Hummingbird Cake

Am I the only one in America that hasn't heard of Hummingbird cake? Apparently it's more popular in the South, but has made it's way to the Midwest and into my kitchen. This reminds me of a carrot cake minus the carrots plus bananas and pineapple. Did I mention cream cheese frosting? It's extremely delicious and I feel should be the springtime's answer to carrot cake. 

I made this cake this week while Leah was sleeping. It's amazing what you can accomplish while a baby is sleeping and you have no idea how long you have. It's like the Olympics of multitasking.  I thought I was good before, but my skills are on fire. That is until the end of the day and I have no idea what I actually did because the house looks the same, I left the towels in the washing machine for the 3rd time and I didn't shower. But I made a cake that was delicious and that makes me happy. That was on my to-do list, so I feel good about life. 

This would be a great cake to make for Mother's Day, it feels like springtime and also like you put a lot of effort into it. But really, 3 layer cakes look complicated but they aren't at all. Just frosting one tall cake rather than one small one. The feeling of cutting into a 3 layer cake and seeing how pretty the inside looks is the best. And now we know it can be accomplished during baby nap time.

How are you guys celebrating Mother's Day? It's my very first Mother's Day so I need suggestions. Mostly I just want sleep and to eat a meal while it's warm. Give this yummy southern cake a go and tag @lolosdesserts to show it off!

Have you guys heard of Hummingbird cake? Let me know in the comments! 

That first cut...

Ingredients

2 cups chopped pecans

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups mashed banana (4 bananas- ripe/some brown)

one 8 ounce can crushed pineapple

3 large eggs

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

two 8 ounce blocks cream cheeses, room temperature

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

4-5 cups powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon milk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread pecans onto a baking sheet lined with a silicon baking sheet or parchment paper. Toast pecans for 8 minutes then remove from the oven and set aside. Turn the oven up to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour three 9 inch cake pans.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt.

3. Whisk the rest of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined. Fold in 1 and 1/2 cups toasted pecans. (save some for garnish)

4. Spread the batter evenly between the 3 cake pans. Bake for 23-26 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Rotate the pans halfway through baking.

5. Allow to cool while still in the pans. Once cooled, remove from the pans and level the tops of each cake using a cake leveler or a serrated knife.

Frosting

1. In a stand mixer or handheld mixer, mix the cream cheese and butter until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time and mix completely after each addition.

2. Add the vanilla, milk and salt and mix again. Add more milk to thin out if you desire.

3. Frost the bottom layer of cake with a thick layer of frosting then place the middle cake layer and frost again. Place the top cake layer and do a thin layer of frosting over the entire cake, this is your crumb coat. Then place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.

4. Once out of the fridge, frost the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Decorate with nuts, bananas or pineapples or whatever your heart desires!

Crumb Coat- the secret first layer to a pretty frosted cake

That's a wrap