Hummingbird Cake

Rich and flavorful hummingbird cake is a Southern classic—but a relatively new one. The dessert gained popularity in 1978 when a hummingbird cake recipe was submitted to Southern Living Magazine by a Mrs. L.H. Wiggins of Greensboro, North Carolina. Featuring a cake batter packed with mashed bananas, crushed pineapple, and toasted pecans and finished with cream cheese frosting, the moist cake quickly became a staple. But the recipe’s origin, and name, remained murky. Some claim that name came from the fact that the cake is sweet enough to attract a hummingbird. Other say it’s because people will hover around the cake the way hummingbirds hover around a flower. But the most evidence suggests that the cake originated in Jamaica, where it’s called “Doctor Bird Cake” after Jamaica’s national bird—the “doctor bird” or hummingbird.

You’ll want overripe bananas and canned pineapple (with its juices) for this delicious cake; fresh pineapple won’t give you the same flavor and texture. Over the years, cooks have made a few tweaks to the original recipe: Some people add shredded carrot (this cake’s flavor and texture are similar to a carrot cake, so it makes sense to combine them) or coconut. This version, from chef and cookbook author Kelly Fields, is wonderfully aromatic thanks to the addition of cardamom and ground dried rose petals. Fields notes that their mother often made hummingbird cake for holidays, and for many years, they even thought their mom had invented the whimsical name. For a classic presentation, decorate the top edge of the frosted cake with pecan halves or garnish the sides of the cake with crushed pecans.

This recipe was excerpted from ‘The Good Book of Southern Baking’ by Kelly Fields. Buy the full book on Amazon.