Hummingbird Cake is an Allen family tradition coming from Nichole’s Grandma Virginia who has made it for many birthdays, holidays, and events throughout the years. Now it has been graciously baked by Godmother and dear friend, Vonda Spencer.

We invite you to continue this tradition in your own households with this recipe. Enjoy!

Nichole’s Bridal Hummingbird Cake

By Virginia Morgan

For the cake:

3 tsp butter, softened

3 cups + 3 tbsp flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 ½ cups vegetable oil

3 eggs, well beaten

6 ripe bananas, peeled and coarsely mashed

1 can (8 oz) drained crushed pineapple

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut (toasted)

1 cup chopped pecans (toasted)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp almond extract

½ tsp coconut extract

For the frosting:

16 oz cream cheese

8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp coconut extract

1 tablespoon rum - optional

6 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

For the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease each of the three 9” round cake pans with 1 tsp of the butter, dust each with 1 tbsp of the flour, tapping out excess. Combine remaining 3 cups of flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Add oil and eggs and mix well. Add bananas, pineapple, coconut, pecans, cinnamon, and vanilla and almond and coconut extracts and mix well. Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake until toothpick inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, 23-30 minutes. Set aside to cool briefly, remove cakes from the pans, then set aside to cool completely.

For the frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter and extracts in a mixing bowl on high speed until smooth, then reduce speed and gradually beat in the powdered sugar.

Assemble and frost the cake, spreading the frosting between the layers of cake using the remaining to frost the cake completely.

Virginia’s notes: Toasting the pecans and coconut adds more flavor, just brown in a small pan and set aside to cool. If you don’t sift your sugar, you will have lumpy frosting. Adding a tablespoon of rum is an excellent addition to the frosting. Cake “ripens” nicely in the fridge for 10 days.