Hummingbird Cake

Hummingbird Cake: such a lovely name, isn't it? So lovely, in fact, it got my vote without even looking at the list of ingredients. But once I stopped musing about its sweet name and actually focused on the main ingredients of this cake, I fell in love! Bananas. Pineapple. Cinnamon. Pecans. Vanilla. Yum. You'll find this cake under a list of Southern foods at Wikipedia. No really! Making this cake was easier than pie, mainly because it uses self-rising flour and doesn't specify using an electric mixer. Just make sure to get out your biggest bowl! The taste reminded me a lot of Elisa Strauss' Banana Cake, though I have to say, Elisa's Banana Cake tasted a tad better. The pineapples made it a bit too moist for my taste. But if you're a moist-lover, this is the perfect afternoon cake for you! Rating: 4- out of 5.

Hummingbird Cake recipe: Paula Deen - Paula Deen Celebrates

Ingredients:
- 3 cups self-rising flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup finely chopped pecans
- 2 very ripe large bananas, mashed
- 1 (8-ounce) crushed pineapple, with juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 large eggs, beaten

For the Frosting:
- 1 pound (1 box) confectioners' sugar
- 1 (8-ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
- 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk, or more if needed
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray and flour three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans, tapping out excess flour; set aside.
- Prepare the cake; in a large bowl, stir to combine self-rising flour, sugar, oil, pecans, bananas, pineapple, vanilla, cinnamon, and eggs.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until the tops spring back when gently pressed with your fingertips, 26 to 28 minutes.
- Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire rack. Re-invert cakes and let them cool completely, top sides up.
- Prepare the frosting; in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar, cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk on medium speed until frosting is smooth. If needed, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to achieve the proper spreading consistency.
- Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to make level. Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy Susan. Place the first layer on the cake plate. Spread the top of the first layer with 1/4 of the frosting. Place the second layer on top and repeat process with another 1/4 of the frosting. Place the remaining layer on top of the second layer bottom side up. Spread entire cake with remaining frosting. Sprinkle the top with pecans. Remove parchment paper strips; refrigerate until ready to serve.


The BEST cream cheese frosting I have ever made! What can one expect with 1 pound (!) of confectioners' sugar?

Icing ... Step 1, 2, 3, 4.



White chocolate chips & butterscotch chips. The sweet smell of butterscotch goes along beautifully with the flavor of this cake.

Moister than moist, this cake is. I even baked the cake a little bit longer to make the texture a little dryer.

3 layers of goodiness! Delish!