There are many different types of sweet treats that we may enjoy but one that seems to be a favorite on the menu in many homes is cake. It doesn’t matter if we are eating it on a special occasion, enjoying it after a nice dinner or snacking in the middle of the night, cake just seems to bring everything that we need to the table. Although we may enjoy cake, many of us tend to wish we had it more than what we actually have it. After all, some cake recipes are difficult to make.
If you’re looking for a special type of treat, then you will appreciate this Hummingbird cake. It brings all of the delicious flavors of a cake to the table but it does so in a very unique way. Try putting this cake in front of your family and before you know it, you will be needing another.
Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 cups pecans, chopped
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups bananas, chopped (about 4 medium bananas)
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice
For the cream cheese frosting:
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with nonstick spray, then line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, and cover the paper with nonstick.
Spread pecans out evenly into a single layer in a pan, then bake 6-8 minutes, or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through to toast evenly.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg. Add eggs, oil, and vanilla, stirring until just moistened. Gently fold in the bananas, pineapple, and 1 cup of the toasted pecans – batter should be quite thick, like a banana bread batter. Pour batter evenly into prepared cake pans.
Bake cakes for 28-30 minutes. Cool in pans on a cooling rack about 10 minutes, then remove cakes from pans to cooling rack, and cool completely (about 30 minutes). Remove and discard parchment paper.
While cakes are cooling, prepare cream cheese frosting. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, softened butter, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add in powdered sugar gradually, beating on low until blended. Beat on medium for another 3 minutes, or until fluffy.
Place 1 cooled cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with one-fourth of cream cheese frosting. Repeat once, then top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Garnish with remaining pecans.