Ingredients
280g self-raising flour
2 tsp mixed spice
300g dark brown sugar
75g desiccated coconut
½ cup walnuts, chopped
2 ripe bananas
440g can diced pineapple, drained
2 eggs
250ml vegetable oil
150g cream cheese, softened
50g unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g icing sugar
Walnut halves, to decorate
Method
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Preheat oven to 170ºC. Line a 24cm cake tin with baking paper. Sift flour and spice into a large bowl, then stir in brown sugar, coconut and nuts.
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Mash bananas in a medium bowl, then mix in pineapple and eggs. Fold into flour mixture with the oil. Spoon into prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
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Put cream cheese, butter, vanilla and icing sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk for 5 minutes or until very light. Spread icing over cake, then decorate with walnut halves. Leave to set, then serve.
Why do they call it a hummingbird cake?
Hummingbird cake originated in Jamaica, where it was first called doctor bird. It is named after the island's national bird, which is the scissor tail hummingbird (also called the doctor bird).
What does a hummingbird cake taste like?
Hummingbird cake is known to taste like banana bread mixed with carrot cake, with the addition of tropical ingredients like pineapple.
Hummingbird cake variations: