Hummingbird Cake
Hummingbird Cake is a sweet treat for any time of year. And, since it is mostly sweetened with fruit, you can eat more of it with less guilt. This cake is not completely guilt free mind you, but hey, every little bit helps.
Hummingbird Cake is also great for kids. The reciepe works great for toy ovens. You can also tell bigger kids that Hummingbird Cake is made from real hummingbirds and watch their eyes grow really big. Tell them the meaty parts are the hummingbird (pineapple) and the crunchy is the wings (nuts). You have to be careful as some kids are really sensitive; however, most kids will get the joke. Although, some kids are like a certain cartoon character and his sidekick tiger
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Ok, enough of the fun and games, let’s get down to work. Here is the recipe for Hummingbird Cake. This can be used as a cake, a sweet pound cake, muffins, or even a bunt cake. In any form, it takes really good when you’re in the mood for something nice and sweet. This Hummingbird Cake recipe is written for baking at sea level. If you live at altitude, use 2 full eggs instead of 1-1/2.
Hummingbird Cake Recipe
- 1 cup Flour
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt (optional)
- 1 Banana
- 4 oz. Crushed Pineapple
- 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1/8 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla
- 1-1/2 Eggs
- 1/8 cup Chopped Nuts
- Butter and Flour for cake pan
- Powdered Sugar Sprinkle
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Shift together Flour, Sugar, Cinnamon, Baking Soda, and Salt. Note: If you don’t want to use that much Salt you can always use just a dash or two or even omit the salt altogether.
Place the Banana in a large bowl and mash it up. Drain 4 ounces of Pineapple and mix the Pineapple with the Banana. Add the 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil and the 1/8 cup Vegetable Oil (that’s 2 Tablespoons if you don’t have a 1/8 measuring cup). Add Vanilla, Eggs, and Nuts (Walnuts or Pecans usually work really well, however any kind of nuts can be used). Carefully hand mix all the liquids. Don’t over mix. Hummingbird Cake is more like a sweet fruity pound cake than a real fluffy cake. If you over mix it, you will end up with a large Hummingbird Cake rock.
Shift all the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Again, you want to hand mix these carefully. Only mix until all the dry ingredients are wet, and no more.
Butter and flour a cake pan. (Note: Don’t use a non-stick cooking spray. It doesn’t seem to work well. This cake is just too sweet for those products to be all that effective.) Poor all of the batter into the cake pan and place it in the center of the oven.
Bake the Hummingbird Cake mix for 35 minutes or until you can put a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean.
When the cake is cooled slightly, empty the Hummingbird Cake out onto a cake platter. Sprinkle the cake lightly with a little powered sugar for looks. Some people like to pour cream cheese frosting over the top. (We found that to be a little too sweet for our tastes, but this is entirely up to you.)
And that’s it. A nice Hummingbird Cake fit for eating.
Notice: No hummingbirds are harmed in the making of Hummingbird Cake.
