Hummingbird Cake

I made this cake for Robbie for his birthday last month. He loves pineapple and we have been baking several loaves of banana bread lately so a cake that combined both and covered with a cream cheese frosting, another favorite here, seemed like a winner! I do not have step by step pictures of this one as it is pretty self explanatory and I wasn't planning on sharing this at that time. I found the flavor of this cake to be unique and my favorite part was the frosting. It had a wonderful flavor! Even our picky eater Scott really enjoyed this cake.

Hummingbird Cake:

borrowed from joyofbaking.com

1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped

3 cups all purpose flour

2 cups granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 - 8 ounce can crushed pineapple, do not drain

2 cups mashed ripe bananas (2-3 medium bananas)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9 inch round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper. Place pecans on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and before chopping finely.

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

In another large bowl mix together the eggs, oil, vanilla, pineapple, mashed bananas and chopped pecans. Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and stir until combined. Do not over mix your batter as it will result in a dry cake! Evenly devide the batter between the cake pans and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire racks, remove the parchment paper and cool completely. Prepare frosting.

Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 pound box powdered sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

In the bowl of your stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until very smooth and lump free. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and beat, on low, until fully incorporated and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla and then stir in the chopped pecans.

To assemble the cake place one cake top side down onto your serving platter. Spread with 1/3 of the frosting. Gently place the other cake, top side up, onto the frosting. Spread the rest of the frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Garnish with pecan halves. Refrigerate for an hour before serving to allow frosting to set. Serves 10-12 people.