Hummingbird Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Hummingbird cake is a classic dessert that’s perfect for any time of year. Moist cake layers full of banana, pineapple, and pecans paired with cream cheese frosting. It’s comforting and tropical at the same time.

What is Hummingbird Cake?

While it’s popular recipe in the South, hummingbird cake actually originated in Jamaica. It’s named after Jamaica’s national bird–the scissors-tail hummingbird. It’s also called King Bird Cake. Jamaica sent the recipe over to the US in the late 1960s as a marketing ploy to generate interest in tourism. Southern Living Magazine was one of the first publications to share it, and it’s become of the magazine’s most popular recipes ever!

So what does hummingbird cake taste like? Hummingbird cake is moist cake that is flavored with banana and pineapple. There’s also a hint of cinnamon in there, which makes it taste like a tropical spice cake. In addition to that, chopped pecans in the batter add a lovely depth and nuttiness to the flavor. Think of it like a carrot cake, except with bananas instead of carrots.

Why You’ll Love Hummingbird Cake

• It’s super moist, tender, and full of flavor
• Cream cheese frosting balances out the sweet pineapple and banana in the cake
• A perfect cake for special occasions like Easter or Mother’s Day
• It’s a great way to use overripe bananas when you don’t feel like making banana bread
• The batter is easy to make and forgiving

Key Ingredient Notes

Here are some key ingredients that you will need to make Hummingbird Cake. In addition to the below, you will need some cake pans. I used 8″ round cake pans, but the recipe also works for 9″ round pans.

• Overripe bananas: the best bananas are dark brown and ugly. Something you’d never eat on it’s own but perfect for baking.
• Crushed pineapple, from a can: look for crushed pineapple in pineapple juice. You will drain off some of the juice, but not all of it!
  • An 8oz can is the perfect size.
• Oil: use any neutral oil, such as vegetable oil.
  • I do not recommend substituting melted butter. Oil is crucial to making the cake super moist contributing to its tender, quick bread like texture.
• Sour cream: while not an ingredient in the original Hummingbird Cake recipe, sour cream adds extra fat, making the cake moister and richer. The acid in it also helps keep the cake tender and balances out the flavors.
• All-purpose flour: I highly recommend measuring your flour with a digital food scale for the most accurate measurement.
• Light brown sugar and granulated sugar: make sure to use a combination of both sugars. You can substitute dark brown sugar for the light brown sugar.
• Eggs, at room temperature.
  • Quickly warm the eggs by soaking them in a bowl of hot water for 5-10 minutes.
• Unsalted pecans: finely chop the pecans in a food processor
• Ground cinnamon and nutmeg: these add warmth and flavor to the cake batter.

Tips for Moist Hummingbird Cake

Here are some expert tips to help you make the best hummingbird cake!

Gently mix the wet and dry ingredients: to ensure that the cake stays soft and tender, be gentle when folding the wet and dry ingredients together. Mix everything together until the flour is just combined.

Weigh the flour: it is important to use just the right amount of flour in the batter to prevent a dry cake. The most accurate way to do so is by using a digital food scale. If you do not have a scale, then use the spoon-and-level method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and use a knife to level it off. Do not pack it in.

Use room temperature ingredients: to ensure that the ingredients incorporate together well, make sure they are all room temperature and not cold when you start baking. This includes the eggs, sour cream, and pineapple. Soak the eggs in hot water to warm them up. Use the microwave to give a quick zap to the sour cream on medium power.

Do not fully drain the pineapple: the pineapple juice adds so much moisture and flavor to the cake. Drain out only around 2 tbsp of liquid, leaving the rest.

Do I Need to Refrigerate Hummingbird Cake?

In short, yes. Hummingbird cake is full of moist fruits like banana and pineapple. Cream cheese frosting is also not stable at room temperature and should be refrigerated. To avoid spoilage, tightly wrap and store leftover cake in the fridge for up to 5 days. This also happens to be a cake that tastes great and stays moist even when it’s cold.

Pin and Save for Later

Interested in making this recipe but not ready to bake yet? Simply hover over any image in this post (or tap if you’re on mobile) to pin it and save for later. You can also directly pin the recipe box below.

If you love these cinnamon rolls I’d also recommend checking out some similar cakes such as caramel carrot cake or a fully loaded carrot cake (this one has pineapple!).

Happy baking my friends!