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Hummingbird Cake

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Preparation time: 75 min
Serves 8 people
4.2 Average Rating

Jane de Graaff’s Hummingbird Cake is a heartfelt homage to her gran’s beloved version of this classic dessert. But what exactly is hummingbird cake? Traditionally, it’s a wonderfully moist banana and pineapple cake filled with pecans, gently spiced and finished with luscious cream cheese icing - a combination that makes every bite rich and deeply comforting.

The cake’s name traces back to Jamaica’s national bird - the scissor-tail or “doctor bird” hummingbird - a symbol of sweetness and beauty, much like the cake itself. Jane’s version adds dark chocolate flecks and toasted coconut, making it ideal for Easter gatherings and special celebrations.

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Ingredients

  • 1½ cups self-raising flour
  • ¼ cup almond meal
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup dark chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
  • 2 tsp mixed spice (a blend of ½ tsp each: cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg)
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • ½ cup light flavoured olive oil
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 440g tin crushed pineapple, drained but juice reserved
Icing
  • 500g cream cheese, softened
  • 3 cups icing sugar
  • 100g butter, softened
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup shredded or desiccated coconut, toasted and cooled 

Method

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  1. Pre-heat your oven to 170°C fan forced and grease and line a 20cm round cake tin.  
  2. In a large bowl, mix all your dry ingredients: flour, almond meal, brown sugar, chopped chocolate, pecans and spices. 
  3. In a jug or bowl, mix all your wet ingredients: beaten eggs, olive oil, mashed banana and drained pineapple, with ¼ cup of the pineapple juice. 
  4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and mix lightly to just combine – don’t overmix. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove to a rack and allow to cool.
  5. Meanwhile, toast your coconut in a hot pan until just browned and cool.
  6. Make your icing by combining all the icing ingredients – except the coconut – and whipping until fluffy and smooth. Once the cake is completely cool, cut it in half horizontally.
  7. Top one layer with ⅓ of the icing, add the top layer of cake and use the rest of the icing to cover the top (and sides if you like). Scatter with toasted coconut and decorate with chocolate. 

Video

Reviews

Overall Rating

Average Rating: 4.2

8 reviews

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