This old-fashioned hummingbird cake recipe is the best way to make a super moist homemade hummingbird cake with cream cheese frosting. This cake is also a great way to use up ripe bananas!
This classic hummingbird cake recipe makes a moist cake with a flavorful crumb. This scrumptious cake is bursting with the tropical flavors of pineapple, banana, and warm spices.
This recipe also includes a decadent cream cheese frosting, which gives the cake a lovely sweet and tangy flavor. An added bonus? This recipe is a fantastic way to use up any ripe bananas you have on hand.
So preheat your oven, gather your ingredients, and get ready to bake a taste of paradise!
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Flour: It’s important to properly measure the flour. Either weigh the flour or sift/stir it to break it up. Lightly spoon it into a measuring cup and level. Avoid packing the flour as that will give you dry or heavy cake.
- Brown sugar: Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar will work in this recipe.
- Oil: Feel free to use another neutral oil like canola oil or olive oil.
- Buttermilk: I recommend using full-fat buttermilk because the fat helps to make the cake moister.
- Pecans: You can omit the pecans if needed.
- Coconut: If you’d like to use unsweetened shredded coconut, you can.
- Butter: I use salted butter in this recipe.
How to make hummingbird cake
Here you’ll find step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including instructions, is given below.
Step 1: To make the cake, preheat oven to 350 F. Generously grease and flour the bottoms of three 9-inch round cake pans; set pans aside.
Step 2: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
Step 3: Using an electric mixer (either hand mixer or stand mixer), beat the sugars and eggs together in a separate large mixing bowl until well-combined.
Step 4: Add the crushed pineapples with juice, bananas, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla; mix until combined.
Step 5: Add the flour mixture, and mix on low speed just until evenly combined.
Step 6: Stir in chopped pecans and coconut just until incorporated.
Step 7: Divide the batter evenly between the 3 prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops as needed.
Step 8: Bake cakes for about 20-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 9: Let cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Step 10: Remove cakes to a wire rack, and let cool to room temperature.
Step 11: To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter together until well-combined.
Step 12: Add in 4 cups of powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and 4 tablespoons of heavy cream; mix in until well-combined.
Step 13: Continue adding ½ cup of powdered sugar at a time until the frosting has reached a thick but spreadable consistency. Add in additional heavy cream if needed to reach that consistency.
Step 14: To assemble, place the bottom layer on the serving platter, and spread about 1 cup of frosting over the bottom layer.
Step 15: Repeat with the second and third layers, placing the third layer flat side up.
Step 16: Spread the remaining frosting on the sides of the cake.
Step 17: Sprinkle the chopped pecans around the outer edge of the top layer in a circle.
Recipe Tips!
- Room temperature butter and cream cheese: It’s important that the butter and cream cheese but at room temperature so that they can be properly mixed together.
- Greasing the pan: Greasing and flouring, using baking spray with flour, or using pan release will work.
- Freezing: The baked cake layers can be frozen. Bake as-directed, allow the cake to cool to room temperature, and then tightly wrap the cake layer in plastic wrap. Place the cake layers in a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw the cake layers and then frost.
Storage
Store any leftover hummingbird cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The cake will keep for up to 4 days when properly stored in the fridge.
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Hummingbird Cake
Equipment
- 3 9-inch round cake pans
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 8 ounce can crushed pineapple
- 4 ripe bananas mashed
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup full-fat buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6-7 cups powdered sugar
- 4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
Topping
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- To make the cake, preheat oven to 350 F. Generously grease and flour the bottoms of three 9-inch round cake pans; set pans aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- Using an electric mixer (either hand or stand), beat the sugars and eggs together in a separate large mixing bowl until well-combined.
- Add the crushed pineapples with juice, bananas, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla; mix until combined.
- Add the flour mixture, and mix on low speed just until evenly combined.
- Stir in chopped pecans and coconut just until incorporated.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 3 prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops as needed.
- Bake cakes for about 20-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Remove cakes to a wire rack, and let cool to room temperature.
- To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter together until well-combined.
- Add in 4 cups of powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and 4 tablespoons of heavy cream; mix in until well-combined.
- Continue adding ½ cup of powdered sugar at a time until the frosting has reached a thick but spreadable consistency. Add in additional heavy cream if needed to reach that consistency.
- To assemble, place the bottom layer on the serving platter, and spread about 1 cup of frosting over the bottom layer.
- Repeat with the second and third layers, placing the third layer flat side up.
- Spread the remaining frosting on the sides of the cake.
- Sprinkle the chopped pecans around the outer edge of the top layer in a circle.
Notes
- Flour: It’s important to properly measure the flour. Either weigh the flour or sift/stir it to break it up. Lightly spoon it into a measuring cup and level. Avoid packing the flour as that will give you dry or heavy cake.
- Brown sugar: Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar will work in this recipe.
- Oil: Feel free to use another neutral oil like canola oil or olive oil.
- Buttermilk: I recommend using full-fat buttermilk because the fat helps to make the cake moister.
- Pecans: You can omit the pecans if needed.
- Coconut: If you’d like to use unsweetened shredded coconut, you can.
- Butter: I use salted butter in this recipe.
- Nutrition values are estimates.Â
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Deborah Joyce says
can you make in a bundt pan or a 9×13 ?
Kate says
Hi! I haven’t tried to make this recipe in a bundt pan or in a 9×13 pan, but I do have a hummingbird bundt cake recipe.
Aracelis says
Made the cake and it was delicious as well moist. Thinking of making them as cupcakes .
Kate says
Thank you! If you try making the recipe as cupcakes, I’d love to know how it turns out!