Hummingbird Cake Baked Until the Center Springs Back

Hummingbird Cake Baked Until the Center Springs Back keeps the shopping list focused on all-purpose flour, cinnamon, and baking soda. It serves 18 people.

Count on 25 minutes of prep, 30 minutes of cooking, about 55 minutes from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

For the Cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 whole eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 8 oz canned pineapple in their own juice
• 3 large bananas ripe (brown spotted)
• ¾ cups pecans chopped and toasted
• dried fruit and extra pecans for garnish optional

For the Cream Cheese Buttercream

• 21 oz cream cheese full-fat, softened
• 18 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice juice from 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

How the cooking goes

1. Spray and line two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans with parchment. Be sure to spray the sides of the pan. Heat the oven to 350°F.
2. Beat together flour, cinnamon, soda and salt; keep it to one side.
3. Use a hand blender (immersion blender) or a regular blender to blend the pineapple and bananas together. You can also just mash them very well.
4. In the bowl of a electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until beaten.
5. Beat in the oil and vanilla until emulsified.
6. Whisk in the sugar followed by the pineapple banana mixture.
7. Turn through the flour mixture followed by the chopped pecans.
8. Divide between the two prepared pans. Bake until cake tester or skewer comes out with only a few clinging crumbs but no wet batter streaks, approximately 25-30 minutes.
9. Cool 10 minutes in the pans then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool until it is no longer warm.

For the Cream Cheese Buttercream

1. Cream together cream cheese, butter and sugar until the texture looks smooth. Add lemon juice and extract.
2. If it gets too warm, chill the it. Just pop the whole bowl and attachments in the fridge and give it an hour. Beat with paddle until the texture looks smooth and silky.

After it comes off the heat

Let the pan settle before you slice, so the crumb stays together. Cover leftovers once they are cool.

If you want another plate from Cakes, open Fig Olive Oil Cake with a Soft Crumb and Chocolate Angel Food Cake with a Soft Crumb.