Hummingbird Cake ~ #CakeSliceBakers

With the sweetness of pineapple and banana, this cake would be sure to have 

the hummingbird buzzing around it.

It is #CakeSliceBakers time, and we are back with our August cake from World Class Cakes by Roger Pizey. A little background on the #CakeSliceBakers ~ each month the Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the book and we each choose one cake to bake. On the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important one is to have fun (and enjoy baking & eating cakes!). The choices this month were Olive Oil Cake with Fresh Peaches, Hummingbird Cake, M’hanncha, and Oliver Peyton’s Strawberry & Marjoram Cream Tart. All delicious choices, but time constraints made me go with something a little more familiar, so I chose the Hummingbird Cake.

The Hummingbird Cake originated in Jamaica and was named after the island's national bird.  It is also known in Jamaica as the Doctor Bird Cake - a doctor bird is another name for the hummingbird. It gained popularity in the United States after the recipe was printed in Southern Living and it won the Kentucky State Fair. Heavy on the tropical flavors of pineapple and banana it isn't hard to see why this has become such a popular cake.

This cake is also unusual because it uses oil rather than butter. Once I added the eggs and oil to the dry ingredients I had my doubts that it was going to work out, but it did.  The mixture looked a little like lard and had the most unusual texture, but once I added the pineapple, banana, and nuts it went back to resembling a normal cake batter. The beauty of this recipe is that you do not need to use a mixer, all you need is a little arm muscle.  I decided to use macadamia nuts rather than pecans or walnuts, since macadamias are grown right here in Hawaii and I think they fit the tropical theme perfectly. I stuck with the recipe and made three layers, although I think next time I would just do two.  One change I did make was to increase the ingredients so that I had more of the frosting, and I am glad I did since I had just enough to place in the layers and the outside of the cake - it was looking a little naked even with the increase.  This is one deliciously tropical cake that I expect to be gone in no time.

Please scroll down after the recipe to see all the beautiful cakes that were baked this month, and don't forget to check out our Facebook page. Also, if you are interested in joining the #TheCakeSliceBakers, please send me an email at thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com, and I will send you more information.


Hummingbird Cake
Printer Friendly Recipe

Ingredients
Cake ~

• 350g (2½ cups) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons Penzeys Cake Spice (or cinnamon)
• 400g (2 cups) sugar
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 200ml (1 cup) vegetable oil
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 225g (8 oz) crushed pineapple
• 1 cup macadamia nuts, lightly toasted and chopped
• 2 bananas, chopped

Frosting ~

• 65g (4 tablespoons) butter, softened
• 225g ( 6 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 45ml (4 tablespoons) pineapple juice (optional)
• zest of one lemon
• 580g (5 cups) powdered sugar, sifted

Preparation
Cake ~

1. Preheat the oven to 165℃ (325℉).
2. Prepare three 20cm (8-inch ) round cake pans by spraying with baking spray and lining bottom with parchment.
3. In a large bowl, add flour, baking soda, salt, Cake Spice, and sugar and whisk to combine.
4. Add the beaten eggs and the oil and stir carefully until everything is incorporated but do not beat.
5. Stir in the vanilla, pineapple, macadamia nuts, and banana.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven, cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then turn out onto a wire rack.

Frosting ~

1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add butter and cream cheese and beat until combined, scraping down the side of the bowl a couple of times.
2. Add pineapple juice and lemon zest and beat to combine.
3. Slowly add the powdered sugar on low speed, and when fully combined turn the mixer into high and beat for 30 seconds.
4. Place in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, then spread on the cake.

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