Hummingbird Cake - Moist and Luscious

This hummingbird cake honors the legacy of the Southern cook Edna Lewis. The luscious, fruit-and-nut-studded layer cake is served in Atlanta's Watershed restaurant

3 tsp. butter, softened

3 cups plus 3 tbsp. flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 ¹⁄₂ cups vegetable oil

3 eggs, well beaten

6 ripe bananas, peeled and coarsely mashed

1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

¹⁄₂ tsp. vanilla extract

¹⁄₂ tsp. almond extract

¹⁄₂ tsp. coconut extract

For the Frosting

³⁄₄ cup unsalted butter, cut into 1" cubes, chilled

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 ¹⁄₂ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 ¹⁄₂ cups chopped pecans

3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, cut into 1" cubes, chilled

Instructions

*Make the cake: Heat oven to 350°. Line the bottoms of three 9" round cake pans with parchment paper. Grease each pan with 1 tbsp. butter and dust with a little flour; shake pans so that flour evenly coats them. Invert pans and tap out excess flour; set pans aside.

*In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; stir in the pecans and set aside. Using a handheld mixer set on high speed, beat the sugar, brown sugar, and eggs in a large mixing bowl until smooth, 1 minute. Add the crushed pineapple and juice, bananas, oil, and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the pecan mixture and mix on low speed until evenly combined.

*Divide the batter evenly between the 3 prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops with a rubber spatula. Bake cakes, rotating occasionally, until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Transfer cakes to racks and let sit for 15 minutes; invert pans and unmold each cake; discard parchment paper. Let cakes cool.

*Make the frosting: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth, 2 minutes. Add the cream cheese and vanilla and beat until creamy, 1–2 minutes more. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix on low speed until incorporated. Increase speed to medium-high and continue mixing until the frosting is light and fluffy, 2–3 minutes. Remove any dust from the pecans by shaking them in a wide-mesh sieve over the sink; using a rubber spatula, fold the pecans into the frosting.

*Assemble the cake: Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand. Using a butter knife, spread ²⁄₃ cup frosting evenly over the top. Place second cake layer atop first one and frost top of it with another ²⁄₃ cup frosting. Repeat with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over the sides of the assembled cake. Serve immediately or wrap loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate.


Deightful dessert...Enjoy