe was published by Southern Living magazine in the late 1970s, which led to the cake’s popularity in the American South. Now hummingbird cake is often referred to as a Southern classic. And as for its name, the cake was named for Jamaica’s national bird!
Hummingbird Bundt Cake Ingredients:
Pecans: Toast them first. It makes a world of difference, trust me! I always recommend this for carrot cake, too. You’ll use some in the batter and the rest as garnish on top. Flour: All-purpose flour is the base of this cake. Baking Soda + Baking Powder: We’re using both leaveners here, for double-duty to lift up this naturally heavy cake. Cinnamon + Allspice: These warm spices pair beautifully with the banana and pineapple. Salt: A little salt balances the sweet. Eggs (from chickens, not hummingbirds!): Eggs bind all the ingredients together. Vegetable Oil: A neutral-tasting oil makes this cake wonderfully moist while letting its main flavors shine. Sour Cream: Sour cream lightens up the crumb of this cake, so it isn’t overly dense. Granulated Sugar + Brown Sugar: A mix of both sugars sweetens the cake. Vanilla: Flavor-enhancer extraordinaire! Bananas: You want the super-ripe, brown and spotty ones like you use for banana cake. You can also use thawed, previously frozen bananas. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking. Pineapple + Juice: You can use fresh or canned pineapple in this cake. Finely chop it, and include a little pineapple juice in the batter, too.
Behind the Recipe Testing
I like to use pineapple chunks. Finely chop them on a cutting board. You can use canned or fresh: The batter is thick and textured. Use a Bundt pan that holds 10 to 12 cups of batter, such as this one or this one. Because Bundt cake pans vary so much in depth and shape, the bake time will differ. I recommend you begin checking it at 50 minutes. It will most likely need more time, so continue checking every 3 minutes or so. My hummingbird Bundt cakes all took about 58 minutes.
Cinnamon-Spiced Cream Cheese Icing
To get the beautiful drippy look you see pictured here, beat together equal parts softened cream cheese and butter, then add in confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and—the surprise addition—a little warm milk. This makes a cream cheese icing that is just the right consistency for decorating this hummingbird Bundt cake. I also stir in a sprinkle of cinnamon for an extra kiss of spice, but that’s completely optional. Spoon the icing over the cake slowly; it will begin to drip down the sides, and you can use the spoon to help guide it where you want it to go. Finish with a sprinkle of toasted pecans, and this hummingbird cake is ready to fly… right off the cake stand! (The one pictured is this one. It’s beautiful in person!) You could also decorate the iced cake with coconut, like I do with this coconut Easter cake.
