Hummingbird Cake

Cream cheese frosting has to be my favourite icing on a cake ever. I could eat it by the spoonful. This is one of the reasons that carrot cake is one of my favourite cakes (cheesecake being my favourite type of cake, do we see a theme here...).

I had 2 bananas in the fruit bowl that were looking past their prime, and I didn't feel like making banana bread, so I consulted a baking book that I have made a few things from that have been great, and found a recipe for a hummingbird cake which needed 2 bananas!

There isn't a concrete reason why this cake has it's name, but many speculate that cause of it's intense sweetness, and how hummingbirds are attracted to sweet things, is why it is called this.

This is really a beautiful cake and I can see myself making it many times. I brought most of it into work and everyone loved it!

First lot of ingredients - I was meant to used crushed pineapple, but there was none. I liked it with the chunks in it though, so I think I will use pieces next time.

Putting into the bowl (not too much sugar there...)

Adding dry ingredients

Mixing it all together


Put in a pre lined baking tray


Out of the oven and ready for icing. It looks a bit brown, but it definitely isn't burnt.

Butter and cream cheese for the icing

Whipped with icing sugar and lemon juice

Thick layer of icing. Yum!


I had to try a piece while it was still warm. It's nice either way, but cold is better, otherwise you get icing everywhere...

Hummingbird Cake - from Commonsense Guide to Baking

2 ripe bananas - mashed
130g (1/2 cup) drained and crushed pineapple
285g (1 3/4 cups) caster sugar
210g (1 2/3 cups) self raising flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
170ml (2/3 cup) oil
60ml (1/4 cup) pineapple juice
2 Eggs

Icing (Frosting)

60g unsalted butter, softened
125g (1/2 cup) cream cheese, softened
185g (1 1/2 cups) icing sugar
1 - 2 teaspoons lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly grease and line a 20cm (8 in) square cake tin
2. Place the banana, sugar and pineapple in a bowl, then add the sifted flour and cinnamon. Mix all ingredients well
3. Whisk together the oil, pineapple juice and eggs and then mix into the banana mixture.
4. Pour into the tin and bake in an oven for about an hour, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Stand for 15 minutes on wire rack to cool.
5. To make the icing beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add the icing sugar and lemon juice. Beat until thick and creamy.
6. Spread the icing thickly over the top of the cooled cake. Then eat!