Hummingbird Cake III

Okay...so nobody else has mentioned this..but is there a chance that it was supposed to be baking soda and NOT baking powder? Because i followed the recipe exactly and the cake is not so much a cake as a really dense doughy bread...and after having perused all the other hummingbird recipes they all say soda and not powder. Haven't tasted it yet but just on texture alone, i'm a more than a little disappointed to say the least. I did notice that others said it was a dense cake but i didin't think that it was going to be anything like what i got. I've had hummingbird cake before and it was fabulous...this not so much

Thanks for sharing this delicious cake recipe, Dee. I've made this cake twice. Once as per recipe and the second time attempting to copy the one a small local deli serves.To bring this recipe more in line with that of the deli, I chopped half the bananas and mashed half and added 1/2t banana extract for a more enhanced banana flavor. I cut the oil to one cup and didn't drain the crushed pineapple; added 1/4t of cloves and an extra teaspoon of cinnamon, and toasted the pecans. I used your cream cheese frosting, but toasted extra pecans, chopped small and gently pushed them into the frosting all over the cake.The result was fabulous. I'm continually being asked for the recipe.

I'm addicted to this cake...even my siblings who only like chocolate cake liked this. I took reviewers' advice and mashed half the bananas, added extra cinnamon, and replaced some of the oil with pineapple juice. I made my own frosting (vanilla pudding mix, 1 1/2 cups milk, 8 oz cream cheese, 8 oz cool-whip) and filled the middle of the cake with frosting/crushed pineapple. Try this cake!

I made this cake as healthy as I could: Substituted all but 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil with 1 3/4 cups lite apple sauce. I substituted eggbeaters for eggs & splenda for sugar. The result was a very dense but absolutely DELICIOUS cake. Very, very sweet so best with a cup of coffee or even coffee ice cream - to tame the sweetness. I made this as a layer cake (2 9 inch cakes). I layered smooshed banana & crushed pineapple as the in-between layer. Very very good to get that punch of flavor but be sure to thoroughly dry the crushed pineapple otherwise it gets kinda leaky. I cooked the cake at 325 in a confectioner's oven for 45 minutes. I watched it very very closely to ensure it did not burn. I topped with toasted coconut. My dad could not stop raving. Thank you.

I suggest you ad a layer of sliced banana (put a little lemon juice to keep it fresh)& smashed banana & pineapple in-between the layers. This is a great cake for Easter if you put coconut (green for grass) on the top & decorate the whole pecans as Easter eggs. Best cake ever!

I've made this twice - once substituting 1c applesauce for 1c of oil, and once making it as stated in the recipe. Both times the cake had a wonderful flavor. I think it was much better before it was frosted. As others have said, the frosting is very sweet, and it overpowers the light fruity cake. I will have to experiment with frostings, but the cake is really lovely. Oh, and I will only make it with the applesauce next time b/c it doesn't seem to change the texture or flavor noticeably.

My son wanted to have an "I love you Party" for my Mom so I wanted to make something different that I thought she would like. I actually saw a version of this cake on Cupcake Wars so I came on AR and searched for a recipe. I followed the recipe with the exception of cutting the oil down to one cup and it turned out delicious. I used a cream cheese frosting from this site and sprinkled them with cinnamon sugar and topped with a cherry. My mom absolutely loved them and I will definitely make them again.

Wonderful cake! I made this for the family at Christmas and everyone loved it! The cake is very dense and moist. I made no changes to the ingredients themselves, but I did cook this in 4 eight inch round pans to make 4 thin layers (about 1 3/4 c batter per pan). I used the same cook time and it was perfect. I also made an extra half serving of the icing so it would be easy to decorate - but the cake stands up on its own, extra icing is definitely not necessary! I did not mix the pecans in the icing, but used them for decoration. Great recipe! I'll be making this regularly in the future.

The other reviewer was right...use baking soda, not baking powder. If your bananas aren't really ripe, just cut it into smaller pieces and it will get soft when baked. I coarse chop pecans that go into the cake then I finely chop another half cup or so to sprinkle over the frosting. That way it doesn't have to look pretty, the pecans hide it. This bakes well as a layer cake but I usually make it as a bundt or in a rectangle pan. Most people don't care how pretty it is, it doesn't last long enough to look at it lol. You can try to make this healthier but I doubt it's possible...it is NOT a diet cake, it's a heavy wet cake. Enjoy it!

Made this cake for Mom's day and it was a big hit! Made it 2-9" rounds for a layer cake... Those instructions puzzled me...??? Did 3/4c oil and 3/4c applesauce and I could tell it would've been better with all oil, but healthier and still quite moist with the substitution. Did ARs Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting and it was GREAT with this cake. So much lighter than ones that use butter. I got the bigger can of crushed pineapple, mixed 1 cup into batter, drained the rest and mixed it into 1/3 of the frosting for the filling... That part was THE BEST. Next time I'll put a thicker layer of that. Coated the whole thing in sweetened shredded coconut and stuck a little hummingbird I got at the craft store in the center. Made the cakes and frosting the night before, assembled in the a.m. so it was pretty easy. BFs Mom was impressed and she's a world class cooker & baker =)

This was so moist and flavorful and everyone loved it! Most went back for seconds. I made only two layers and baked them about 15 minutes longer and I used a different cream cheese frosting recipe that is less sweet. The batter was really thick unlike "plain" cakes but it didn't turn out too dense at all. It was just right! Thank you for the recipe. Oh, and my bananas were not extremely ripe - just a slight bit green around the tip but it wasn't a problem.

Amazing! I didn't think I'd like it just reading the ingredients, but I tweaked the recipe a little bit and this came out to be one of the best cakes I've ever tasted. I reduced the oil to 1 cup and didnt drain the pineapple. I added a touch more vanilla and cinnamon and also mashed half of the bananas. In between layers I put a layer of sliced bananas and pineapple. I ommitted any nuts and instead used coconut on the top and sides. I dusted my pans with cinnamon sugar which gave the cake a nice soft sort of crust. I also used a different cream cheese frosting recipe that wasn't as sweet as this one. Yummy!

this cake is fantastic, for starters i bake it in a round tin rather thatn a jelly-roll pan. I usually use 4 medium to large really ripe bananas for fuller flavour, i also add a whole can of the crushed pineapple (if you in australia the golden circle one)so then the cake is really moist and stays that way for days. its also great becasue its dairy free, i then make it even more over the top by covering it with a banana frosting using dairy free margerine then srinkle shreaded coconut over it.. my mum loves this cake i have to stop her eating it all in one day!

I made this for a birthday work party. Everyone loved it (except 2 who didn't like pineapple, their loss!). Next time I will try it with less oil though. I did put a layer of frosting in between 2 9 inch layers with some more pineapple and bananas. Will definitely make again.

This is based upon the rating my uncle gave me. He had an aunt that always use to make it. He requested for someone to give it a shot and I have become the "baker" in the family and he LOVED it!

This cake is great! My husband usually goes down to the local cafe to buy a slice and he said this cake was better than theirs.I made 2 nine inch layers. I only slightly drained the pineapple. The cake is dense but moist.

Kids love this as well as adults

This cake was really tasty. I threw all the ingredients in the mixer. I didn't worry with the separate mixings, and the cake came out fine! I received a marriage proposal (from another woman) after she ate one!

I'm just rating the cake portion of this recipe. Fantastic, I didn't change a thing. It was much more dense than I expected sort of like banana bread. The pineapple in it was terrific.

I made this cake today for work and everyone loved it! It is a dense cake, but very good indeed. I am giving it 4 stars because I did change a few things: 1) doubled the cinnamon 2) added 1 tsp ground cloves 3) used only 3/4 cup vegetable oil and then substituted apple sauce for the other 3/4 cup 4) mashed 1/2 of the bananas 5) did not drain the pineapple 6) no nuts in my icing. It was great! Next time I think I'll use all applesauce and no veg. oil. Thanks for the great recipe and the previous suggestions!

There is a mistake in this recipe. I made it with 1 tsp of baking powder and I'm sure it was suppose to be 1 tsp baking soda. My cake did not rise like it should have. You can use baking powder if that's all you have, but 3 tsp would be the correct amount. I looked at 10 other recipes and they all use baking soda.

This cake was so good. My husband who is a very picky desert eater, loved this cake. Thank you for the recipe!

This cake was not good. I made it exactly like the recipe. Surprisingly flavorless. AND I took this to a group gathering as the only treat. I was very disappointed. I will not be making this again.

This is an awesome recipe. I made a few changes. Here is Hummingbird Cake: Stefani Style. I added 3 t of coconut flavoring. I used only one banana. Adding 2 c of banana made it taste a bit too much like banana bread to me. I doubled the pineapple. Then I added a touch more coconut flavoring to the icing. YUM!

I made this for dessert at a church dinner and it was great! I had 3 messages the next day asking for the recipe and my pans were returned empty the next day with requests for more!

This is a very good cake. It has become a favorite family holiday cake. The banana does tend to overpower the pineapple sometimes so i don't drain the juice all the way. Also make sure your bananas are very ripe.

This recipe is delicious, and very similar to one I have been making for years with wonderful results!! When I make this recipe my husband devours it within hours, so I strive to make it (a bit) healthier by substituting the vegetable oil for apple sauce. I have used both chunky and smooth, and both work great, although I prefer the chunky myself. Its just as delicious, and you cut out tons of calories!

This recipe though great, is too sweet. I reduced the sugar to 2 1/2 cup for the cake. As for icing, I reduced the icing sugar to only 2 cups (instead of 4cups). Even that is too sweet for my liking. I decorated the sides with Pecan granola bar I found in my pantry.

didn't rise much but good flavor

I was pretty disappointed with this cake. After seeing the picture and reading all of the rave reviews I was excited to try this recipe out for my sons birthday. My cake was really heavy and very dense/gummy- it actually looked "uncooked" when it was cut. I won't be making this again, everyone left some on their plates - and in my family that doesn't often happen with desserts.

This cake was very good. I regret cutting back on the oil because I found it to be a little dry. Next time I will use the full amount of oil. I also followed the reccomendations to add the pineapple juice. That was a good idea because the batter is very thick. As far the frosting, I used only 3 cups of confectioner's sugar. I will make this cake again !!

It was okay but giving the recipe the benefit of the doubt is that I didn't do something right.

This is a wonderful recipe. My Aunt always made a Hummingbird Cake that was delicious and I'm glad I have found an almost exact replica of hers. Thank You so much for the recipe!!

Surprisingly good. I made a few changes because I was short on ingredients but it was still perfectly wonderful. A great cake...I was told that this was "the best cake I have ever tasted" by more than one person!

VERY delicious! Made in a 9x13. I used frozen/ thawed ripe bananas. I love the crunch of the pecans. Nice and moist. I used self- rising flour and cut out the baking powder and salt.

This was great! The only change I made was to reduce the oil to 1 cup and not drain the pineapple. Next time though, I will add banana extract. I thought the banana flavor need to stand out a little more.

i just made this cake today, and it turned out very well. Only, I substituted the baking powder for baking soda. I had no bananas, so I used coconut instead. Also, I used cocoanut in the icing instead of pecans, because I was serving this in the resturant instead of my own kitchen, to cater to people with allergies. But, all in all this recipe worked quite well for me. Thank you.

The flavor is there. BUT the cake really doesn't rise. I agree with another reviewer who mentioned it being like a dense bread. It's NOT a light fluffy cake. I suspect it's because it's missing baking soda. I admit I was disappointed. My husband however liked it.

Made this as written, delicious! One caution ... the cake is done before it LOOKS done. Use the toothpick test and don't overbake!

i was told it tasted like banana bread with icing when I made it.

A wonderful twist I would have never thought of! This + pineapple ice cream was a great way to end the day.

I have been making this recipie for Easter every year. Great moist cake.

I basically ruined this cake by burning it, having it be too thin (I used 2 8" by 8" layers), and the icing being too runny. But the taste was STILL good and 2 people asked me for the recipe! I imagine this cake would be out of this world if it were done right :)

it seemed okay but wasn't as good as i expected.

We had this for the first time in New Orleans and loved it! Had to make one myself! We loved it! Great recipe!

This cake has great flavor! It is very dense but moist. I made it in a single layar but next time I will do a double layar and try putting the banana slices in between. I think using very ripe bananas would also enhance the flavor. Thank you for sharing this recipe.

I absolutely love this recipe! It was very easy and came out beautifully! My family thought that I had slaves all day on this one lol Will absolutely make again!

Remember to include the 1.5 teaspoon of baking soda as well as 2 teaspoon of baking powder. I also add unsalted butter, 1 stick to be exact. The cake was moist, I also sprinkle ginger powder to the frosting mixture. I also added 3 tbsp of real vanilla to the cake batter and 2 tbsp reeal vanilla to the frosting mixture.

I added 1 c coconut to icing, but have also made just as is. Very important to take out as soon as done in middle (check it with a knife or toothpick). Lots of compliments from guests.