The first time I made this hummingbird cake recipe, it was a Sunday afternoon in March and my kitchen smelled like banana bread and warm cinnamon all at once. My neighbor knocked on the door before it even came out of the oven. That smell travels. I had three very ripe bananas sitting on the counter that I kept meaning to do something with, half a can of crushed pineapple leftover from a salsa I’d made, and an afternoon with nothing pressing. An hour later, I had the most requested cake I’ve ever baked. My family still asks for it every birthday, every Easter, every time someone needs a reason to celebrate.
Hummingbird Cake
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Wet Ingredients
- 3 large eggs room temperature helps with texture
- 1 cup vegetable oil adds classic richness
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup mashed bananas ripe for best flavor
- 1 cup crushed pineapple drained
Optional Add-ins
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts optional
- 1 cup shredded coconut optional
Frosting
- Cream cheese frosting for topping
Instructions
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk these dry ingredients until light and even.
- In another bowl, mix eggs, oil, and vanilla. Then add bananas and pineapple, mixing well.
- Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Stir in nuts and coconut if using.
- Divide the batter among the prepared pans and smooth the tops.
Baking
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks.
Serving
- Once cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Key Takeaways
Use very ripe, spotty bananas for the best moisture and natural sweetness.
Do not drain the crushed pineapple. That liquid belongs in the batter.
Fold the batter by hand. A mixer will make this cake tough.
Cool the layers completely before frosting or the cream cheese frosting will slide.
This cake gets better on day two once the flavors settle and the frosting firms up.
Why You Will Love This Hummingbird Cake Recipe
There’s a reason this is called the best hummingbird cake recipe ever by everyone who tries it. It’s generous. It feeds a crowd and still feels personal, like something a grandmother would pull out of the oven for a special occasion without making a fuss about it.
The texture is what gets people first. It’s dense but not heavy, moist all the way through without being sticky or wet. Every bite has something in it. A little crunch from the pecans, a thread of pineapple, a soft pocket of banana. The cream cheese frosting is tangy and rich without being overly sweet, and it balances everything underneath it perfectly.
It’s also genuinely easy. You don’t need a stand mixer for the cake itself. Just two bowls, a spatula, and ripe bananas. If you’ve made a banana bread before, you already understand most of this recipe. The difference here is the layers and that cream cheese frosting, which honestly makes it feel like a completely different kind of baking.
This is the kind of cake that becomes your signature. Once you make it, people will ask for it by name. If you love baking from scratch, you might also enjoy our coconut cake or our incredibly moist lemon blueberry cake for your next gathering.
Hummingbird Cake Ingredients and Why They Matter
Every ingredient in a good hummingbird cake recipe is doing real work. This isn’t a cake where you can swap things out casually and expect the same result. Here’s what goes in and why it matters.
Ripe bananas. Three medium bananas, very ripe with brown spots all over the skin. Under-ripe bananas don’t have enough sugar developed yet and they hold too much starch. You want them soft enough to mash easily with a fork and sweet enough that you’d eat them plain. They add moisture, sweetness, and a gentle flavor that carries the whole cake.
Crushed pineapple, undrained. This is important. Do not drain the can. That pineapple juice goes directly into the batter and contributes to the signature moistness that makes people ask what your secret is. The pineapple itself is subtle in the final cake, more of a background brightness than a tropical flavor upfront.
Vegetable oil instead of butter. Butter is delicious, but oil produces a moister crumb that stays soft for days. A neutral oil like canola or sunflower is what you want here. This is why a slice of this cake on day two is still just as good as day one.
Pecans. Chopped and stirred into the batter, plus a handful pressed onto the finished frosting. Toast them for three or four minutes in a dry skillet before you use them. The difference in flavor is real. Toasted pecans taste like they belong in this cake. Raw ones taste like an afterthought.
Cream cheese frosting ingredients. Full-fat cream cheese, real butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. There is no substitute here. Low-fat cream cheese makes a runny frosting that won’t hold up. Softened to room temperature means actually soft, not cold from the fridge. Let it sit out for at least an hour before you start.
For the full cake: 3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3 large eggs, 1 cup neutral vegetable oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, one 8-oz can crushed pineapple with juice, 3 ripe mashed bananas, and 1 1/2 cups chopped toasted pecans divided.
For the frosting: two 8-oz packages full-fat cream cheese softened, 1 cup unsalted butter softened, 2 pounds sifted powdered sugar, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
Step by Step Hummingbird Cake Recipe Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans, or line them with parchment paper circles cut to fit the bottom. Don’t skip greasing the sides.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until evenly distributed. Set it aside. In a separate bowl, mash your bananas thoroughly with a fork until mostly smooth with a few small lumps remaining. Stir in the eggs, oil, vanilla, undrained crushed pineapple, and one cup of the chopped pecans.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula just until no dry flour streaks remain. This is the moment most people get wrong. Do not use a mixer. Do not stir aggressively. Overworking this batter develops the gluten and turns the cake tough. Fold it gently and stop as soon as it comes together.
Divide the batter as evenly as you can between the three prepared pans. If you have a kitchen scale, weigh them. Otherwise, just eyeball it. Bake at 350 degrees for 28 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is set and golden. The edges will start to pull away from the pan slightly when they’re done.
Cool the layers in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then run a knife around the edges, invert each layer onto the rack, and let them cool completely. Completely means completely. If they’re even slightly warm, the frosting will melt on contact and you’ll have a mess. This usually takes about an hour at room temperature.
For the frosting, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer on medium speed for about three minutes until the mixture is completely smooth and there are no lumps. Reduce to low speed and gradually add the sifted powdered sugar. Add the vanilla. Then beat on medium-high for another minute until it’s light and creamy. If it looks too thick, a tablespoon of heavy cream loosens it up nicely. If it looks too soft, refrigerate for 20 minutes before frosting.
Place your first cooled cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread a generous layer of frosting on top, going all the way to the edges. Add the second layer and repeat. Add the third layer and frost the top and sides of the whole cake. Press the remaining half cup of pecans into the top or around the sides for decoration.
Refrigerate the finished cake for at least one hour before you slice it. The cold sets the frosting and makes the layers much easier to cut cleanly. A sharp knife wiped clean between slices gives you those beautiful cross-sections worth photographing. According to Southern Living, the original hummingbird cake recipe was first published in their magazine in 1978 and became the most requested recipe in their history.
Hummingbird Cake Tips, Variations and Storage
The biggest mistake people make is using bananas that aren’t ripe enough. If your bananas are still mostly yellow, put them on a baking sheet in a 300-degree oven for 20 minutes. The skins will turn black and the inside will soften and sweeten exactly the way you need. It works every single time.
Don’t skip toasting the pecans. It sounds like a fussy step and it takes less than five minutes. The flavor difference between toasted and raw pecans in this cake is significant. Dry skillet, medium heat, keep them moving, and pull them off as soon as they smell nutty.
Hummingbird cupcake variation. This batter makes beautiful cupcakes. Fill lined cupcake tins about two-thirds full and bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes. You’ll get about 24 cupcakes from this recipe. Pipe the cream cheese frosting on top and press a single pecan half into each one. They’re perfect for parties or if you just want something you can grab with one hand. If you love recipes like this, check out our carrot cake cupcakes for another Southern-inspired baked treat.
Hummingbird bundt cake variation. Pour all the batter into a well-greased bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 65 minutes, checking with a toothpick. Instead of full frosting, make a simple cream cheese glaze by mixing one package of softened cream cheese with one cup of powdered sugar and two tablespoons of milk until it drizzles smoothly. Pour it over the cooled bundt cake and let it set before slicing. Much easier to serve at a casual gathering.
Hummingbird coffee cake variation. Spread the batter into a greased 9×13 pan, add a cinnamon streusel topping made from butter, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Skip the cream cheese frosting and serve with coffee in the morning. The rising search interest in hummingbird coffee cake makes this a smart variation to have in your back pocket.
Storage. Because of the cream cheese frosting, this cake must be refrigerated. Covered tightly, it keeps beautifully for up to five days in the fridge. The flavor and moisture actually improve after the first 24 hours. Let slices sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving so the frosting softens slightly. You can also freeze the unfrosted cake layers, individually wrapped, for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and frost the day you plan to serve.
If you enjoy making cakes from scratch, our best carrot cake bars use a similar warm spice profile and come together just as easily. And for another layer cake with incredible frosting, our creamsicle cake is always a crowd pleaser.
Carol’s Baking Notes
Keep your bananas ripe. A banana with brown spots will give you the sweetest, most fragrant batter. When they are just right the cake tastes of warm banana and the texture is moist without being heavy.
Do not overmix. Once you add the wet ingredients to the dry, mix only until the flour disappears. A few small lumps from the bananas are fine. Gentle folding keeps the crumb tender and light.
Drain the pineapple well. Excess moisture can change the texture of the cake. I press the crushed pineapple in a sieve and pat it lightly so the fruit stays moist but does not weigh the batter down.
Test for doneness with a toothpick. It is a reliable tool. A few small crumbs clinging to the toothpick means the center is set and the cake will finish in the pan while you rest it.
If you want a slightly richer cake, toast your nuts briefly in a dry pan until they smell warm. Let them cool before folding them in so they stay crisp and add a layer of flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hummingbird Cake Recipe
Why do they call a Hummingbird Cake a Hummingbird Cake?
The name has a few different origin stories depending on who you ask. The most widely accepted explanation is that the cake is so sweet it attracts people the way flowers attract hummingbirds. Another popular theory traces it to Jamaica, where the cake may have originated as a local specialty sometimes called Doctor Bird Cake, named after the island’s national bird, the red-billed streamertail hummingbird. The banana and pineapple combination reflects those tropical roots. The rising search query “why is it called hummingbird cake” shows this question is being asked more and more, which tells you people are genuinely curious about the story behind this recipe.
What is a Hummingbird Cake made of?
A classic hummingbird cake recipe is made from all-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla, ripe mashed bananas, crushed pineapple with juice, and chopped pecans. The cream cheese frosting is made from softened full-fat cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. It’s a one-bowl cake batter that requires no mixer, just a spatula and a gentle hand. The ingredients list looks long but most of it is pantry staples you likely already have.
What’s the difference between carrot cake and Hummingbird Cake?
Both are spiced layer cakes with cream cheese frosting and a similar warm, homey feeling. The main difference is the fruit base. Carrot cake uses grated carrots and sometimes crushed pineapple for moisture. Hummingbird cake uses mashed ripe bananas and crushed pineapple together, which gives it a distinctly sweeter, more tropical flavor. Carrot cake is earthier and slightly more savory in comparison. Both use oil instead of butter for a moist crumb, and both use pecans or walnuts for texture. If you love carrot cake you will very likely love hummingbird cake. They appeal to the same kind of baker and the same kind of eater. Our carrot cake cookies bridge the two worlds beautifully if you can’t decide.
What is Elvis Presley’s cake?
Elvis Presley’s favorite cake is often said to be a pound cake, specifically a buttermilk pound cake that his grandmother used to make. Some accounts also mention a peanut butter and banana combination, which aligns with his famously legendary love of peanut butter and banana sandwiches. The hummingbird cake, with its ripe banana base, is sometimes loosely connected to Elvis in Southern food culture because of that shared banana thread, but it wasn’t officially his signature cake.
His grandmother’s pound cake recipe has been shared widely and is considered the true Elvis cake. For something rich and nostalgic, our banana pudding cheesecake taps into that same Southern comfort territory. You can also explore the history of classic Southern baking through resources like the Food Network’s guide to Southern cake history.
Final Thoughts on This Hummingbird Cake Recipe
This recipe has been on my counter, in my oven, and on my table more times than I can count. It’s the kind of bake that feels like it requires more skill than it actually does, which means you get a lot of credit for something that genuinely isn’t hard once you’ve done it once.
The bananas, the pineapple, the pecans, and that cream cheese frosting come together into something that tastes like it took all day when it really took less than an hour of active work. Make it for a birthday. Make it for Easter. Make it because you have ripe bananas on the counter and an afternoon to spare.
If you try this hummingbird cake recipe, I’d love to hear how it turns out for you. Leave a comment below, leave a star rating, and if you share it on social, tag us at myflavorrecipes.com so we can see your beautiful cake. Happy baking.
