Southern Living‘s Most Popular Cake Turns Forty
The content below may contain affiliate links, which means that when you click and shop the links, we receive a commission.
The hummingbird cake from Southern Living has been on my list to make for at least a decade. I’ve made their coconut chiffon cake for every Easter we’ve hosted. This year, during the hummingbird cake’s fortieth anniversary, I decided it was time.
I worked off of this recipe, and what they say is true: take the time to toast your pecans. It makes as big a difference as they say it does.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Tools:
3 9-inch pans (spring form is easiest)
Electric mixer (worth every penny and some)
The usual suspects: a mixing bowl or two, spoons, and a spatula
For the cake:
3 cups of all-purpose flour (and about 1/2 cup to flour 3 pans for your 3 cake layers)
2 cups white granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 (8-oz) can crushed pineapple in juice (undrained)
3 chopped bananas
1 cup chopped and toasted pecans (plus 1 cup extra for topping)
Butter/shortening/cooking spray (to spray cake pans)
For the cream cheese frosting:
2 (8-oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup salted butter, softened at room temperature
2 (16-oz) packages of powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Whisk your flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon together in a mixer. Add in eggs and oil until just mixed in and there are no dry spots left. Be careful not to over-mix.
On low speed, mix in your crushed pineapple (leaving the juice in), chopped bananas, and one cup of your toasted pecans.
Prep your cake pans
You’ll need three 9-inch cake pans for this recipe. Spring form cake pans are the absolute easiest. Here is a set of three on sale for under $25.00. Spray your pans with nonstick cooking spray, or butter them, using a paper towel to wipe off the excess. Next, add a tablespoon or two of flour to each pan and shake it around until the pans are lightly coated with flour. Discard the excess. This quick process helps prevent sticking.
Divide the batter evenly between your three pans and bake until a toothpick or knife comes out clean. This will take around 25-30 minutes. I started mine at 20 minutes, then added time in 5-minute increments. I’ve had one too many cakes come out dry, so I’m extra cautious here.
Leave your cakes in their pans for 10 minutes on a wire rack, then remove them from their pans and set them aside to cool completely on the rack for about an hour.
Making your frosting:
While you’re waiting for them to cool, get your cream cheese frosting ready. Mix in your cream cheese and butter on medium-low speed until it’s blended and smooth. Add your powdered sugar a little at a time, blending it completely before adding in the next little bit. I did not use all of the two packages of powdered sugar in this recipe.
Stir in your vanilla and mix it at medium-high speed until it’s fluffy – about two minutes.
Assemble your cake
It’s time for my favorite trick. Place the bottom layer of your cake (one of the three cakes) onto a cake plate or serving piece. Tear off small pieces of parchment and stick them slightly underneath the cake. This is going to catch the drippings and keep your cake plate free of icing – magic!
Spread a layer of icing on top, then stack your second cake on, and repeat. If you have a bit of a perfectionist streak (let’s face it, we all do), you can take a serrated bread knife (link to ours) and carefully shave off a bit from the top layer so that it’s even when you rest them on top of one another. I chose to shortcut this by place the first one upside down, the second one right side up, then the final one upside down. Once your cake is assembled, ice the top and the sides.
I love making this cake and a good coconut cake because you’re allowed to add toppings to the sides to cover any unevenness. It’s brilliant. Feel free to decorate your cake with the rest of the toasted almonds and enjoy!
This post may contain affiliate links, but all are 100% Magnolia Stripes-approved.
