Hummingbird Cake is a Southern classic! It's a spiced pineapple-banana cake topped with cream cheese frosting and pecans. Serve it for Easter or any family gathering.

Photography Credit: Steve-Anna Stephens

Featured in 12 Desserts for Your Easter Table

Please welcome my dear friend, guest author Steve-Anna Stephens as she shares a Southern classic! ~Elise

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Hummingbird Cake: Sweet, Scrumptious and Loved by All

Do you have a sweet tooth? Truth be told—I do not. At all. Pass me a second helping of beef tenderloin at dinner, thank you very much, and you can have my dessert.

So, the Hummingbird Cake perplexes me, because, well, I can’t stop eating it.

What Is Hummingbird Cake?

If you’re not familiar, Hummingbird Cake is a spiced pineapple-banana cake topped with cream cheese frosting and pecans. Maybe it’s the pecans that lure me in, or the way the taste fools me into thinking I might just be eating a fancy piece of banana bread with a little cream cheese. Good for you, right?

Hummingbird cake has to be the one of the sweetest, most scrumptious cakes around. Given their love for sugary nectar, one has to imagine hummingbirds would love to feast on this cake. But tough luck, hummingbirds! No one’s leaving this cake outside unattended.

A Perfected Hummingbird Cake Recipe

Since the original recipe for Hummingbird Cake first appeared in 1978 in Southern Living, it holds the title for the “most requested recipe” in the magazine’s history. This version differs from the basic one only slightly.

I’ve added nutmeg, used both baking soda and baking powder for a little extra browning and lift, and added some Cointreau to the frosting. It’s a wonderfully simple cake to make, with impressive results on all counts.

Have you ever tried Hummingbird Cake? If you haven’t, and you have a sweet tooth, this cake’s for you. Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Serving and Storing this Cake

This cake is at its very best if prepared and served on the same day. The assembled cake can be left at room temperature for a few hours before serving. If you need to make the cake in advance, cover it as best you can and refrigerate it. Let it come to room temperature for an hour or two before serving.

Leftovers are best stored in the refrigerator and well-covered with plastic wrap to protect them from drying out as much as possible. Let slices come to room temperature before serving.

By the way, cake is usually fine stored at room temperature, but there’s some debate about the safety of cream cheese frosting being left out. Most sources advise erring on the side of caution and refrigerating it. Better safe than sorry!

Turning Cake into Cupcakes

This recipe makes great cupcakes! The cupcakes bake for about the same time as the cake, and you can double check by inserting a toothpick in the center. (When the toothpick emerges clean, the cupcakes are ready.)

Also, you won’t need as much frosting for cupcakes so you can cut the frosting recipe in half.

Looking for more classic cakes?