Prepare to fall in love with this truly classic Hummingbird Cake. It’s a dessert that perfectly embodies the flavors of spring and summer, offering an irresistible combination of soft, incredibly moist, and tender cake infused with just the right balance of sweet bananas, tangy pineapples, and crunchy pecans. Each delightful bite is complemented by a delicate, light spice blend, making it a truly unique and beloved treat. This exquisite cake is generously layered with the ultimate cream cheese buttercream frosting, providing a rich, creamy, and wonderfully tangy finish that elevates every slice.

For me, Hummingbird Cake is the quintessential dessert to celebrate the arrival of Spring and Summer. While it often takes a backseat to other popular classics like the best Carrot Cake, this tropical-inspired beauty truly deserves its own moment in the spotlight. The delightful blend of ripe bananas and juicy pineapple gives it an exotic, sun-kissed flavor profile, reminiscent of other island-inspired desserts such as rum cake, this vibrant tropical trifle recipe, and these fluffy coconut cupcakes topped with marshmallow fluff frosting. It’s a taste of paradise in every bite!

Yet, despite its tropical roots, the addition of toasted pecans and a generous slathering of our luscious cream cheese buttercream frosting firmly roots this cake in the rich culinary traditions of the American South. This particular cake stands as one of my all-time favorite desserts, holding a cherished place alongside other beloved Southern staples. Think of the rich sweetness of pecan pralines, the comforting simplicity of Southern cornbread, the fluffy goodness of buttermilk biscuits, and the delicate bite of pecan tassies. Hummingbird Cake, with its unique blend of flavors and textures, fits perfectly into this esteemed collection, offering comfort and celebration in every forkful.

Table of Contents

• Why You Will Love this Hummingbird Cake Recipe
• Professional Tips for Making Hummingbird Cake
• Why do they call it a ‘Hummingbird Cake’?
• Essential Ingredients for Hummingbird Cake
• Creative Variations & Smart Substitutions
• How to Make Classic Hummingbird Cake: Step-by-Step Guide
• Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip for Bakers
• Frequently Asked Questions About Hummingbird Cake
• Full Hummingbird Cake Recipe Card
• Before You Go: More Cake Delights

Professional Tips for Making Hummingbird Cake

Achieving a truly exceptional Hummingbird Cake involves more than just following steps; it’s about understanding the techniques that make a difference. Here are some professional insights to ensure your cake turns out perfectly every time:

• Master the Classic Liquid Fat Cake Mixing Method: The foundation of a moist, fluffy, and tender cake lies in its mixing method. This recipe utilizes a technique similar to the one I perfected for the carrot cake that famously beat Bobby Flay. The secret is emulsifying the oil into the beaten whole eggs. This process creates a stable emulsion that traps air, leading to a cake with an incredibly fine crumb and superior moisture retention. While simply whisking all ingredients together might seem easier, it often results in a denser, potentially oily cake. Taking the time to properly emulsify ensures a lighter, more ethereal texture.
• Blend Banana and Pineapple for Ultimate Moisture and Lightness: One of the most crucial steps for this cake’s signature texture is to blend the ripe bananas and canned crushed pineapple (along with its juice!) together. You can use a standard blender or an immersion blender for this. Adding this pureed fruit mixture before the dry ingredients ensures that the fruit’s moisture and natural sugars are thoroughly incorporated throughout the batter. This not only makes the cake exceptionally moist but also contributes significantly to its light and tender structure, preventing any dry spots and allowing the fruit flavors to meld beautifully.
• Always Toast the Pecans: Southern Living famously emphasized this point, and they were absolutely right. Toasting pecans is not just an optional step; it’s a game-changer for flavor and texture. When pecans are toasted, their natural oils are released, intensifying their nutty flavor to a remarkable degree. Furthermore, this process helps the pecans maintain their delightful crunch even after being baked into the moist cake, preventing them from becoming soggy. A few minutes in the oven transforms them into golden nuggets of flavor and texture that truly enhance the overall experience of the cake.

Essential Ingredients for Hummingbird Cake

Crafting the perfect Hummingbird Cake starts with selecting the right ingredients. Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll need and why each component is crucial for achieving that signature moist, tender, and flavorful result:

• All-Purpose Flour: This is my go-to flour choice as it’s readily available in most home kitchens. Its balanced protein content provides just the right structure for a tender crumb. If you prefer to use cake flour, which will result in an even lighter texture, remember to sift it thoroughly for optimal results.
• Ground Cinnamon: The gentle warmth of cinnamon is a signature spice in Hummingbird Cake, beautifully complementing the fruit flavors without overpowering them.
• Baking Soda: This leavening agent plays a vital role by reacting with the natural acidity in the canned pineapples, creating a powerful lift and a light, airy texture. This reaction is typically stronger than what you’d get from the same amount of baking powder. If you must substitute, use 2 teaspoons of baking powder instead.
• Kosher Salt: A small amount of kosher salt is essential to balance the sweetness and enhance all the other flavors in the cake, bringing a subtle depth.
• Whole Eggs: Eggs are crucial for structure, moisture, and emulsification in the batter. They also contribute to the cake’s richness and golden color.
• Vegetable Oil: Canola oil is highly recommended for this recipe as it contributes significantly to the cake’s exceptional moisture and tenderness. Its neutral flavor allows the fruit and spice notes to shine. While you could substitute with melted (but not hot) coconut oil for a similar moist result, avoid using butter in the cake batter as its water content will produce a different, less moist texture.
• Vanilla Extract: High-quality vanilla extract adds a layer of warm, aromatic sweetness that rounds out the cake’s flavor profile beautifully.
• Granulated Sugar: Provides sweetness, helps tenderize the cake, and contributes to its moist texture by attracting and holding moisture.
• Canned Crushed Pineapple (with juice): You’ll use the entire can, juice and all! The juice is a key liquid component and adds both moisture and essential acidity for the baking soda reaction. Since we’ll be blending the pineapple with bananas, any cut of canned pineapple (crushed, rings, chunks) will work. While fresh pineapple can be used, ensure it is very ripe and in season, and be mindful that it might introduce an unknown quantity of liquid, which could affect the batter consistency.
• Ripe Large Bananas: The bananas are central to the cake’s flavor and moisture. A “large banana” typically measures between 6-7 inches and about an inch in diameter. When in doubt, it’s best to measure – you’ll need approximately 1 ½ cups (about 250g) of mashed bananas. The most important tip: ensure your bananas are truly ripe, showing plenty of brown spots on their skins. They should be soft, but not mushy (save overly ripe bananas for classic banana bread!). Ripe bananas are sweeter and have a more intense flavor.
• Pecans: Essential for their nutty flavor and delightful crunch. I often buy pecan pieces because they toast faster and are frequently more economical than whole pecans. Toasting them is a must to deepen their flavor and maintain their crispness after baking.
• Cream Cheese (for frosting): Opt for full-fat, softened cream cheese for the richest, creamiest, and most stable frosting. Its tangy notes perfectly balance the cake’s sweetness.
• Unsalted Butter (for frosting): Softened unsalted butter provides the necessary richness and structure for a velvety cream cheese buttercream.
• Powdered Sugar (for frosting): Also known as confectioners’ sugar, this provides sweetness and structure to the frosting, dissolving smoothly to create a silky texture.
• Lemon Juice (for frosting): Freshly squeezed lemon juice brightens the frosting, adding a touch of tangy acidity that cuts through the richness and enhances the overall flavor.
• Vanilla Extract (for frosting): Adds depth and a classic sweet aroma to the buttercream.

Refer to the recipe card below for precise measurements and comprehensive ingredient details.

Creative Variations & Smart Substitutions

While this classic Hummingbird Cake recipe is perfect as is, it also lends itself beautifully to creative variations and smart substitutions. Feel free to customize it to your taste or to accommodate ingredients you have on hand:

• Canola Oil Substitutions: If you don’t have canola oil, melted (but not hot) coconut oil can be an excellent substitute in this recipe, yielding a cake that is just as moist and tender, and adding a subtle tropical note. However, I advise against substituting with melted butter for the cake batter. While butter adds a delicious flavor, its higher water content means it doesn’t contribute to moisture in the same way as oil, often resulting in a less tender crumb.
• Elevate with a Flavorful Cake Soak: For an even more indulgent and intensely flavored cake, consider adding a simple syrup soak. To make simple syrup, simply boil equal parts water and granulated sugar until the sugar dissolves, then let it cool completely to room temperature (or refrigerate it). You can use this plain, or infuse it with extra flavor by adding a splash of rum, a squeeze of lemon or orange juice, or any other favorite liqueur or extract. Brushing this syrup onto your cooled cake layers before frosting is an easy yet incredibly effective way to amp up the moisture and introduce a new dimension of flavor to your Hummingbird Cake!
• Customizing the Buttercream Flavor: The cream cheese buttercream is divine, but you can certainly get creative with its flavor! For a boozy kick, try adapting the rum cream cheese frosting from my red velvet cake recipe, or simply add 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite alcohol directly to the buttercream recipe provided below. Bourbon, rum, or even a fruit liqueur would work wonderfully. Alternatively, incorporate a different extract, such as almond or coconut, or swap the lemon juice for orange juice to enhance the tropical notes.
• Exploring Different Buttercreams: I know this might be an unpopular opinion among traditionalists, but you absolutely can experiment with other frosting types! If you’re feeling dramatic and want a show-stopping cake, try piling on my airy homemade marshmallow frosting and giving it a quick toast with a kitchen torch for a S’mores-like effect. A bright and refreshing lemon buttercream frosting would also complement the cake’s fruitiness beautifully. For a silky, less sweet option, a Swiss meringue buttercream, perhaps flavored with homemade lemon curd, would add a sophisticated twist.

How to Make Classic Hummingbird Cake: Step-by-Step Guide

Creating this perfectly moist and flavorful cake is a rewarding experience. Follow these detailed instructions to achieve a flawless Hummingbird Cake every single time. More precise measurements and additional tips can be found in the comprehensive recipe card further down this page.

Phase 1: Prepare and Bake the Cake Layers

Achieving light, evenly baked cake layers is the first step to success. Pay attention to pan preparation and mixing techniques for the best results.

Step 1: Begin by preparing your cake pans. Lightly spray two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray, ensuring full coverage of both the bottom and sides. Then, line the bottom of each pan with a parchment paper circle. This critical step prevents sticking and ensures your beautiful cake layers release cleanly. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) in conventional bake mode.

Step 2: Spread your pecans in a single, even layer on a baking sheet. Toast them in the preheated oven for 5-8 minutes, or until they turn a beautiful golden brown and you can distinctly smell their rich, nutty aroma. Immediately remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely. If you started with whole pecans, chop them finely after they’ve cooled. To save time, I often opt for pre-chopped pecan pieces, which allows me to bypass this chopping step – a small efficiency that adds up when you’re baking large batches!

Step 3: In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together the all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, baking soda, and kosher salt. Set this dry mixture aside. In a separate medium bowl, or directly in your blender, combine the canned pineapple (including its juice) and the ripe bananas. Blend them together until smooth, using either a hand blender (immersion blender) or a regular blender. Alternatively, you can mash them very well with a fork until almost a puree.

Step 4: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer, as I sometimes demonstrate in my videos), whisk the whole eggs until they are well beaten and slightly frothy. This incorporates air, which contributes to the cake’s lightness.

Step 5: With the mixer on medium-low speed, slowly drizzle in the vegetable oil, followed by the vanilla extract. Continue to whisk until the oil and vanilla are fully emulsified into the eggs, creating a smooth, homogenous mixture. This emulsification is key to the cake’s moist and tender crumb.

Step 6: Gradually whisk in the granulated sugar until just combined. Then, add the blended pineapple-banana mixture, incorporating it fully into the wet ingredients. The batter will be quite fluid at this stage.

Step 7: Gently fold the reserved dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients using a spatula, mixing only until just combined and no streaks of dry flour remain. Overmixing can lead to a tough cake. Finally, fold in the toasted, cooled pecans. Divide the batter evenly between your two prepared cake pans. You can eyeball this, but for perfectly uniform layers, I recommend using a kitchen scale – each cake pan should contain approximately 950 grams of batter.

Step 7 (Continued): Bake the cake layers in the preheated oven for approximately 25-30 minutes. The cake is done when a cake tester, toothpick, or thin bamboo skewer inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs clinging to it, but no wet batter streaks. Avoid overbaking, which can lead to a dry cake.

Step 8: Once baked, remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in their pans for about 10 minutes. This allows the cake to firm up slightly. Then, carefully invert the cakes onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely upside down. Cooling upside down helps to flatten any slight dome that may have formed, making your layers perfectly level for assembly.

Phase 2: Prepare the Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

This luscious cream cheese buttercream is the perfect accompaniment, adding a tangy, creamy counterpoint to the sweet cake.

Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a large bowl and a hand mixer), combine the softened full-fat cream cheese, softened unsalted butter, and powdered sugar. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is completely smooth, light, and fluffy, with no lumps of cream cheese or butter remaining.

Step 2: Add the fresh lemon juice and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture. Beat again on medium-high speed for another 1-2 minutes until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated and the frosting is smooth, creamy, and wonderfully tangy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is well mixed.

Step 4: Once the crumb coat is chilled and firm, take the cake out of the refrigerator. Spread the remaining buttercream evenly over the sides and top of the cake. For an elegant finish, I like to create a subtle swirl pattern on top by rotating my cake stand like a turntable while gently dragging the tip of a large offset spatula across the surface. Then, I smooth the sides using a bench scraper for crisp, clean edges.

Step 5: Now comes the fun part: decorating! Arrange whole pecans, crisp banana chips, dehydrated pineapple slices, and dried pineapple pieces in a pleasing mosaic pattern on the top of your cake. You can refer to the video below to see how I created the specific design pictured. Alternatively, you could completely cover the cake with a dense layer of these garnishes, or stick to the classic Southern décor by adding a simple rim of crushed pecans around the base or top edge. Let your creativity shine!

Frequently Asked Questions About Hummingbird Cake

Before You Go: More Cake Delights

Thank you for embarking on this delightful baking journey with us! If you’ve enjoyed creating and tasting this exquisite Hummingbird Cake, we invite you to explore our other equally delicious cake recipes. From the vibrant and zesty Orange Upside Down Cake to the comforting and spiced carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, there’s always a new baking project waiting to bring joy to your kitchen. Happy baking!