If you’re looking for the perfect Hummingbird Cake recipe, you’ve found it! And if you’ve never had Hummingbird Cake before, you’re in for a real treat. It’s a sweet cake bursting with the fresh flavors of pineapple and banana, and is covered with a rich vanilla cream cheese frosting and topped with chopped pecans.

I love a good decadent cake… and Hummingbird Cake is definitely a great decadent cake. The sweet flavor is mouthwateringly good, plus it’s such a fun cake to make. It’s perfect to serve at parties and get-togethers — just be prepared to be asked for the recipe more than once!

What is Hummingbird Cake?

If you’ve never heard of Hummingbird Cake before, it might be because of where you live. If you’re from the Southern United States, you’re almost certainly familiar with Hummingbird Cake. You’ve made it, had it at a party, or have at least heard of it in passing.

If you’re not from the Southern U.S., you probably haven’t heard of it and you might be scratching your head at the name. (More about that in the next section.)

Hummingbird Cake is a really rich, sweet cake that contains bananas, crushed pineapple, cinnamon, vanilla, and crushed pecans (occasionally walnuts), plus all the usual cake ingredients like flour and sugar. It’s a two- or three-layer cake that is covered in an amazing cream cheese frosting, sometimes covered in more crushed pecans (like this recipe!).

Fun fact: Hummingbird Cake (at that point called “Doctor Bird Cake”) was originally created in Jamaica in the 1970s and was used as part of a marketing push to get Americans to visit the island.

Why is it Called Hummingbird Cake?

The name “Hummingbird Cake” always makes me chuckle a bit when I make one of these HUGE triple-layer cakes! Hummingbirds are so cute and small, and Hummingbird Cakes are certainly not small.

You might find yourself wondering: why is it called Hummingbird Cake? It’s certainly not made from hummingbirds or anything related to hummingbirds, so what’s the deal with the name?

The best answer is… no one knows exactly. Its original name — Doctor Bird Cake — is the nickname for a variety of hummingbird in Jamaica. But why was it named after that bird?

There are theories ranging from the cake is so sweet that it could attract a hummingbird to it’s so good, people hover over it just like a hummingbird zipping around for food.

Who knows exactly… but most everyone can agree that it’s a really, really good cake.

Try This Hummingbird Cake Recipe!

Whether you’re new to Hummingbird Cake or an old fan, definitely give this recipe a try. It’s the best one I’ve come across for two reasons:

• It uses pecans over walnuts, which gives it a sweeter flavor.
• It adds extra pecans to the top of the cake. You can’t go wrong with extra pecans!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

How to Make a Hummingbird Cake with Easy to Follow Steps:

Step One: Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour three 9 inch cake pans. Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Step Two: Add the eggs and oil, mix until well combined. (Do not beat). Stir in the vanilla, pineapple, 1 cup of the chopped pecans and the bananas.

Step Three: Spoon the batter into your prepared cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Want More Cake Recipes?

I have plenty more to share! Try a few of these:

• Pumpkin Dump Cake Recipe
• Hazelnut Cheesecake Layered Icebox Cake
• Berries and Cream Sheet Cake Recipe

Happy Baking!

Continue to Content

Hummingbird Cake

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Hummingbird Cake is a cake filled with pineapples, bananas and pecans.

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Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 8oz can of crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1 cup of chopped pecans
• 2 bananas chopped
• 2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 (16 oz) packages of powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup of pecans (for topping)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour three 9 inch cake pans.
2. Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and then add the eggs and oil, mix until well combined. (do not beat)
3. Stir in the vanilla, pineapple, 1 cup of the chopped pecans and the bananas.
4. Spoon the batter into your prepared cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes.
5. Cool pans on wire rack for 10 minutes then remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.
6. For the Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheeses and butter until creamy smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until fluffy, stir in vanilla.
7. Spread cream cheese frosting between the layers and on top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of chopped pecans.