Why isn’t Hummingbird Cake more popular than it is? When you think of cake do you instantly think of a rich, chocolate cake. Maybe a light, fluffy white cake. Spicy carrot cake? Well from now on, I am going to think of Hummingbird Cake.
The cake is filled with aromatic banana and coconut, pecans and bright pineapple. Everything combines well, and each individual flavor shines though the cake. Top with tangy cream cheese frosting and you have the best cake. ever.
I made these cupcakes for the food blogger potluck and they were a success! I only had a few left over, which I was happy about. They made a great breakfast the next two days. What, you are surprised? Don’t be. They actually hold for around three days in an airtight container!
(The cupcake for breakfast thing? Completely normal.)
Hummingbird Cupcakes
yield: 20-24 cupcakes
1 1/2 AP Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter, softened
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 cup Sugar
1 1/2 Eggs (whisk together 1 egg and divide to be able to get 1/2 an egg)
1 cup Bananas, mashed
1 (8oz) can Crushed Pineapple, drained
1/2 cup Pecans, chopped
1/2 cup Coconut
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
2. Using an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until combined. Slowly add vanilla and eggs and beat until fluffy.
3. Add the banana, pineapple, nuts and coconut to the butter mixture. Mix until just combined then add the flour mixture until fully combined. Divide batter evenly among cupcake liners, filling each three-quarters full.
4. Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Transfer tins to wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
yield: enough for these cupcakes
8 oz Cream Cheese, room temperature
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) Butter, room temperature
2-3 cups Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Food Coloring, optional
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and butter until combined. Add 1 cup of the powdered sugar with the vanilla and mix until combined. Add the renaming powdered sugar. Add food coloring if using.
2. If frosting is too thin add more powdered sugar, if it is too thick add a TBS of milk. Place in a piping bag or use an offset spatula to spread on top of cupcakes.
In case you are wondering why the cake is called Hummingbird Cake, well then you can keep on wondering because no one knows! What we do know is that the cake first came into existence in an issue of Southern Living magazine in 1978, and there have been hundreds of variations since then. Some say it achieved its name from the sweetness in the cake, similiar to the sugar hummingbirds are attracted to. Others say it comes from the ‘hmmm’ of the satisfied mouths you are feeding. I like the latter.
Note: no hummingbirds were hurt in the making of these cupcakes.
