Hummingbird Cake Recipe

This hummingbird cake is moist, loaded with banana, crushed pineapple, and toasted pecans, and finished with a silky cream cheese frosting. It's one of my favorite layer cakes to make for a crowd.

You’ll find the full recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Be sure to check out the blog post itself for extra tips and tricks!

Hummingbird cake, a Southern classic, actually originated in Jamaica, known as Doctor Bird Cake after Jamaica's national bird. The recipe was shared by the Jamaican tourism industry in the late 1960s to promote travel. In 1978, Mrs. L.H. Wiggins submitted it to Southern Living, making it a staple.

Similar to carrot cake, it's an oil-based layer cake with warm spices and cream cheese frosting, using bananas and pineapple for moisture.

Growing up in a Jamaican household, I love its Caribbean roots. Toasted pecans add a nutty crunch. If you enjoy carrot cake or banana bread, this cake is for you.

Love, Tanya

A QUICK LOOK AT THE INGREDIENTS

Ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions are on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Dry Ingredients
  • All-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt — these get whisked together first. Sifting the flour keeps the crumb light and tender.
• Wet Ingredients
  • White granulated sugar and light brown sugar — using both adds moisture and a subtle molasses depth.
  • Eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract round out the base.
• The Add-Ins
  • Crushed pineapple — do not drain it. The juice is what keeps this cake moist.
  • Mashed bananas — use ripe bananas for the best flavor. You'll need about 4–5 medium bananas for 2 cups mashed.
  • Chopped pecans — toasted first for deeper flavor and crunch. One cup goes into the batter, the rest goes on top.
• For the Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Cream cheese and unsalted butter — both at room temperature so the frosting blends smoothly.
  • Powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk combine to make a silky frosting.

HOW TO MAKE HUMMINGBIRD CAKE

This hummingbird cake bakes in three 9-inch round cake pans, so you get beautiful layers with plenty of frosting between them.

Step 1: Toast the pecans and prep your pans

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans, or line them with parchment paper. Spread the chopped pecans on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 5–7 minutes until fragrant. Keep a close eye on them, they can go from toasted to burnt quickly. Remove and let them cool.

Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and allspice. Set aside.

Step 3: Mix the wet ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until well combined.

Step 4: Combine and fold

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined. The batter will look thick at this point. Fold in the crushed pineapple with its juice, the mashed bananas, and 1 cup of the toasted pecans. This will loosen the batter. Stir until everything is incorporated.

Step 5: Bake the cake layers

Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared cake pans. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Step 6: Make the cream cheese frosting

Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and the milk, and mix until fully incorporated and fluffy.

Step 7: Assemble and frost

Spread a generous layer of frosting between each cake layer, then frost the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle the remaining toasted pecans on top for decoration. For the best slices, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before slicing to allow the frosting to set.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

This hummingbird cake is a showstopper on its own, but it is great as a dessert after a hearty meal. Serve it at Easter, Thanksgiving, or any potluck where you want something that feels both classic and a little unexpected.

If you're making a full spread, it works well after a big comfort food dinner. The sweetness of the cake is a great contrast to savory, spiced dishes.

MAKE AHEAD AND STORAGE

• Storage: Store the frosted cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The cake actually gets better after a day as the flavors meld together.
• Freezing: You can freeze the unfrosted cake layers wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then frost before serving.
• Make-ahead tip: Bake the cake layers a day ahead, wrap tightly, and refrigerate. Make the frosting and assemble the next day.

TANYA'S TOP TIPS

• Use ripe bananas. The riper, the better — they should be heavily speckled or even mostly brown. Ripe bananas are sweeter and mash more smoothly into the batter.
• Toast the pecans. It only takes a few minutes and makes a real difference in flavor. Raw pecans in the batter will taste flat by comparison.
• Cool completely before frosting. If the layers are even slightly warm, the cream cheese frosting will slide right off.

RELATED RECIPES

I hope you love this hummingbird cake recipe as much as we do. If you're looking for more cake and dessert recipes, try these out:

• Moist Carrot Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting — The closest cousin to hummingbird cake, with a spiced oil-based crumb and a similar cream cheese frosting.
• Mini Rum Carrot Cake — A fun Caribbean spin on carrot cake with a little rum flavor baked in.
• Sweet Potato Bundt Cake — Another moist, spiced cake that's perfect for the holidays.
• Best Banana Bread Recipe in the World — If you have extra ripe bananas after making this cake, this is the one to make.
• Instant Pot Carrot Cake Cheesecake — For when you can't decide between carrot cake and cheesecake.

Tanya Harris

Hummingbird Cake Recipe

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This hummingbird cake recipe is moist, packed with banana, crushed pineapple, and toasted pecans, and covered in a silky cream cheese frosting. A true Southern classic with Caribbean roots.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Cooling Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Servings: 16 people

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Jamaican

Calories: 601

Ingredients

  

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For the Cake

• 1 ½ cups chopped pecans divided (174g)
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour sifted (280g)
• 1 cup white granulated sugar 210g
• ¾ cup light brown sugar 140g
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda 8g
• 1 teaspoon table salt 5g
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2g
• ½ teaspoon allspice 1g
• 3 large eggs 149g
• 1 cup vegetable oil 210g
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 7g
• 8 oz can crushed pineapple do not drain (227g)
• 2 cups mashed bananas about 4–5 medium ripe bananas (500g)

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

• 12 oz cream cheese at room temperature (331g)
• ¾ cup unsalted butter at room temperature (165g)
• 2 ¼ cups powdered sugar sifted (300g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2g
• 2 tablespoon milk 26g

Instructions

 

For the Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans or line them with parchment paper.
2. Spread the chopped pecans on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5–7 minutes until fragrant. Remove and let cool.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and allspice.
4. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until well combined.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined.
6. Fold in the crushed pineapple with its juice, mashed bananas, and 1 cup of the toasted pecans.
7. Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared cake pans.
8. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Frosting

1. Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract and milk.
2. Spread a generous layer of frosting between each cake layer, then frost the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup toasted pecans on top.

Nutrition

Calories: 601kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 5gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 11gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 187mgPotassium: 238mgFiber: 2gSugar: 46gVitamin A: 631IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 1mg

Notes

• For better slicing, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the frosting to set. However, your cake will still turn out fine if you skip this step. Who has space to store a whole cake in the fridge anyway?
• Do not drain the crushed pineapple — the juice is essential for keeping the cake moist.
• Use very ripe bananas (heavily speckled or mostly brown) for the best flavor and texture.
• The cake layers must be completely cool before frosting, or the cream cheese frosting will not hold.
• Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Unfrosted cake layers can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Tried this recipe?

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