This easy single layer hummingbird cake is super soft, moist, and pairs perfectly with coffee. It’s slightly spiced and flavored with banana and pineapple, and frosted with classic cream cheese frosting to complete its deliciousness. If you like banana or carrot cakes, you’ll fall in love with this one. It’s so moist, it will melt in your mouth!
This post may contain affiliate links for products or services I use and love. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
In this post…
Main Equipment Used
Cake pan: I prefer to use my 9-inch round cake pan or 9-inch springform pan as well. For alternate pan sizes, see the FAQs below or go to my cake pan conversion article.
Mixer: I prefer to use a handheld mixer or stand mixer when making most cakes.
You can! The result will be better, yielding a very tender, soft crumb, but it will take slightly longer to make.
One-Layer Hummingbird Cake
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda and salt
- Ground cinnamon
- Granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- Canola oil (or vegetable, safflower)
- Crushed pineapple
- Half of the pineapple juice from the can (drain half of the juice from the can pineapple and add the rest to the cake batter)
- Pure vanilla extract
- Ripe bananas
- Toasted pecans, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl sift together dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix eggs and sugar until combined, then add the oil, pineapple and juice, vanilla extract, and bananas ingredients. Add flour mixture to the dry mixture and mix on low just until combined. Stir in pecans.
- Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes. If cake is browning too much while baking, cover it loosely with aluminum foil. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- Cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- Powdered sugar, sifted
- Pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add sugar in 2 additions, beating well after each addition until smooth. Add vanilla extract and beat for about another 2 minutes on high speed until completely smooth.
Pro tip: If the frosting is too runny, add more sugar as necessary until you reach the desired consistency. You can add a pinch of salt or lemon juice to cut the sweetness if you like.
Garnish: Spread frosting over the top (and sides if you want) of the cake, and sprinkle with chopped pecans for garnish, if you like.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can leave out the pecans if you want without replacing with anything or you can use shredded coconut instead.
Yes, you can easily double this cake and frosting recipe to take it from a single layer humming bird cake to a double layer cake.
if you want to use a 9×13-inch sheet pan, multiply the recipe by 1.5 and bake for 40-45 minutes.
If the cake has been frosted, it should be stored in the refrigerator. An unfrosted cake can be left at room temperature, but wrap it in plastic wrap or place it in a Ziploc bag to keep it airtight. Alternately, freeze this cake frosted or unfrosted for longterm storage.
Hummingbird Cake
Single-layer cake spiced and flavored with banana and pineapple and frosted with classic cream cheese frosting to complete its deliciousness. The prominent flavor is banana, with bits of juicy pineapple. It’s so moist, it will melt in your mouth!
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 cups (280 g/10 oz) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (225 g/8 oz) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup (180 ml) canola oil (or vegetable, safflower)
- 8 oz/227 g can crushed pineapple
- half of the pineapple juice from the can (drain half of the juice from the can pineapple and add the rest to the cake batter)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 ripe bananas
- ¾ cup (75 g) toasted pecans, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz/227 g cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (1 stick/115 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 – 2 ½ cups (240 – 300 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Hummingbird Cake
-
Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Grease a 9-inch cake pan or springform pan. Set aside.
-
In a large bowl sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, set aside.
-
Either mixing by hand or in the bowl of a stand mixer eggs and sugar until combined, then add the oil, pineapple and juice, vanilla extract, and bananas. Add wet mixture to the flour mixture and mix on low or by hand just until combined. Stir in pecans.
-
Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes. If cake is browning too much while baking, cover it loosely with aluminum foil. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
-
In a bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
-
Add sugar in 2 additions, beating well after each addition until smooth. Add vanilla extract and beat for about another 2 minutes on high speed until completely smooth. If the frosting is too runny, add more sugar as necessary until you reach the desired consistency. You can add a pinch of salt or lemon juice to cut the sweetness if you like.
-
Spread frosting over the top (and sides if you want) of the cake, and sprinkle with chopped pecans for garnish, if you like.
Recipe Notes
Storing:
Store cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. Alternately, the cake can also be frozen for up to two months in an airtight container.
