Hummingbird Cake

Before heading back to the states I made a promise with myself to load up on food that is impossible to get in China. Since my family lives in Mississippi, I've mostly been stocking up on southern food. I've eaten some awesome Memphis BBQ, a little bit of crawfish, a few sweet potato casseroles, country fried stake, and this here cake. Before I set out to make this cake, I got to wondering why it's called a Hummingbird Cake. In February 1978 Southern Living magazine published the first known printed recipe of this cake. Submitted by Ms. L.H. Wiggins, this cake became one of the most requested and all time favorite recipes the magazine produced. Ms. Wiggins left people in the dark however, when it came to the origin of the name. There are theories, but no one really knows where the name came from. The original recipe is a traditional three layer cake with loads of cream cheese frosting. This more recent recipe was simplified to work in a bundt pan. For me, the only downside was that I wanted more frosting, which I believe is easier accomplished when you have layers to fill. It was a cinch to make, and looked beautiful (like a giant doughnut!), but I think I would like to make the original recipe, mostly because of the globs of frosting.

Hummingbird Cake

Adapted from Southern Living

Ingredients

Cake Batter:

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 3/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (it took about 4 medium-large bananas for me)

1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple (do not drain)

3/4 cup canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Glaze:

4 ounces cream cheese, cubed and softened

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Directions

Prepare cake batter: preheat oven to 350˚F. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.

Stir together flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in eggs and next 4 ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Sprinkle 1 cup toasted pecans into a greased and floured 14-cup Bundt pan. Spoon batter over pecans.

Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a long wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. For me the cake was still very wet at 1 hour, and wasn't finished until an 1 and 20 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 2 hours). 

Prepare Glaze: process cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk in a food processor until well blended. I just used a wooden spoon. Add remaining 1 tablespoon milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, processing until smooth. Immediately pour glaze over cooled cake and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup toasted pecans.

This cake keeps very well, and tastes better with age. If possible, prepare the cake a day or two before you plan on devouring it!