Hummingbird Cake Cooks Illustrated Recipes

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE

Steps:

• Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch cake pans (you can also do two 9-inch pans), line the bottoms with parchment paper, grease the parchment and flour the pans; set aside.
• Drain the pineapple in a fine-mesh strainer set over a small saucepan, pressing to remove as much juice as possible. Place the saucepan over medium heat until reduced to ⅓ cup, about 5 minutes; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs, then whisk in the oil. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the bananas, pecans, vanilla, drained pineapple, and reduced pineapple juice. Gently stir in the flour mixture until just combined.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake until dark golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes (a little less for the 9-inch pans), rotating the pans halfway through baking. Let the cakes cool in pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then turn out of the pans, remove parchment paper and allow to cool completely, at least 2 hours.
• Make the Frosting: Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt on low speed until smooth, then mix for an additional 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to medium-low and add the cream cheese one piece at a time and mix until smooth, then mix for an additional 2 minutes.
• Place one cake layer on a serving platter. Spread 1 cup of frosting over top, then top with another cake layer, pressing lightly to adhere. Spread another 1 cups of frosting over that layer, then top with the third cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting evenly over the sides and top of the cake. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the chopped pecans. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. The cake can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease three (9-inch) cake pans with nonstick baking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In a second large bowl, whisk together the eggs, mashed bananas, sugars, oil and vanilla.
• Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients to the center of the well. Gently fold using a rubber spatula to combine. Add the pineapple and pecans, and fold again until just incorporated.
• Divide the batter evenly among the cake pans. Bake until golden, cooked through and an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Move the cakes to a wire baking rack to cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Then, remove from the pans and allow to cool completely on the wire racks
• As cakes cool, make the cream cheese frosting: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Mix on low speed until all the ingredients just come together. Then, increase the speed to medium and mix until creamy and smooth, about 5 minutes.
• Assemble the cake: Place the first layer of the cake top-side down onto a cake stand or plate. Spread the top with cream cheese frosting. Repeat with the second two layers, always placing the top side down to create a very flat surface. Frost the top and sides of the cake.
• Place whole toasted pecan halves around the rim of the cake. Garnish with the dried pineapple and edible flowers, as desired. Slice and serve.

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Prepare the cake pans: You will need 2 cake pans, each 8 inches in diameter. Cut out 2 parchment paper circles that will fit inside the cake pans. Spray the bottom of the cake pans with cooking spray, this is so the parchment paper sticks to the pans. Place the parchment papers inside and spray more cooking spray over the parchment paper.
• Combine dry ingredients: In the bowl of your mixer combine all the dry ingredients together; flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
• Finish the cake batter: To the mixer bowl add the beaten eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, vanilla extract, crushed pineapple and mashed bananas. Mix well until combined. Stir in pecans.
• Pour batter in pans: Evenly divide the batter between the two prepared pans and transfer to the oven.
• Bake: Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cake is cooked. Insert a toothpick in the middle of the cake, if it comes out clean, the cake is done.
• Cool the cakes: Place the cake pans on a cooling rack and cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then remove them from the pans and allow the cakes to cool completely on the cooling rack.
• Make the frosting: In the bowl of your mixer, add the cream cheese, and butter and beat using the paddle attachment until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar and beat on low until all combined. Increase the speed and continue beating until the frosting is smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Assemble the cake: Once the layers have cooled off completely, cut off the dome part of the cake so that each layer is flat on top. To assemble the cake, place one cake on a serving platter and spread a layer of frosting evenly. Repeat with remaining cake layer and frost the cake all around.
• Finish the cake: Using your hands, apply toasted coconut to the sides of the cake all around. Sprinkle the top with chopped pecans.
• Chill and serve: Chill the cake until ready to serve.

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE (COOKS ILLUSTRATED)

Steps:

• 1) If using dried pineapple, soak in 1/4 cup rum or pineapple juice for a few hours or microwave for a minute 2) Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast chopped pecans until lightly browned. Set aside about 1/2 cup nuts to decorate the cake. Grease and flour three 9" round pans for the cake. 3) To make the cake: Beat the eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until foamy, about 2 minutes at medium-high speed. Add the mashed bananas. 4) In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and spices. Add these dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring to make a smooth batter. 5) Stir in the drained pineapple and 1 cup of the toasted pecans. 6) Add the coconut and dried pineapple (with any remaining rum), if you're using them. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans, spreading it to the edges. 7) Bake 32 to 38 minutes, until golden brown, and cake tester inserted into center comes out clean. 8) Remove the cakes from the oven, run a thin spatula around the edges of the pans, cool for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting. Frosting: Combine the butter, cream cheese, and salt in a medium-sized bowl, and beat together until light and fluffy. If using the xanthan gum, sift with confectioners' sugar. Add the sugar/xanthan gum gradually, beating well. Beat in pineapple juice a little at a time, until the frosting is the correct consistency for spreading. Use only a teaspoon or so if you're not using the xanthan gum; up to 2 tablespoons, if you are. Remember, it will firm a bit more when chilled. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Use a heaping 1/2 cup frosting between each layer; frost the top and sides with the remainder. Sprinkle with toasted nuts, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE

Steps:

• Make the cake. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly coat two 9-inch round cake pans with 4-inch-high sides with cooking spray, then line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper and lightly spray the paper. (If you don't have 4-inch-deep pans, 2-inch-deep will work.)
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, rose petals, and cardamom and mix well. In a medium bowl, lightly whisk the eggs with the vegetable oil, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt, then stir in the dry ingredients, mixing just until they are moistened. Stir in the sour cream. Using a large spatula, fold in the crushed pineapple and juice, bananas, and pecans. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake the cakes in the center of the oven for about 45 minutes, rotating the pans after 20 minutes, until the cakes are golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the center of each cake. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes. Place a rack over each pan, invert the cakes onto the racks, and remove the pans. Peel off the parchment paper. Cool completely.
• Make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until smooth. Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl; beat until incorporated and smooth. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure that the frosting is as smooth as possible. Beat in the orange zest and vanilla paste.
• Using a serrated knife, trim the domed tops of the cakes so they're flat; save the scraps for snacking. Cut each cake horizontally into two even layers, creating four layers in total. Set one layer on a cake stand or plate and spread with the frosting. Continue to stack and frost the layers, then spread a thin layer of frosting all over the cake.
• Refrigerate for 15 minutes, until set. Spread the remaining frosting evenly all over the sides and top of the cake. The cake will keep at room temperature for about 4 days, if it ever actually sticks around that long.

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the bananas, oil, eggs, pineapple and vanilla until well blended. In another bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cinnamon; gradually beat into banana mixture until blended. Stir in walnuts. , Pour into 3 greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. , For frosting, in a large bowl, beat the shortening, butter, lemon zest and salt until fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar alternately with pineapple juice. Beat in cream. Spread between layers and over top and sides of cake. If desired, sprinkle with walnuts.